Muay Thai Maven Back in Gym After ACL Injury

"Muay Thai gives me a sense of purpose, and it helps me feel strong, not only as a woman, but as a single mother." 

Sami Campbell is deeply devoted to the martial art of Muay Thai. If she's not working or taking care of her son, you'll find her in the gym, practicing her moves or teaching others how to protect themselves in case of a dangerous situation. Muay Thai is more than a hobby to her; it's her life's passion, and she spends nearly every weekend working to become better at it. 

"Muay Thai is a combat sport at its core," Campbell explained. "When we're training and working on the pads, it's less intense, but we really try and simulate a real combat situation."

 

 

Muay Thai ACL Injury

On May 27, 2023, Campbell was working with her coach on a familiar technique, one that she does daily. But this time something went very wrong. 

"One wrong movement and my ACL snapped," Campbell recalled. 

ACL, short for anterior cruciate ligament, is a key ligament in the knee, connecting the thigh bone to the shin bone. Once she realized what had happened, she was rushed to Denver Health.

 

 

 

Sports Medicine Team at Denver Health Treats ACL Injury

"I went to the emergency room to make sure nothing was fractured first," Campbell said. 

After getting some X-rays, her care team gave her a brace and some crutches and then took her to get an MRI, which is a scan which provides a more detailed image of the injury. 

Campbell's next stop was with the Denver Sports Medicine Team at Denver Health's Orthopedics Center of Excellence. She met with Jarrod King, MD, chief of sports medicine, who looked at her MRI and confirmed that she had torn her ACL completely. His recommendation was to have surgery. 

"One of the main goals of sports surgery is to get people back to the activities that they need to or want to do," said Dr. King. "I've treated numerous mixed martial artists over the years, and the kicking and the twisting associated with mixed martial arts does have a fairly high rate of injury to the knee. She was fortunate to have an isolated ACL tear, which means she didn't have a bad meniscus tear or any injury to the cartilage in her knee, and she underwent an ACL reconstruction and everything went really well." 

"Dr. King walked me through the process," Campbell said. "I felt like I could trust him because he's done so many of these surgeries before and he's had excellent results, and I felt very comfortable with him." 

ACL Injury Recovery at Denver Health

The recovery process to get back into top condition for her sport was long and, at times, physically and mentally draining. But Denver Health was there for Campbell every step of the way. 

"I think the best part about Denver Health is that we are great at taking care of the patient as a whole," said Dr. King. "One of the key relationships we have is with our physical therapy department." 

Campbell spent weeks going to the Denver Health Physical Therapy Gym, a modern, open space in Denver Health's Outpatient Medical Center with big windows overlooking downtown Denver. Her physical therapy started just a few days after her ACL operation. 

"I'm very pleased with how Sami's recovered and how she's progressed," said Tim Terry, DPT, Campbell's physical therapist. 

Terry worked with Campbell to get her back to competition form, and she now is back to doing Muay Thai competitions and teaching just like she did before the injury. 

"It's one of the most exciting things as a therapist, getting people back to the level they desire to be at,” Terry said. “I think this is a great place to recover. I think there's a lot of caring providers that want to do a very good job." 

The first time she was able to run on a treadmill, Campbell said, "It was a big day for both of us, and I really felt like he genuinely cared about that moment for me. It was huge." 

Now that she is fully recovered, Campbell said she feels like she did before the injury. 

As for why she chose Denver Health on that fateful day? 

"In my mind, there was no other choice – I see the care that's provided there every day," said Campbell, who's day job is as an operations manager for the same Denver Health Orthopedics team that took such good care of her. 

And that care is provided to everyone, whether they work at Denver Health, have been a long-time patient or are coming in for their first visit. 

"I see the mission, the vision and the values that Denver Health has, and I truly subscribe to that,” she said. “I truly believe that we provide the best care in the state of Colorado."