Forté Fast Helps One Runner Advance from Injury to Marathon

For Eva Cheung, standing at the Boston Marathon starting line was one of those “pinch me” moments.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d qualify for Boston,” says Cheung. “I was really, really excited.”

Unfortunately, qualifying wasn’t the only hurdle Cheung had to overcome on her way to completing the race. While training for Boston, she experienced nagging pain in her left leg.

“I told my coach about it, and he recommended I reach out to Forté Sports Medicine and Orthopedics,” she says.

Specialized Orthopedic Urgent Care

Cheung took advantage of Forté Fast Orthopedic Care, an orthopedic urgent care offering walk-in access for recent bone, muscle, joint and sports medicine injuries. With three locations in Carmel, Noblesville and Greenwood, Forté Fast helps patients with the crucial first steps of any injury – obtaining a correct diagnosis and jumpstarting a treatment plan to get them back to the activities they enjoy.

While Forté Fast accepts walk-ins, Cheung made an appointment to ensure she could see a physician who specialized in her specific needs.

“She had quite a bit of pain and discomfort that we couldn’t reproduce during the exam by touching the muscles and soft tissue,” says Dr. Matthew Negaard, an emergency medicine and fellowship-trained sports medicine physician who serves as the medical director of Forté Fast. “That raises a red flag that the bone could be involved, even when the X-ray looks normal.”

Cheung was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her femur – the upper thigh bone.

“The risk of continuing to do activities through a stress fracture is that it can lead to a complete fracture, requiring surgery and several months of rest,” says Negaard. “We try to educate our patients on taking some stress off the bone for a shorter period of time to allow it to heal and then build back up.”

Same-Day Services, Including Unique Rehab Options

Facing the possibility of catastrophic injury, the Boston Marathon could have been out of the cards for Cheung, but Negaard and the team at Forté Fast gave her the best chance of healing and reaching her goal.

Forté Fast provides patients with various same-day services based on their individual needs, including expert-level musculoskeletal evaluation, rehab, imaging, medical supplies and more. Its unique rehab options, such as an anti-gravity treadmill and underwater treadmill, allow patients with a stress fracture, like Cheung, to continue to run and keep up their cardiovascular fitness while protecting the healing bone.

“The rehab process for stress fractures can vary depending on what the person is trying to get back to and what their particular injury is,” says Negaard. “In general, it’s a period of rest and recovery, but we emphasize to our patients that they can continue to cross-train while we allow the bone to heal.”

Advancing from Injury to the Starting Line

The creativity and personalization of Cheung’s rehab process kept her active and ultimately enabled her to reach the Boston starting line.

“I kept thinking, I can’t believe I’m here,” says Cheung.

“I’m so grateful for Forté because they’re so knowledgeable,” she adds. “They listen and know what your goals are. And they will get you to the point where you can reach your goals.”

For more information about Forté Fast Orthopedic Care, including walk-in hours for all locations, visit forteortho.com.