One Setback, One Comeback: How Ta’Liyah Overcame Her Knee Injury
Ta’Liyah is a basketball star in the making! While playing on the court, Ta’Liyah experienced multiple dislocations in her left kneecap over the years. She and her family came to Scottish Rite for Children where they found solutions through the Center for Excellence in Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction (CELLR).
“This was a new journey for our family,” says Shondre’a, Ta’Liyah’s mother. “Scottish Rite was always patient with us by answering questions, respecting Ta’Liyah’s thoughts and how she processed the entire treatment plan. We are thankful for all the care they surrounded Ta’Liyah with.”
Pediatric orthopedic surgeon and CELLR Clinical Director David A. Podeszwa, M.D., discovered that Ta’Liyah’s leg was not aligned properly, causing the frequent dislocations. After many discussions with Dr. Podeszwa, Ta’Liyah and her family decided to move forward with surgery. Dr. Podeszwa performed surgery to correct the alignment of her shin bone to her thigh bone. To hold her shin bone in the correct position, he applied an external fixator, or frame.
During her time in the frame, Ta’Liyah stayed positive thanks to guidance and encouragement from the CELLR team, which included pediatric psychologist Whitney Herge, Ph.D., nurse educator and coordinator Emily Elerson, R.N., and physical therapists.
“Being in a frame can be daunting at first, making it easy to lose sight of the end of your care journey,” says Shraddha Bista, Ta’Liyah’s physical therapist. “A positive mindset, guidance from your care team and effort from the patient makes anything possible.”
When Ta’Liyah’s frame was removed, she required additional physical therapy. Her sessions with Shraddha initially focused on improving the mobility in her knee and ankle. Once Ta’Liyah demonstrated more strength and confidence in her abilities, she practiced exercises that mimicked basketball-specific motions, like jump shots, pivoting and stutter stepping.
“With her compliance to doing at-home exercises and our drills, working with Ta’Liyah has been a rewarding experience,” Shraddha says. “She came into every therapy session with a motivated, optimistic outlook. To watch her go from being in her frame to running and jumping makes my physical therapy heart very happy!”
In January, Ta’Liyah officially completed all of her physical therapy sessions. She made her grand return to the court at her school’s Eighth Grade Night, finally reuniting with her teammates. Now, Ta’Liyah says that surgery was the best decision she has ever made.
“Scottish Rite has been a blessing to us,” Shondre’a says. “We never expected this journey with Ta’Liyah’s health, but we thank God for Scottish Rite. We are very grateful to everyone for taking care of Ta’Liyah and keeping her safe.”
