Bella's Story
When Bella Stephens tore her ACL during a basketball game, she feared her dreams of playing at a higher level wereover. Thanks to the innovative Arthrex QuadLink™ ACL reconstruction and BioACL™ procedure, Bella returned to the court stronger than ever.
Testimonial: The presenting surgeon is a paid consultant for Arthrex Inc. For questions, please contact Arthrex Medical Education.
Basketball has been important to Bella Stephens from a young age. “It’s been such a big part of our family,” she shared. Both of her parents played the sport, and she also fell in love with it. “This is something I want to do,” Bella said.
A Setback for a Young Athlete
Bella’s eighth-grade basketball season had just begun, and every day she told herself,“I’m going to be better today.”
In her third game, she took a charge and felt her knee pop, twist inward, and give way.Bella knew something was wrong.So did her parents. Right away, her father called Dr. James J. Guerra to determine the extent of her ACL injury. Dr. Guerra was familiar with the high ACL failure rate seen in athletes under 16 years of age, and he immediately recognized the classic signs of an ACL tear , including the telltale knee “pop” Bella heard.
Dr. Guerra’s concern in Bella’s case was her age. “We know that there’s a high failure rate in young athletes under 16, so we want to do everything we possibly can to enhance the healing,” he said.
Because Arthrex is the only company with FDA-cleared surgical tools made specifically for treating ACL tears in children and adolescent athletes, Dr. Guerra performed an Arthrex QuadLink™ ACL reconstruction using a quadriceps autograft (taken from the tendon in her thigh). He also used the BioACL™ procedure, which combines platelet-rich plasma (PRP), harvested bone, and other biologic components from the patient’s own body to augment Bella’s ACL reconstruction. “The BioACL technique is truly unique,” Dr. Guerra noted, in that it harnesses and enhances the patient’s natural healing response.
Find a Doctor Near You
Bella Bounces up to the Varsity Team
Bella was dedicated to her recovery. She worked hard with her physical therapist and trainers, and her father could see Bella “picking herself up, and really growing, and getting that confidence back.”
“All I wanted to do was play again,” Bella said.
Bella’s commitment paid off. Just nine months after surgery, she was cleared to playbasketball and made the varsity team as a freshman—a big accomplishment.
“To have a comeback story like I had just shows that anything is possible,” Bella said.“You just gotta want it.”
