Orthopaedic Care From One Generation to the Next

Passion and dedication — these are the attributes that have defined Stewart Jones’ commitment to soccer from a very young age. These very attributes would not only help her overcome a potentially career-ending injury, but they would also instill in her a work ethic calibrated to propel her soccer career to unimaginable heights.

Along her journey, Stewart has also learned that someone else’s passion and dedication for his work inspired others to be part of her story and recovery.

Stewart’s Love of the Game Leads to an Uncanny Connection

Stewart began playing soccer when she was just three years old, and by age 10, she began to take the competition seriously, even switching clubs to improve her game. A few years later, she began playing on the North Carolina Futbol Club ECNL team where she met and became best friends with fellow teammate, Cameron Wood. Over time, they realized that the bond between them was serendipitous.

Stewart says, “We made the connection about my grandfather, Dr. Hundley, operating on her uncle (Dr. Wood’s brother) and how my grandfather inspired her dad, Dr. Wood, to pursue orthopedic surgery as a career.”

Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Mark Wood recalls, “It was early in college when I met Dr. Hundley. At that time, I was undecided on my career goals and had not had any exposure to the medical field or orthopaedics. My older brother was a baseball pitcher at UNC Wilmington and suffered a potentially career-ending orthopaedic injury to his throwing arm. Dr. Hundley, the team physician for UNCW, performed surgery and restored my brother’s arm which allowed him to return to the mound for a successful end to his college career. Dr Hundley was my first exposure to orthopaedics and my inspiration to one day become an orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon.

“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit Dr. Hundley. He spent time graciously mentoring me and allowed me to shadow him around the clinic and observe his surgeries in the operating room. Because of the impression he made on my life, today I offer the same mentorship and opportunities to students interested in becoming orthopaedic surgeons.”

A Potentially Career-Ending Knee Injury

On September 29, 2018, Stewart tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the first 20 minutes of a club soccer game. At just 15-years-old, Stewart, then a ninth grader, feared it was a serious knee injury.

Stewart’s family watched from the stands as the accident unfolded, looking on with alarm.

Stewart’s mom, Caroline, says, “It was a contact injury. A girl came from behind and took her legs out from under her. Stewart fell on the ground and didn’t get up which was unlike her. The injury was severe enough to take out the knee. Two of her coaches went out on the field and helped her to the training room. She was evaluated by Jason Bailey, the NCFC Youth Head Athletic Trainer and was referred to Dr. Wood for a suspected ACL tear.”

Since the injury happened on a Saturday, she was sent home in a brace and went in for an MRI on Monday morning. Dr. Wood called the family with the results of the MRI, and they went to see him later that afternoon at the Wake Ortho location in North Raleigh. It was clear that Stewart would need surgery.

Dr. Wood connected her with Physical Therapist Luke Hudson, the WakeOrtho Director of Sports Rehab and Injury Prevention. Prehab (rehab prior to surgery) was initiated immediately to restore range of motion and get her quads strong before surgery. Within a couple of weeks after the injury, Stewart underwent ACL reconstruction at Capital City Surgery Center at the Raleigh Medical Park. Her mom, dad and grandparents, including Dr. Hundley, were all there in support. A generation and three decades later, Dr. Hundley and Dr. Wood’s roles of surgeon and family support member were flipped.

Stewart says, “I was pleased to learn that Dr. Wood and the Wake Ortho team would operate on my knee as I knew Dr. Wood would treat me like one of his own. Dr. Wood spent a lot of time with my family and me explaining the surgery and multiple graft options. I chose the graft option that Dr. Wood said he would choose for his own daughter, my best friend, Cameron.

“Dr. Wood wanted to make me as comfortable as possible going into surgery and told me to pick a song to listen to as they led me into the operating room. I chose the inspirational song by Rascal Flatts, “Stand,” and I may have even turned Dr. Wood into a country music fan.”

The surgery was a success, and Stewart went home the same day with orders to ice the knee throughout the evening.

On the evening that she went home after surgery, Caroline, Stewart’s mom recalls, “There was a huge storm in the area. The power went out at our house. Since we needed power for the ice machine to work, we ended up staying in a hotel, so Stewart would have ice throughout the night to ice her knee. It was all very dramatic.”

Physical Therapy Offers Stewart a Chance to Return to Soccer

Within a few days following the surgery, the real work of recovery began.

Caroline remembers, “I was pleased that we were referred back to Luke Hudson for Stewart’s rehabilitative physical therapy. Luke previously tore his ACL, so he could relate to what these athletes endure. Plus, he has restored a number of athletes. Also, because he usually has more than one athlete he is rehabbing at the same time, he capitalizes on their competitive nature to help the athletes work towards a goal of competing with each other to get back in the game as quickly as possible.”

Stewart says, “I knew this injury would be a major setback in my game, but thanks to Dr. Wood’s incredible abilities and Luke Hudson’s knowledge and engagement, I was able to come back stronger and very confident in my knee. I remember I was about three and half months out of surgery, and I was so confident in my knee that I was running to catch a football with my sisters, not making Luke very happy with me.

“Luke knew how competitive I was and was able to make physical therapy competitive in every aspect. He would compete with me on wall-sits and planks, pushing me to push myself. Each strength test would be a challenge to beat my previous test score. He would even offer his time on the weekends to help me build back my speed and endurance.”

Back at It and Better than Ever

The rehab was just what Stewart needed. Eleven months after her injury, she returned to soccer in August 2019.

Caroline says, “After rehab, she was stronger than ever and so excited to get back out on the field.”

While Stewart had confidence in her knee, she didn’t have confidence in her game, so she decided to move down a level to the Elite team where she regained her determination.

Stewart says, “This really improved my game and allowed me to have fun again out on the field. I was an integral part of my team, and we even qualified for ECNL Regionals as well as won the North Carolina State Cup Championship.

“Because of my injury and COVID-19, my junior year was my first year that I really was able to play high school soccer. I helped my team become second in the conference and qualify for our State Playoffs. Unfortunately, we lost to our rivals in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, but it was a great season, and my knee never failed me through it all.”

As a result of her success on the field, Stewart was awarded MVP of her team and Conference Player of the Year. She also earned All-Conference, All-Region, All-State recognition.

“I credit Dr. Wood, Luke Hudson and the Wake Ortho team. Without them, I wouldn’t be in this position. I cannot thank everyone at Wake Ortho enough for the constant support, encouragement and assistance in recovering from a torn ACL as a 15-year-old.”

Today, Stewart is an 18-year-old high school senior, and she is still performing well. She is both captain and team leader and is hopeful that her team will have more success this year.

Caroline says, “Her knee is performing fantastic, and she is very strong and fit. Occasionally, she will say it hurts a little and is swollen, but she is ferocious on the field, is tackling with no issues and has great confidence in her knee.”

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About WakeMed Wake Ortho

Wake Ortho uses the most advanced technology and treatments, whether injuries are severe or minor. Some services include treatment for sports injuries, arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement surgery, fracture care and reconstruction, peripheral nerve surgery (i.e., carpal tunnel release), occupational hand therapy and physical therapy.

Injury prevention is Wake Ortho’s primary goal. We are committed to supporting athletes to keep bones, muscles and joints in optimal shape for game-day victory and long-range health. WakeMed is the Exclusive Medical Partner of the North Carolina Courage and North Carolina Football Club professional soccer teams and NCFC-Youth.

Dr. Wood specializes in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and serves as the Medical Director for NCFC-Youth, the largest youth-to-pro soccer club in the nation. Review our patient education resources on soccer strength training, agility drills, injury prevention and more.

Sources:

For more information about ACL injuries, see Mark Wood, MD Health Library.