Patient Stories
Elbow Dislocation Treatment: Megan's Story
Date posted: 4/14/2026
Last updated: 4/14/2026
Table of Contents
For Megan Cassetty, 27, of Chicago, living an active life without fear of injury was non-negotiable.
Born and raised outside Aspen, Colorado, Megan learned to ski at a very young age. In addition to engaging in other sports and learning to love the outdoors, she eventually joined her high school’s ski team. The sport was such a high priority that she joined other ski team members on the slopes twice a week during school hours, a rhythm she enjoyed as her love of skiing and skills grew.
After graduating from the University of Puget Sound, where she studied environmental policy, she found a satisfying job as a sustainability consultant in Chicago. She currently enjoys her work helping large residential buildings maintain eco-friendly standards. She also plans as many ski trips in the western U.S. as she can fit in. Meanwhile, in Chicago, she likes to spend time at the lakefront being active with friends.
Recurring Elbow Dislocations Threaten an Active Lifestyle
Several years ago, she experienced her first physical setback but took it in stride.
While kicking around a soccer ball in a Chicago park, she tripped on the uneven grass and fell hard onto her right elbow. It hurt and looked strange. After a visit to a local emergency department, she discovered that the elbow came out of its socket. Her pain was relieved when a healthcare provider relocated it and sent her home with a sling and instructions to lie low.
Megan complied, but a few months later, her elbow became dislocated again when she fell while hanging out with friends. Again, she visited an emergency department where it was put back into place, and she left with another sling. Frustration built as she began to distrust her body.
The third time she dislocated her elbow was not a charm. Months after the second dislocation, Megan was on a rafting trip, and it became dislocated as she lifted herself out of a raft. Fortunately, one of her fellow raft mates was an orthopedic surgeon who popped her elbow back into place.
“It was such relief to have someone there in a remote place who could reposition it,” she says.
Worry about ski season – and daily living – became constant.
When a First Elbow Ligament Reconstruction Fails
Megan decided to do something to ensure that she would be free from dislocation again. She visited a local orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed her with a ligament tear which was responsible for her dislocation episodes (posterolateral rotatory instability). He then performed a ligament (lateral collateral ligament) reconstruction to secure the elbow joint. In Megan’s case, the surgeon used cadaver tissue to replace her own, over-stretched ligament. This is similar to the Tommy John ligament reconstructions commonly performed on baseball pitchers, just on the other side of the elbow.
Megan went home to heal and mentally prepare for ski season. Soon she received the ‘all clear’ to hit the slopes.
Unfortunately, on her first post-surgery ski trip, her elbow became dislocated again while she simply pushed herself up from a seated position. Gravely disappointed, once home she visited her surgeon who explained that this was normal. Several weeks later, she dislocated the elbow again while putting on her socks.
“This surgery just wasn’t working,” Megan says.
Finding the Right Elbow Dislocation Specialist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Along with her mom, who is a physical therapist, Megan began a deep dive for the best elbow surgeon in Chicago to get a professional opinion on her case.
Separately, they both discovered orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Cohen, head of the hand, wrist, and elbow section at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago. He clearly had extensive experience in treating conditions of the elbow and serves as a team physician for the Chicago White Sox.
She made an appointment right away.
“I totally felt he cared about me as a person,” Megan says. “And I really appreciated his candor when he reviewed my CT scan and explained that he wanted to share my case with other doctors, including some from across the country. He wanted to determine the best course of treatment for my hypermobility.”
Dr. Cohen did just that, and when Megan returned to see him, he had an excellent plan which he shared in detail with Megan and her mom. He explained how it would be different from and better than her first elbow surgery and talked her through an individualized recovery protocol.
“In addition to revising the ligament reconstruction, I recommended a special apparatus be used temporarily to maintain the stability of the elbow after the procedure,” Dr. Cohen explains. “An external fixator is a metal frame attached to the bones that is outside the skin. This is rarely needed, but her case was special, in part due to her prior surgery and baseline joint laxity.”
Megan agreed to the surgery and was confident under Dr. Cohen’s care.
After the procedure, Megan returned home with what she refers to as an “ex-fix” which she wore for eight weeks.
“It was hard to do everything left-handed,” she explains. “I had to eat, brush my teeth, comb my hair, type, and cook with my non-dominant hand. But after five dislocations, I was ready to fix this properly.”
Once her external fixation was removed and Dr. Cohen was pleased with her progress, Megan performed occupational therapy for several months.
Today, one year out from her revision reconstruction surgery with Dr. Cohen, she is no longer walking on eggshells for fear of falling, and she is back to skiing confidently. Her only restriction, according to Dr. Cohen, is to stay away from yoga or anything that puts extreme pressure on her hands.
“I was thrilled to go skiing for the first time in Aspen this season, and I had full mobility with no fear,” Megan says. “It is absolutely my favorite thing to do and I’m so very happy to be back.”
She has skied again in Washington since that trip and looks forward to finishing out the season in Colorado. For Megan, fear of elbow dislocation is now a thing of the past.
