GRANT JOHNSON
Meniscus Allograft Transplant
Doctor: Scott A. Meyer, MD
GRANT: Basketball was my favorite sport,
but playing it resulted in my first knee
injury. I tore my ACL and damaged my
medial meniscus.
DR. MEYER: I was able to repair Grant’s
ACL and medial meniscus. I encouraged
Grant to focus on his rehab program and
because he did, he was able to go back to
playing his favorite sport.
GRANT: I had run two marathons prior to
my first knee injury and two marathons
after and decided to try to complete one in
every U.S. state. Then I hurt my knee playing
basketball again. I’d torn my meniscus and
this time it wasn’t repairable.
DR. MEYER: Arthroscopy showed that most
of the formerly repaired meniscus would
need to be removed. Because Grant didn’t
have arthritis, I thought a meniscus allograft
transplant and high tibial osteotomy
procedure to realign the knee joint would
be the best course of treatment for him.
GRANT: During a follow-up visit months
later, I accepted it when Dr. Meyer told me
I could no longer play basketball, but I did
not accept his recommendation to try cycling
instead of running to stay active. I told him
that, despite his advice, I would continue
running marathons. In 2016, I accomplished
my goal of completing a marathon in all
50 states.
DR. MEYER: It’s important to contribute to
support research because research does
improve what orthopaedic surgeons can
offer patients for treating injuries such as
Grant had. Without research, a meniscus
allograft wouldn’t have been an option and
Grant wouldn’t have been able to get back
to his active life.
GRANT: Thanks to what was a relatively
new procedure when Dr. Meyer performed
it, my knee feels like it did 15 years ago.
He saved my active life.