Amy's Story

From torn to triumph: gymnast makes a comeback after torn tendon

Amy had always been passionate about gymnastics and began her career as a gymnast at the age of two years old. From a young age, she dedicated countless hours to perfecting her routines and pushing her limits. Her hard work paid off as she became a level 10 gymnast, the highest level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Program. Amy was also working to get recruited to compete at the collegiate level.

Amy recalled, “I started talking to coaches and competing more and more. I felt good about competing and knew I was moving in the right direction.”

While competing in October of 2023, Amy noticed some knee pain arise that kept getting progressively worse over time. “As a gymnast, I am no stranger to aches and pains, so admittedly, I passed this pain off quite a bit,” Amy recalled.

With her dreams in mind and the possibility of getting recruited as a Division 1 gymnast, she knew this knee pain couldn’t go ignored and had to get it checked out. After visiting her family doctor in Canada, she was alarmed at how long it would take to get scans and the care she would need. “I knew that if I needed surgery, that would put me back for a while, competition-wise and, truthfully, the timing of it all was pretty devastating. My family doctor recommended Dr. T. Sean Lynch and when I did my research and found out that he’s the Head Team Physician for the Detroit Lions. I knew I’d be in good hands,” said Amy.

Seamless care

Amy remembered, “Once we inquired about trying to get an appointment with Dr. Lynch, we basically got in right away. My mom submitted an appointment request with Dr. Lynch on July 17th. They called her the next day to schedule the consultation for July 22nd. In Canada, this would’ve been unheard of.”

“He really took the time to listen to me and understand the mechanics of gymnastics and my injury. I was really blown away by the staff and Henry Ford as an organization when it comes to how quickly I was able to be seen,” recalled Amy.

Amy had her first consultation with Dr. Lynch on July 22nd, 2024. It was during that appointment that Dr. Lynch diagnosed Amy with a partially torn right patellar tendon. “Truthfully, the timing of my injury was pretty devastating, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get back to competing in enough time to get recruited. Dr. Lynch reassured me that as long as I stuck to stuck to my exercises and physical therapy afterward, I should be okay to compete again,” said Amy.

Eight days later, on July 30th, 2024, Amy was scheduled for surgery.

“On the day of my surgery, it was very noticeable that I was nervous. The entire team from start to finish was so kind to me and really tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible. They allowed my parents to stay with me as long as possible and that really helped. Dr. Lynch also really helped calm my nerves and assured me that I could get back to where I was athletically. He gave me a timeline for a comeback that was realistic, and I really appreciated that,” explained Amy.

Following surgery

With the help of the International Patient Services team, Amy’s care was coordinated so that her follow-up appointments and physical therapy appointments were booked back to back, maximizing her time on the days she’d have to travel to Detroit.

Amy continued to do physical therapy for seven months with physical therapist, Derek Chan. “In the early stages of rehabilitation, the main focuses were learning to walk again, regaining range of motion in her knee and improving the ability to perform daily activities of living. Then we moved onto more demanding activities related to gymnastics,” said Derek, “Amy’s course of physical therapy was different in that I only saw her about once a month in person. We did have telephone conversations and email exchanges to get updates, revise her home program and problem solve any issues that arose. Amy is very hard-working, self-directed and goal-oriented so this was integral in her recovery process.”

“My entire care team at Henry Ford went above and beyond for me. In between physical therapy appointments, they’d send me exercises and suggestions because they knew how important the timeline of getting back to competing was for me. I truly wasn’t just another patient for them, everyone was invested in my care and wanted to help me achieve my goals,” remarked Amy.

Making her comeback

Amy was cleared to fully train for gymnastics on January 8th, 2025 and was discharged from physical therapy on March 12th, 2025. She recalled, “Even though I was done with physical therapy, the team continued to check in on me and even congratulated me when I committed to doing gymnastics in college.”

She will be representing Team Canada in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in summer 2025. “Competing in Israel this summer will be like my big redemption tour,” said Amy. She has also committed to Western Michigan University in the fall of 2025 for gymnastics.

Amy credits the timely and seamless care she received at Henry Ford for getting her back to chasing her dreams so quickly.