Take me to St. Mark's Hospital: Personalized orthopedic athletic care

Eight-year-old Nash Taylor’s first tackle on the football field birthed dreams of playing under Friday night lights – and those dreams came true. As a motivated and talented athlete, Nash Taylor played remarkably well and heard from dozens of college recruiters early in his high school football career.

Nash’s football future looked bright until he tore the cartilage in his shoulder during his junior year. With his injury, college recruiters grew ghostly quiet. Undeterred and gritty, Nash underwent surgery at the Salt Lake Orthopedic Clinic. Then, he dedicated himself to countless hours with physical therapists and personal trainers to rebuild his shoulder for his senior year at Olympus High School.

Walking onto the field for the first game of his senior season, Nash believed this was his year to shine. He felt 100 percent ready. He lined up, squatting in an athletic position, with his weight on his toes in anticipation of the play. The ball snapped. He repositioned, planting his feet for the tackle, but Nash heard his knee pop before anything or anyone touched him.  

“I knew instantly my knee was gone. I felt it pop. It just gave out, and I collapsed,” Nash said. “I was pissed. I was confused, too. I was big, strong, healthy, and had great knees – and then barely a movement made it go out.”

In that first game of his senior year, Nash suffered a noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

The ACL is one of the major ligaments in the knee, and a tear is often debilitating and season-ending for athletes. Approximately 200,000 people tear their ACL each year; about 70 percent of those tears are noncontact injuries.

Specialized MVP: An orthopedic surgeon who advocates and personalizes care

Nash and his dad, Jeremy Taylor, knew they needed the expert medical opinion of Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, a well-renowned orthopedic surgeon at Salt Lake Orthopedic Clinic and the same surgeon who had performed Nash’s shoulder surgery.

Dr. Jackson studied Nash’s MRI and closely examined his leg and knee. He had several conversations with Jeremy and Nash about innovative European studies that followed athletes who continued playing sports after a torn ACL. While continued activity on a torn ACL comes with risks of further injuries, which Dr. Jackson explained in detail, those recent studies showed that especially strong hamstrings can protect the knee and enable continued athleticism.

“Dr. Jackson is extremely articulate. He doesn’t speak ‘doctor talk’ if you don‘t understand it – so he did a good job talking to a dummy like me. He explained what was going on and what our options were throughout the whole process. Dr. Jackson said he wouldn’t approve of everyone playing with a torn ACL, but he did for Nash because of the strength in Nash’s hamstrings and around his knees,” Jeremy said.

Neither Nash nor Jeremy had ever heard of anyone playing on a torn ACL, and neither had Nash’s football coaches or trainers. Nash knew he wanted to keep playing, but his coaches and trainers voiced concerns.

 “Dr. Jackson did a nice job of explaining the real dangers to the staff and teaching them that when you don’t have an ACL, the hamstring muscle can compensate. He showed up, and he spoke up for Nash; then he took care of Nash all season long,” Jeremy said.

After four games on the sidelines, Nash returned to the field – much to the fans' surprise. Nash spryly had 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns during his return game. Thanks to a doctor who listened, provided personalized medical care, understood cutting-edge research, and advocated for his patient, Nash was back!

A season for healing

The Olympus High School football team made it to the state championship semi-finals, and Nash played well all season.

After football, Dr. Jackson used the latest surgical techniques to reconstruct Nash’s ACL. Nash said he went into surgery ready to get the treatment behind him and fully trusted Dr. Jackson’s abilities.

“I’ve had three sports-related surgeries at St. Mark’s Hospital, and everything they’ve done has helped me feel great. They’re nice and reassuring, and I’m confident that if I ever needed anything, they’ll fix me up,” Nash said.

Jeremy agreed.

“The thing I love about St. Mark’s and Salt Lake Orthopedic Clinic is that their customer service is very high. I intentionally get medical insurance that covers me there instead of the big monster places around town. I say, ‘Take me there’ because with all the care we’ve ever needed, we’ve always had positive experiences,” Jeremy said.

Life after football

Nash recently graduated from Olympus High School and has been reflecting on lessons learned from football and life during his senior year.

“I’ve learned that I’m not just football. I’m not just sports. Even though I didn’t have the high school career I wanted, I wouldn’t change it for anything. If you knew the amount of love for the people in the locker room, you’d know – it’s about more than how you play. I had an amazing high school experience,” Nash said.

Salt Lake Orthopedic Clinic offers same-day consults with a joint specialist for all new injuries. Be seen today or the very next business day. We are your first stop for orthopedic injury advice, offering in-clinic X-rays and expert orthopedic physicians. To learn more, click here or call (801) 261-7479.

Click here to learn more about orthopedic care at St. Mark’s Hospital.