By Debbie Ritenour, Vitals contributor

Few injuries are more devastating to an athlete than a torn ACL or anterior cruciate ligament. Common among soccer, football and basketball players, an ACL tear occurs when sudden force is inflicted on the knee, often from a quick stop or change in direction. While the injury itself can happen in an instant, the recovery usually takes much, much longer.

Just ask Alessandra Montes. The 17-year-old basketball player at East Union High School in Manteca has torn the ACL in not one, but both of her knees. Luckily, advancements in ACL reconstruction have meant her injuries were season-ending rather than career-ending. Following two successful procedures performed by Sutter orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician Dr. Richard Gayle, Montes is on the road to recovery and ready to compete once again.

Montes’ comeback – and her dedication to athletics – made her the perfect candidate to join Dr. Gayle at Sutter’s fourth and final “B You” sports clinic hosted in partnership with Bay FC, the Bay Area’s National Women’s Soccer League team. Sutter’s summer-long “B You” series focused on addressing common barriers that can keep young women from continuing to play sports, including mental health, girls’ health, body positivity and ACL injury prevention and recovery.

Montes represented Sutter as a youth reporter at the ACL-focused clinic, interviewing Bay FC players about their ACL injuries and sharing her own story with the crowd of teens and pre-teens in attendance. She was also thrilled to reunite with Dr. Gayle at the event. His enthusiasm for athletics was evident as he spoke about not just the importance of injury prevention, but also the value of sports for girls.

“A 2022 survey by Women in Sports found that more than 40% of girls who once considered themselves ‘sporty’ dropped out of sports after elementary school. We want to help prevent this decline in athletic participation,” says Dr. Gayle. “Sutter is pleased to partner with Bay FC to offer these events that promote the importance of physical activity and mental health.”

A former Division I soccer standout at Loyola University of Chicago, Dr. Gayle turned his love of sports into a career in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery. He was named chief medical officer and head team physician for Bay FC earlier this year and was selected to attend the 2024 Summer Olympics as an official team physician for the U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team.

Montes hopes to follow in Dr. Gayle’s footsteps. Her immediate goal is to play basketball at the college level, followed by a career in sports medicine. For now, she considers herself a fan and was excited to meet Kayla Sharples and Dorian Bailey at the “B You” event.

“It was a great opportunity to talk to professional athletes and hear about their injuries and to share my experience in return,” Montes says. “Being able to connect with other players who have gone through what I’ve gone through and bond over that shared experience was inspiring.”

A Split-Second Injury

Montes has been playing basketball relatively injury-free since she was 7 years old. Her luck ran out when she tore the ACL of her right knee in November 2021. It was her freshman season in high school, and the girls basketball team was having a scrimmage against the boys team.

“No one was even near me,” Montes says. “I made a simple jump, but when I twisted my body, my right knee stayed straight, and my ACL just snapped.”

At first, Montes didn’t realize how serious her injury was. “My knee just wasn’t stable,” she says.

An MRI confirmed that she had torn both her meniscus and her ACL. Her best option was ACL reconstructive surgery, a procedure that involves replacing the torn ACL with a graft, or tissue taken from another part of the body. Dr. Gayle performed the ACL reconstruction at Sutter’s Surgery Center Mountain View. The surgery was uneventful, but the recovery was long.

“I was able to play 10 months later, but I wasn’t playing to my full potential, where I felt confident and unafraid to use my right knee, until maybe a year and a half after the surgery,” Montes says. “I haven’t had any issues with my knee since.”

History Repeats Itself

Almost two years later, in January 2024, Montes was playing in a game against a rival team when she jumped and collapsed onto the floor upon landing, injuring her left knee. Because it didn’t feel the same as her previous injury to her right knee, she was hopeful that she hadn’t torn her ACL. Her mom, a medical assistant who has worked for Sutter for 19 years, wasn’t taking any chances and immediately reached out to Montes’ pediatrician, Dr. Rebecca Fazilat.

“We already knew the drill,” Montes says. “My mom was like, ‘Let’s not wait.’” Dr. Fazilat helped Montes get an MRI and the image showed a partial tear in her left ACL.

Before returning to Dr. Gayle, Montes went through physical therapy and completed strengthening exercises at home. This process, known as prehabilitation, can help patients recover from the procedure more quickly and smoothly. Her second surgery took place in February.

“I’m on month six now, so I’m still recovering,” Montes says. “But this time, I know not to be scared. It’s a very long process that I just have to go through. It’s not going to stop me from playing sports!”