Ever since she was a child, Katrin Frommhold has been skiing all over the world. “We went on skiing holidays every year,” explains the dietitian from Marburg, Hesse. But even experienced winter sports athletes fall and get injured. Katrin was diagnosed as follows: ruptured cruciate ligament and meniscus as well as cartilage damage in the left knee. Find out in this article what Katrin did during rehabilitation to get moving again.
When Katrin Frommhold thinks back to her last ski trip in Tyrol, she doesn’t really feel in the mood to consider another vacation. Having spent only a short time on the slopes, the young skier from Marburg fell. “On the first day, I fell quite unspectacularly and twisted my knee. But the pain was pretty bad and the ski patrol had to help me get to a physician,” she reports. The injured knee was initially immobilized with an orthosis and Katrin was given pain medication. But because of the severe swelling of the knee, a diagnosis wasn’t possible straight away.
Katrin had to spend the rest of her vacation on the sidelines, as an onlooker with knee pain. “I made the most of it and even hobbled to the après-ski on crutches with an orthosis that made my knee rigid.” On the last day of her vacation, the next problem occurred when she had an allergic reaction to the pain killers, which had to be treated at hospital.
Complex surgery after ruptured cruciate ligament and meniscus
After returning to Germany, during the orthopedist’s emergency office hours, Katrin was referred to have an MRI but didn’t get an appointment for surgery soon after. To get a second opinion, she traveled to Würzburg and found out that she hadn’t just torn her anterior cruciate ligament but also damaged and partly trapped her medial and lateral meniscus. “The physician wanted to perform surgery quickly,” which happened two days later. During this process, previously undetected cartilage damage was also treated successfully using, among other things, stem cells.
Back to action with support
At home, Katrin who is usually active and keen on exercise, was couch-bound and could barely move: “That was a terrible time. I needed a lot of help. Any short journey felt like a trip around the world,” she explains.
In order to minimize the risk of thrombosis caused by inactivity, she wore VenoTrain compression stockings. She also underwent lymphatic drainage to manage the swelling in her knee. During physiotherapy, she also worked on strengthening her muscles and on knee mobility.
Katrin still didn’t feel confident when walking outside her own home in particular so, in consultation with her physician, she swapped the immobilizing orthosis she brought from Austria for a SofTec Genu. “I have good experience with Bauerfeind, even before my skiing accident. The SofTec Genu was set up precisely for me and stays in position without slipping. When everything fits, you feel more confident and you dare to do more,” she is delighted to report. The pleasant wearing comfort during movement and the psychological feeling of security are advantages in her opinion.
Feeling confident with less pain
“Without the orthosis, I had to take regular breaks during walks or support myself here and there,” Katrin explains. “I was worried about subjecting my knee to strain, but with the SofTec Genu, I feel confident.” And thanks to the knee orthosis, moving hurts less so she was able to keep increasing how far she walked.
From her daily work in a hospital, Katrin knows very well how important constant activity is for the healing progress and its duration. So it wasn’t hard for her to stick with it: “If you used to be active and doing a lot of exercise, you’ll be motivated to continue like that.” This applies to future vacation plans in particular: “We usually have action-packed vacations – so that’s what I’m aiming for.”
My knee support helps me and provides me with confidence during any activity.
Katrin Frommhold
Über ihre Erfahrungen mit SofTec Genu von Bauerfeind
Returning to previous performance – with SofTec Genu®
Hiking, cycling, strength training – Katrin’s knee is up for all of it just a few months after surgery. “I now wear the orthosis only when I need it – during exercise in particular because it provides me with additional external stability.”
Thanks to her experience with the SofTec Genu, Katrin hasn’t given up on skiing: “I’ll definitely pack the orthosis for my next ski vacation,” she promises.
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