Longtime tennis pro Mark has spent his life on the court, but decades of wear, a basketball injury, and three previous surgeries caught up to him during a match in March. “I felt something shift,” he said. He finished four more matches, but the pain eventually forced him to stop.
Mark turned to Dr. Ritesh Shah of Illinois Bone & Joint Institute for help. With Dr. Shah’s children taking lessons at the club where Mark has taught tennis, he knew exactly where to go when knee problems started slowing him down. After reviewing his imaging, Dr. Shah said, “It’s not a matter of if you’ll need a knee replacement—only when.”
Before surgery, Mark shared his goals of travel and upcoming trips to Florida, Italy, and Disneyland. Dr. Shah was confident and determined to help, saying “Let’s do this. Let’s rock and roll!”
“He had the same beliefs I did," Mark said, "and he made it happen.”
With support from the IBJI team, Mark’s recovery moved quickly. He was able to recover from home immediately after surgery and within four weeks, he walked all day at Disney. By summer, he was golfing, hitting tennis balls, and playing three-hour matches again. Six months after surgery, Mark and his son placed third at a national Level 1 USTA doubles tournament, winning the bronze ball! Mark shares advice to others with knee pain: “Commitment. Determination. Believe your doctor and your rehab team. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to put in the work.”
