Jeremiah Allen loved football since he was a kid, and plays on the Parkland High School football team in Winston-Salem. However, the day after a game during his junior year, Jeremiah woke up with a painfully swollen knee.
Jessica Herman, a Wake Forest Baptist Health certified athletic trainer at Parkland, examined Jeremiah’s knee and knew something was wrong. She quickly scheduled an appointment for Jeremiah with Kevin Coates, MD. Dr. Coates, an Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine specialist at Wake Forest Baptist, immediately had Jeremiah get an MRI. The problem? A rare, benign fatty tumor that can cause early arthritis and the possible need for a knee replacement if not detected early. Fortunately, Dr. Coates discovered the problem early and successfully removed the tumor from Jeremiah’s knee using a minimally invasive technique.
Patient Story – High School Football Player Jeremiah Allen
Injured Parkland High School football player Jeremiah Allen was able to get back in the game for his senior year, thanks to Wake Forest Baptist Health.Jessica knew that Jeremiah wanted to get back in the game for his senior year – no matter how much work it took. After undergoing several months of rehabilitation, Jeremiah began a series of return-to-play activities that Jessica designed. And later that summer, Jeremiah was back on the field, joining his Mustang teammates for a very successful 11-2 overall season.
Wake Forest Baptist is the official Sports Medicine provider of many athletic teams throughout central and western North Carolina. Every day, their athletic trainers are on-site to provide care in high schools throughout the region. They work directly with Wake Forest Baptist Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine doctors so that students and athletes can be seen quickly and get back to being active.