Success Stories – Andrew Burchard
Determination and Resilience Helps Andy Accomplish His Goals
Dr. Andrew Burchard, an ENT surgeon, was in Park City, Utah on his annual ski trip with a group of his college buddies last March. On the forth run of the first of 3 days of skiing, Andy unfortunately caught an edge and twisted his left knee. Andy knew something was wrong and headed to the on-site emergency room. It was immediately suspected that Andy tore his ACL and MCL ending his ski trip. He quickly returned home and made an appointment with Dr. Winslow Alford at OrthoRI. Upon getting an MRI, it was confirmed he had torn his ACL, MCL, and medial meniscus while also sustaining a tibial plateau fracture. Andy was disappointed but encouraged to learn that he could make a full recovery with surgery. Andy set as a goal to return to Park City, Utah in March, 2022 and be able to ski with his friends once again.
One hurdle that needed to be overcome was that Andy had to delay surgery for about 6-8 weeks until the fracture had healed. During that time it was recommended that he start Physical Therapy at Specialized Orthopedic Physical Therapy to start rebuilding strength and Range of Motion. He worked extremely hard with Jason Ulisse, PT to regain all his ROM and strength leading up to surgery which was performed on April 30, 2021. He then returned to Jason 5 days after surgery to begin the long process towards his goals. For the next several months Andy and Jason worked tirelessly together as Andy progressed to walking normally, followed by climbing stairs and squatting down without pain. Once these functional goals were attained, his program progressed into aggressive strength training, cardiovascular reconditioning, and sports specific plyometric and agility training. Even though Andy is a very busy surgeon, he made time twice per week to get his workouts in with Jason!
Andy’s hard work has paid off as he was cleared to return to full activity, including skiing, without restrictions during his follow-up visit with Dr. Alford in late November! Andy was elated as he continues to work out on his own and has continued his strength and conditioning at AMP Training Center. Just this past weekend, Andy, his family, and some friends spent several days in Sunday River, Maine taking advantage of some amazing snow conditions. His first return on the slopes was a rousing success as he was able to ski for 4 straight days. Most importantly, Andy informed Jason that he has booked his flights and ski passes for Park City, Utah in early March with his college friends! Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Burchard for having the determination to work through the physical and emotional pain that comes with major knee injuries! All of us at SOPT are so proud of his accomplishments and wish him nothing but the best of luck on the ski slopes the rest of this season!
