This real patient was compensated for the time they took to share their personal experience with the InternalBrace procedure.
This real patient was compensated for the time they took to share their personal experience with the Syndesmosis TightRope® procedure.
When you’re a talented college running back and NFL hopeful, an injury to your ankle in the middle of the season can be devastating. Arthrex innovation is proving it doesn’t have to be.
Kobe Pace entered his junior year at Clemson University coming off a breakout year in 2021, carrying the ball 104 times for 641 yards and six touchdowns over 11 games. But in October 2022, Kobe was sidelined following a game against Wake Forest University. “I got the ball and I was running through a defender and my ankle went in. I felt a pop, but I got up and was able to shake it off,” he said.
Clemson team physician Steve Martin, MD (Clemson, SC), was immediately concerned that Kobe had a serious ankle sprain. Dr. Martin said Kobe was evaluated one day after the game, and as initial testing looked promising, the medical team decided to treat his injury without surgery.
However, after a week of standard nonoperative treatment, Kobe’s pain had accelerated and he had to come out of the NC State game following two plays. “It just got worse and worse, the swelling and the pain,” said Kobe. “I would try and practice and it would feel worse and worse as I ran.”
An Innovative Approach to Syndesmosis Repair Following Ankle Injury
When Kobe alerted medical staff that he was in pain and his swelling was not going down, the decision was made to perform surgery in the middle of the season.
“When the patient has instability of the syndesmosis (the ligaments between the distal tibia and fibula), they can possibly benefit from surgery,” said. Dr. Martin.
Still, surgery is not what an athlete wants to hear in the middle of the season.
“I was concerned when they said surgery that I would be out a long time, that I would lose my season,” he said. “But Dr. Martin said that with this type of surgery I would be out four to six weeks and could potentially be playing before the end of the season.”
Dr. Martin elected to repair Kobe’s syndesmosis injury with the TightRope® system and augmented it with the InternalBrace™ technique.
“The TightRope implant really changed our thinking, especially when you could see what it did for Tua [Tagovailoa] and [the University of Alabama] when he sprained his ankle. It mimics the natural protection of the ligament and allows for a faster recovery,1,2” said Dr. Martin, who has used the TightRope implant in athletes for more than 15 years. “Screws have traditionally not healed as well as the TightRope implant.”
Rapid Recovery: Back on the Field in Just 5 Weeks
Following surgery, Kobe was in a boot for a week before progressing into a regular shoe. In 4 weeks, he was back on the football field and scored a touchdown in a game 5 weeks after surgery. “I feel like I can move faster and better than before,” he said.
Following his junior season at Clemson, Kobe made the decision to transfer to the University of Virginia (UVA), where he will play the remainder of his college football career.
UVA football head team physician Stephen F. Brockmeier, MD, said he is confident in Kobe’s repair and his ability to play.
“The combination of the TightRope implant and the InternalBrace technique make for a solid repair,” he said. “I am confident in Dr. Martin’s work and know that Kobe is coming to us healthy and ready to play.”
Kobe agrees.
“I’m going to guarantee that we’re going have a better season than we did last year,” he said.
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