Sunday, July 24, 2011

AN EXERCISE IN ORTHOPEDICS: The Bachelorette's Leg Injury

In its Season 6, ABC’s “The Bachelorette” featured Ali Fedotowsky. 

The show, which premiered in May 2010, featured Ali on the search among 25 unique suitors to find the man of her dreams. She now has wedding plans underway with fiancé Roberto Martinez.

In June 2011, she was seen using crutches after injuring her femur while kickboxing to stay in shape.


She originally thought that a ligament in her knee was torn - and visited a specialist for a detailed examination.  The MRI showed a fracture in her femur as a result of an osteochondral defect in the cartilage. She will most likely have surgery to repair the defect.

The Breakdown

Often caused by repeated injury to the joint, an osteochondral defect (OCD) is an area of damaged cartilage in the joint. The bone underneath it may be involved as well. The knee is the most common location for this defect. 

Ali most likely experienced symptoms such as joint locking, recurrent swelling, and persistent pain.

Walking the Aisle: Next Steps

For smaller lesions, arthroscopic surgery can help to clean up the cartilage. In more severe cases, an open surgical repair may be needed with an implant and autograft.

After surgery, Ali will be back to wedding planning with her fiancé!

1 comment:

  1. Good work…unique site and interesting too… keep it up…looking forward for more updates.Orthopedic Surgeon Beverly Hills

    ReplyDelete