At the age of 69, Monika McCaffrey has always led an active lifestyle – from hiking in the Alps to going to the gym five days a week – exercise has always been an important part of her life. At the beginning of May, 2016 Monika fell and immediately knew something was wrong. She had intense hamstring/buttock pain which landed her in the Emergency Room. She was referred to Samsun Clinic, where she was diagnosed with a complete proximal hamstring avulsion of all three tendons. Monika recalls, “The swelling created pressure on my sciatic nerve, which caused radiating pain from my low back down into my leg. It completely affected my life.”
Due to its complexity, many orthopedic surgeons stay away from surgical repair of proximal hamstring tears and thus, she was referred to Dr. Yau. During her appointment, Dr. Yau discussed both non-surgical and surgical treatment options for her injury. Conservative treatment allows for the torn tendons to scar to surrounding soft tissue in the improper position, which often leads to diminished function, specifically weakness and pain. Surgical repair re-attaches the tendons back to its native attachment on the ischial tuberosity, commonly known as the “sit bone.” This is typically done through suture anchors which are drilled into the bone.
“I did a lot of research on non-surgical and surgical treatment for hamstring avulsion injuries since this is not an injury commonly treated by most orthopedic surgeons,” said Monika. “I asked Dr. Yau if he could connect me with a former patient that he performed a proximal hamstring repair on, so that I could discuss my concerns. The patient he connected me with was also very active, and like me, did a lot of research. She met with a physician in Seattle, another at UCLA and also with Dr. Yau in Santa Barbara. After consulting all three surgeons, she chose Dr. Yau for his knowledge and expertise on this procedure. She was also extremely happy with her results. Once I heard that, I knew surgery with Dr. Yau was the right choice.”
On June 8, 2016, Monika had her proximal hamstring repaired. For the first two weeks she was non weight bearing and had sciatic nerve pain due to inflammation. By the three-week, she began physical therapy twice a week for two months. “Even though it was not recommended, at my three month post-op mark my husband and I took our annual hike in the Alps together, and at seven month post-op I was 100% back to normal,” said Monika.
“What I appreciated the most about Dr. Yau’s style of care was that he was honest and thorough,” said Monika. “He told me that this is not a procedure that he performs very frequently but that the repairs he has performed all had successful outcomes. He was very confident in his surgical ability. For patients who are active, I would highly recommend seeing Dr. Yau for a proximal hamstring repair.”