Case Studies
Patient Case Studies
De-identified accounts of real recoveries at MTP Health — assessment, surgery where it was needed, and the rehabilitation that followed — including the testing data behind every decision to progress, hold or change the plan.
Why we publish case studies
Most people facing surgery or a long rehabilitation want an answer to a question that brochures do not address: what actually happens, week to week, and how will anyone know when I am ready for the next stage?
These case studies are our answer. Each one follows a single person from their first assessment through to discharge, and shows the reasoning at every decision point — what was tested, what the results were, what those results meant, and what changed as a result. Where progress stalled, we say so, and we explain what was done about it.
We publish them because the alternative is vague reassurance. A recovery described only in months tells you almost nothing about your own. A recovery described in measurements tells you what the milestones actually are.
They also show how MTP Health works. Orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists sit within one clinical team and read the same testing data, so surgical review and rehabilitation progression inform each other rather than running on separate tracks.
These are accounts, not predictions. Every case study describes what happened for one person. Outcomes differ depending on the injury, the procedure performed, age, other health conditions, previous training history and how much of the rehabilitation is completed. Nothing on these pages is clinical advice or a guarantee of a similar result. If you have an injury, seek an individual assessment.
What is in each case study
Every case study follows the same structure, so you can compare one with another or skip to the part that matters to you:
- Patient overview — age range, occupation, activities, the injury and the procedure performed
- Assessment before treatment — imaging findings and the baseline testing that everything afterwards is measured against
- The plan — the phases of care and what had to be true before each one could begin
- Progress and setbacks — including the plateaus, because they are a normal part of recovery and leaving them out would be dishonest
- The testing results — strength, power, jump and symmetry figures, with the remaining gaps stated plainly
- Where things finished — what was achieved by discharge, and what was left to keep working on
Browse case studies
As the library grows, case studies will be organised by body area and by pathway so you can find the ones closest to your own situation. Categories with cases available are shown below.
- All case studies
- Knee
- Hip — coming soon
- Shoulder — coming soon
- Foot & ankle — coming soon
- Non-surgical — coming soon
ACL Reconstruction Rehab in Sydney: Back to Four Sports
A man in his early 50s ruptured his right ACL in a fall while skiing. He was not returning to one sport but four, each asking something different of the knee. This case study follows nine months from pre-operative testing to discharge, including the plateau at four months that held back his return to running.
What you will learn from it
- How criteria-based progression works in practice, and why the calendar does not decide when running or sport is reintroduced
- Why a plateau partway through rehabilitation is an ordinary feature of the process rather than a sign of failure
- Why hamstring measures lag behind quadriceps measures after a hamstring graft, and how that is tracked separately
- What the numbers looked like at discharge — quadriceps symmetry within 1.6%, alongside a 25% side-to-side gap still showing on single leg jump height
Who it is for
Anyone facing or recovering from an ACL reconstruction, particularly recreational athletes returning to multiple sports or to activities involving change of direction. Also useful if you have been given a return-to-sport timeframe and want to understand what has to be measured before that date means anything.
Knee replacement, return to walking and golf
Total knee replacement in an active retiree, following pre-operative rehabilitation through to a graded return to walking and golf.
Hip arthroscopy for impingement
Keyhole hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement in a younger patient, with the strength and control testing behind each stage of loading.
Shoulder stabilisation after recurrent dislocation
Surgical stabilisation and the overhead loading progression required before a return to contact sport.
Achilles tendinopathy managed without surgery
A structured tendon loading program in a recreational runner, showing what a non-surgical pathway looks like when it is measured properly.
Topics listed as in preparation are indicative of the cases we intend to publish next. Each one depends on a suitable case reaching discharge and the person providing consent.
More case studies are on the way. We add a new case study whenever a suitable recovery reaches discharge and the person is happy for it to be shared. The library will grow across knee, hip, shoulder and foot and ankle conditions, and will include non-surgical pathways as well as surgical ones. If there is a procedure or an injury you would like to see covered, tell us at your next appointment or get in touch.
How to read a case study
The figures in a case study are there to show the shape of a recovery, not to give you a target to hit. A few things are worth keeping in mind as you read.
Compare the pattern, not the numbers. Absolute strength figures depend on body size, age and training history. What transfers between people is the sequence — which qualities were rebuilt first, what had to be true before the next stage started, and how long each phase took relative to the others.
Your procedure may differ. Two people with the same diagnosis can have different operations, and graft choice, additional procedures and the state of the joint all change the rehabilitation that follows. Follow the protocol your own surgeon and rehabilitation team provide.
Discharge is not the same as symmetry. People are commonly discharged with a measurable gap still present between sides. What matters is that the remaining gap is known, is safe for the activities being resumed, and comes with a plan to keep closing it.
Consent and de-identification
Case studies are published only with the consent of the person described. Names and identifying details are removed, ages are given as a range and dates are kept general. Where a detail could reasonably identify someone, it is altered or left out.
Clinical detail, testing figures and the sequence of decisions are reported as they occurred. We do not adjust results to make an outcome look better than it was, and remaining deficits are stated alongside the improvements.
Where your own assessment starts
Reading about someone else’s recovery can only take you so far. Whether surgery is the right option, and what your rehabilitation would need to look like, depends on your imaging, your examination and what you need to get back to.
At MTP Health, assessment, surgery and rehabilitation are planned by one team working from the same information, at our St Leonards and Frenchs Forest clinics. If you are not sure where to begin, your GP can point you in the right direction.
Frequently asked questions
What is a case study on this page?
Each case study is a de-identified account of one person’s treatment and rehabilitation at MTP Health, written with their permission. It follows the pathway from assessment through surgery, where surgery was performed, and rehabilitation to discharge.
Each one includes the objective testing used to make decisions along the way. Identifying details are removed or changed.
Will my recovery look like the case study I read?
Not necessarily. Outcomes differ between individuals depending on the injury, the procedure performed, other health factors, age, previous training history and how much rehabilitation is completed.
A case study describes what happened for one person and how the decisions were made. It is general information, not clinical advice, and it is not a prediction of your result.
Why do the case studies include testing numbers?
Objective measures such as strength testing, jump testing and side-to-side symmetry show whether a joint is ready for the next stage of loading.
Publishing those numbers shows how progression decisions are made on measured criteria rather than on elapsed time or on how the limb feels on the day.
How are the case studies de-identified?
Names and identifying details are removed. Ages are given as a range, dates are kept general and any detail that could identify a person is altered or omitted.
Case studies are only published with the person’s consent.
How often are new case studies published?
New case studies are added as suitable cases reach discharge and consent is provided.
The library will expand across knee, hip, shoulder and foot and ankle conditions, and will cover non-surgical pathways as well as surgical ones.
Can I be referred for the same program described in a case study?
Our programs are available to anyone assessed as suitable, but the right program depends on your diagnosis, your surgery if you have had one, and the demands of what you want to return to.
An assessment is the starting point. GP and physiotherapist referrals are welcome, and a referral is generally required for Medicare to contribute to a specialist consultation.
Assessment and rehabilitation across Sydney
North Shore Health Hub, Level 4, Suite 401, 7 Westbourne St, St Leonards NSW 2065
MTP Health, Level 1, Suite 102, 10 Tilley Lane, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
Our surgeons also consult at selected metropolitan and regional locations. Check our orthopaedic booking page for current availability.
Find out what your own recovery would involve
Book an assessment to get a clear picture of your injury, the treatment options and what the rehabilitation would ask of you — measured, staged and planned around what you want to get back to.
Prefer to talk? Call (02) 9437 9794 · GP & physio referrals: referrer information
- Case study content is drawn from MTP Health clinical records and objective testing data, published with patient consent.
- Healthdirect Australia and Better Health Channel, patient information on musculoskeletal injuries, surgery and rehabilitation.
- Current peer-reviewed literature on criteria-based rehabilitation and return-to-sport testing.
Case studies describe individual recoveries. Outcomes vary between individuals and this page provides general information only. It does not replace personal medical advice.