Every human body has its own quirks. These often make treatment and recovery plans as unique as we are. Melissa Petersen had issues with the tendons in her left leg, both elbows and right shoulder. But these were exacerbated by having hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a disorder that causes joint instability, slow healing, fragile connective tissue and chronic pain.
Dr. Kindra McDougall has worked with Petersen across several clinical locations and they reunited again at Penrose. “When my healing plateaued despite consistent physical therapy, prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Dr. McDougall didn’t simply accept that as the ceiling,” says Petersen. “She brought research to our appointment – a peer-reviewed study demonstrating statistically significant outcomes for paired shockwave and PRP therapy in EDS patients – and we designed a treatment plan together: three shockwave sessions followed by PRP, then three more shockwave sessions and a final PRP.”
And that proved to be a magical combo. “The results exceeded everyone’s expectations,” says Petersen, “including my PRP specialist, who was genuinely surprised to see on ultrasound that the tendon had reattached to the muscle at two separate points. That had been the ultimate goal all along.”
Not long afterwards she regained full function in her left knee and can now squat, lunge, climb stairs and move through her day without pain. She has also returned to barre classes, a personal treatment aspiration.
Thanks to the Penrose team’s willingness to go above and beyond, Petersen was able to avoid surgery. But she knows taking that first step can feel scary.
“I understand the hesitation,” says Petersen, “Shockwave therapy is a significant financial investment. But here is what I know: when you have been in pain and nothing is moving the needle on your healing, the cost is worth it. Shockwave and other regenerative therapies have the potential to keep you out of the operating room and surgery is far more expensive, in every sense of the word.”
She hopes other EDS patients will also look into Shockwave therapy for themselves. “If you are an EDS patient – or anyone with a complex, slow-healing injury – stop scrolling and book with Dr. McDougall,” says Petersen. “I had already been through the supposed gold standard for EDS and was still not healing. Dr. McDougall treats you like a whole person, stays current on research and refuses to let a stalled treatment plan be the end of the story. Her deep expertise in complex, EDS specific injuries combined with her commitment to researching new solutions when standard treatments plateau makes her one of a kind. I would not be where I am today without her.”
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