Persistence is Ryan’s superpower and is how he’s been able to literally get back on his feet. 

Prior to meeting us, he was a very active young man who participated in AFL, Nippers, water skiing, rugby AND golf! 

Ryan came to see us almost a year ago when he was feeling pain in his knee and was experiencing reoccurring swelling and occasional clicking and catching. X-rays and MRI scans of his knee clearly showed he had an Osteochondritis Dissecans lesion or OCD. 

OCD is a condition that affects bone and cartilage at the surface of a joint. Sometimes, an area of the bone can lose its blood supply and separate from the underlying bone, leaving a gap where the fragment of bone and cartilage can float around the joint. If not treated, OCD can lead to problems with arthritis.

Ryan’s surgery was a success but he then faced four weeks of physiotherapy. He worked to reactivate his quad muscles and help maintain the strength in his knee while he wasn’t able to put weight on the leg. After six weeks, he was able to start walking but continued his strength physio and avoided high-impact activity where there was the risk he could fall.  

But Dr Maine said Ryan’s rehab unfortunately wasn’t without setbacks. 

‘Ryan had a complication due to a stress fracture in his metatarsal, which pushed his rehab back. However, after eight and a half long months he was able to return to high-impact activity and the sports he loves,’ she said.

Ryan’s mum Edwina said he’s now back to snow skiing, water skiing, and wake surfing, and he just completed his surf rescue certificate which included several run-swim-runs. 

“He seems to have no pain in either feet or his knee,” she said.  

Of course, accidents can happen, and just when they thought they’d seen enough of the hospital, Ryan had an unfortunate encounter with his brother’s elbow while water skiing, landing him back in the ER with a suspected broken nose. But his LEGS are all good! Hope you’re feeling better soon, buddy.  

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