Dr. Andrew Cooper performs knee reconstruction on MLS Real Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran, uses technology for rehab

Orthopedic Sports Medicine

Andrew Cooper, MD, performed two reconstruction surgeries on Salt Lake City Real Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran's right knee in November 2017. Post-operation, Mr. Beltran used various technologies to aid his recovery, according to Sport Techie.

Here are seven details:

1. Mr. Beltran damaged his posterolateral corner knee joint as well as tore his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments during an Oct. 15, 2017, game.

2. In the first procedure, Dr. Cooper repaired Mr. Beltran's LCL and posterolateral corner. For the following procedure, Dr. Cooper reconstructed the 31-year-old defender's ACL and LCL, according to a report for the Salt Lake Tribune.

3. During his nine-month recovery, Mr. Beltran used technologies such as anti-gravity and underwater treadmills, NordBord hamstring testing system and blood flow restriction.

4. On his use of the anti-gravity treadmill, which allowed him to start at a low body weight percentage when re-learning how to walk, Mr. Beltran told Sport Techie, "It alleviates so much stress on the body. It would be hard for me to imagine — not having done it any other way — that people used to just go full body weight after all this."

5. Mr. Beltran said he also had success with blood flow restriction, which includes using a device that resembles a "simple tourniquet," to make your body think you're overworking the rehabbed muscle, so it sends more nutrients to that area, according to the report.

6. "You can, from doing very low impact exercises, get the results of if you were high-intensity or heavy weight training. It sounds almost fantastical, but [blood flow restriction is] a good illustration of modern science outsmarting the body," Mr. Beltran told Sport Techie.

7. Dr. Cooper is an orthopedic surgeon at Comprehensive Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Salt Lake City. He serves as the head team physician and orthopedic surgeon for Real Salt Lake and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team.

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