Steve and Shelby's Story

"I'm back, and it feels great!" - Steve D., Orthopedic Patient

Getting Back in the Game

Steve Deghand knew he'd hurt himself immediately--he felt a pull in his chest and a jolt of pain rush through his left arm while doing a bench press in the gym. The Athletic Director for the DeSoto School District, works with student athletes and has seen his share of injuries. On the advice of one of the district's athletic trainers, Steve made an appointment to see sports medicine specialist Dr. Gregory Lynch at Johnson County Orthopedics.

"It's not a common injury, but Dr. Lynch knew right away that I'd torn my pectoralis major muscle," said Steve. An MRI the next day confirmed the diagnosis.

"What I like about Dr. Lynch's style is that he laid out all the facts for me and empowered me to make the decisions about my treatment. I asked him a ton of questions--but the one that mattered the most was, 'can you make me better?'" Dr. Lynch answered immediately, "without a doubt."

Surgery and Rehab

Steve's surgery was performed two days later at Olathe Medical Center. He followed up with Dr. Lynch regularly and worked with a physical therapist at The Rehab Place, a department of the hospital.

Six months later, Steve has regained nearly all of his strength and range of motion in his left arm. Though he isn't eager to do any more bench presses, he can work out and even does push ups. "I've always been very active, both athletically and working around the house, and I couldn't imagine not being able to do the things I'm used to doing," said Steve. "I'm back, and it feels great."

A Family of Patients

The love of sports runs in the Deghand family. Unfortunately, so do sports injuries.  The week Steve Deghand had his surgery, his 15-year-old daughter Shelby was sidelined from a basketball game with an injured knee. She made an appointment with Dr. Lynch, who diagnosed an ACL tear in not one, but both of her knees. 

Like he did with Steve, Dr. Lynch explained all of the facts and options to Shelby and her family--and after careful thought, they chose to have Dr. Lynch repair both of her knees surgically at the same time. Her surgery was successful, and Shelby and her dad shared back-to-back post-op appointments with Dr. Lynch, attended physical therapy together, and worked out together so they could get back to their shared love for playing sports.

If you'd like to make an appointment with an orthopedist, please use the Physician Locator tool in the upper left corner of this screen. Orthopedists are available in Olathe, Paola and Louisburg.