Paul M. Cammack, MD

Dr. Cammack is an outstanding doctor. He is very caring and listens to his patients concerns. I would highly recommend him!

Knowledgeable, thoughtful, caring are words I would use to describe Dr. Cammack and his great staff. I am 6 months post-surgery and from pre-surgery to all the follow-ups during recovery I felt I was in the best possible hands. I never felt rushed and all my questions/concerns were treated with respect and thoughtful consideration. I’m still not 200% but because of how well Dr. Cammack communicates what to expect, I am able to take the incremental progression that at times can be slow in stride and not get to discouraged. Highly recommend!!!

May 22nd, 2016 my life changed forever.
It was the AAU state tournament for basketball and my team was playing for fourth place. All I remember is that I was going up for a rebound and coming down thinking there goes my hopes and dreams. It was a Sunday and there was no open TCO clinic so we went to a competitor location that was closest because I was in so much pain. They misdiagnosed me with a grade 1 ankle sprain and told me, “You should be able to walk in 3 weeks.” They were wrong. After about a month passes, I am finally walking in a boot with pressure but it still hurts so my mom and I decide to get a second opinion. We go to TCO and they immediately get me an MRI to see what’s wrong, and boy, was the competitor wrong. I remember sitting down with the doctor and wanting to cry thinking how will I get this time back with not training for basketball. I was diagnosed with a severe bone bruise and I had torn my ATFL. I wasn’t allowed to put pressure on my ankle for about 3-4 months.

Once I started walking, I started physical therapy. I decided to do it with a friends mom I knew from basketball, Michelle Montgomery. She really helped motivate me to work towards getting back on the court, after being in the boot for 7 months it was nice to have a break and to honestly be done with PT. After I was cleared to go back to basketball, I was so happy and the first time I was back on the court I felt like I was on CLOUD 9 and was meant to be on the court forever.

Right before sophomore high school basketball season was about to start, I started getting pain in my ankle and it hurt to run and when I walked my ankle was really unstable. Michelle referred me to Dr. Cammack, who said I needed surgery if my ankle was feeling that unstable. Not even a week later, I had ankle reconstruction surgery. With his new innovation, it was only 3 month recovery time. I was really happy that it was a fast recovery time but at the same time I didn’t know what type of player I would be after surgery. I was flat out scared for the outcome I thought even with surgery who and will I be able to play again mentally. I was missing my sophomore year of basketball and this is a crucial year for recruiting for colleges, I thought there goes my dreams. After recovering from the surgery, it was AAU season for basketball and I was back playing I was so excited to be playing again and was ready to show college coaches what I could do. That season was the best season I have ever had as a basketball player. I started getting recognized my colleges and other coaches and felt like I could do anything. That season made me the player who I am, it helped me play with a chip on my shoulder knowing I put all this work into getting back onto the court I won’t let it go to waste, not just because of my work but because of the others that helped me with their hard work. I am now a senior in high school and have a basketball scholarship to play in college at Waldorf University.

Nothing is impossible, everything is achievable with hard work. Surgery helped shape who I am, if I could go back and change getting hurt I wouldn’t. It helped me play with a new purpose that I truly appreciate and respect.

I will always remember the people at TCO who helped me. The sense of community helped me in my recovery. My new mindset changed to having a chip on my shoulder and overcome obstacles rather than getting devastated by things I can fix by hard work. Thank you TCO for helping me through times where I didn’t believe in myself. I’m back and I’m better than ever.