As a three-sport student-athlete, Adam Scharnhorst played basketball, baseball, and golf during his time at Colton High School. However, surprisingly enough, it was an injury he sustained while hunting in 2016 which almost prevented him from ever stepping on the field again.
“While roughhousing with some friends during a hunting trip in 8th grade, I tore my ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus while also breaking and dislocating my left kneecap,” laughs Adam. “We had to wait to do any surgery until after the growth plate in my knee matured.” Adam played through the injury and in the process, continued to reinjure himself an estimated “15-16 times.”
During the time period before surgery, Kai Seshiki, Athletic Trainer at Colton High School, worked with Adam to exercise and rehabilitate the muscles around the injury. “I really appreciated Kai’s attention to detail and thoroughness in treating my injury, even though it wasn’t sports-related,” recalls Adam.
Kai Seshiki is part of the hospital’s Regional High School Athletic Training Program, which places Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) in four 4 local high schools to provide consistent and efficient treatment, triage, and prevention of sports injuries. Student-athletes have access to these services at no cost to the family.
Kai worked directly with Dr. Ed Tingstad, local Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Physician with Pullman Regional Hospital’s Orthopedic Center of Excellence.
“My pre-op experience in 2019 with Dr. Tingstad was seamless,” says Adam. “On the day of my surgery, I wasn’t worried. Dr. Tingstad came into my room and said a prayer with me prior to going into the operating room. I really appreciated him taking the time to do that.” After surgery, Dr. Tingstad spoke to Adam’s parents and updated them on how the procedure went, guiding them through what the next steps were going to be. “Dr. Tingstad was very thoughtful, helping me understand what I needed to do to build my strength back up,” recalls Adam.
Even though Adam graduated from Colton High School in 2020, he still keeps in touch with Kai. “I don’t know what I would have done without Kai. He helped me so much throughout high school- he’s just an awesome person,” smiles Adam.
If you’re interested in learning more about the program and its impact on student-athletes like Adam, visit pullmanregional.org/athletic-training
