KP Fresno Sports Medicine team helps college student return to outdoor activities she loves
In 2021, Paige Peterson fulfilled one of her dreams by hiking the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. It was something she couldn’t previously imagine due to her history of ACL injuries.
Peterson first tore her ACL in 2017 as a high school senior volleyball player.
“I was the libero, so I was the one who digs for all the balls. I went to step forward, then I realized the ball was behind me. When I took a step or two back, I just fell and heard my knee pop,” she said.
Peterson and her mother sought care in the sports medicine department at the Fresno Medical Center, where they met Anthony Yu, MD, an orthopedic sports medicine specialist.
“Dr. Yu’s care was phenomenal,” Peterson said. “He would explain every scenario, so you didn’t have any questions.”
Peterson recovered from her ACL surgery within a year and started her college career at California State University, Fresno.
Unfortunately, in 2020, she tore her ACL again during a snow skiing accident. She returned to Dr. Yu and underwent two more surgeries to repair the damage.
“I am very thankful for Dr. Yu and his amazing team for their professional, supportive, kind, and exquisite care,” Peterson said. “I would not be where I am today without them, and I think about them all the time.”
“It is a special patient like Paige who helps remind me why I practice medicine in the first place,” Dr. Yu said.
Fresno Sports Medicine Team
The Kaiser Permanente Fresno sports medicine team consists of 3 physicians — Alejandro De La Parra, MD, who specializes in concussion management; Christian Safian, MD, and Dr. Yu, who specialize in shoulder and knee surgery.
“Dr. Yu and I work together frequently on cases, and Dr. De La Parra and I sit next to each other in our office. I think we are all focused on giving the patient the best care,” Dr. Safian said.
With a fundamental belief that orthopedics is a team sport, the Fresno sports medicine team has a firm goal—to treat each patient successfully and get them back to doing what they love.
Visit KP Fresno sports medicine website for more information.
