Jackie McKenna

As a semi-professional beach volleyball player, being sidelined with a shoulder injury was devastating. After 9 months of physical therapy and an injection, I still could not hit a ball without pain. Surgery was my only chance to play volleyball again. Dr. Gulotta understood my goals, discussed realistic expectations with me, and recommended a labrum/SLAP tear repair. As a sports medicine physician myself, I understood this would be a long road with no guarantees, but I knew Dr. Gulotta would give me the best chance. After surgery, I did physical therapy with Debi Jones at HSS. It took nearly a year to get my mobility and strength back, I could not have done this without Debi’s expert guidance and encouragement! The following summer I played in 13 beach volleyball tournaments, all at the highest level available on the east coast. I won 10 of them (something I accepted could be a thing of the past!), but more importantly I was pain-free and had a huge part of my life back! There are no words to describe how grateful I am!