After ACL surgeries on each knee, Ken Brantley feels better than ever. The competitive athlete has been able to move beyond his sports injuries to become stronger both physically and emotionally. It has taken time, patience and plenty of support, but the college-bound teen has found his path once again.

From an early age, Ken loved being part of the action — whether on the soccer field, basketball court or football gridiron. By the time he got to high school, he had made the decision to focus on making his mark as a wide receiver. He excelled right away, landing on the Varsity Football team at Melissa High School in his sophomore year. Then came his first injury, only two games into the season. 

“I was on the right side on kickoff,” Ken explains. “We were just all running down [the field] and the ball was already dead. But then I got hit late and I just planted wrong on my right leg.” 

As hard as it was to believe, Ken knew his season was over. He went from the playing field to meeting with orthopedic surgeon and sport medicine physician Andrew Parker, M.D., at Texas Health Orthopedic Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice in Allen.

“We found that he had a tear of his ACL; it’s a very common injury, unfortunately,” Parker says. The good news for many athletes and active individuals is that anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the knee can often be repaired using a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure. Arthroscopic surgery provides the opportunity for less recovery time than traditional (open) orthopedic surgery with less pain and a lower risk of post-surgery infection.

About half of all ACL injuries occur along with damage to other structures in the knee, as was the case for Ken. Imaging tests showed additional meniscus damage that also needed attention. During the single outpatient procedure, Parker was able to reconstruct Ken’s torn ligament and fix his meniscus tear.

Then the Real Work Began

Once healed, Ken underwent 10 months of physical therapy, working 3 days a week for one to two hours at a time with the team at Texas Health Sports Medicine in Melissa. But the commitment paid off.

Ken was back on the field for his junior year in high school. Until it happened again on his other knee during the first game of the season.

“I was going to block the safety and then I just planted wrong again, and I ended up tearing my ACL,” he says.

“We were still very, very hopeful because we knew that this is something that could be treated and, with the correct care, that he would be successful,” admits Ken’s mom, Arrica Richardson.

After a second ACL surgery and rehabilitation on his left knee, Ken now believes his orthopedic journey has helped him to become faster and stronger in many ways. “I would definitely recommend Dr. Parker and Texas Health Orthopedic Specialists because there is kind of like a family there.”

“They have been committed to seeing my son become successful and complete his treatment plan,” Richardson adds. “I cannot thank Dr. Parker enough for that.”

Ken is now off to Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth to play football on a full scholarship. He is pain free and hopeful about what lies ahead, maybe even a career in physical therapy.

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*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.