For Cameron Guss, a high school senior, sports are a big part of his life. Standing tall at 6’5”, he decided to try basketball for the first time as a sophomore. During a practice, he went up for a dunk, but when he landed, everything changed. “I felt a pop in my right knee,” Cameron recalls. “It swelled up immediately, and I could barely walk.” That injury was just the beginning.
Two injuries, one uncertain future
A month later, while pitching in a baseball game — the sport he loved and played his entire life — he felt the same pop in his left knee. “Both knees were now swollen and injured,” he says. “I was struggling just to walk, and it ended my baseball season.” A later diagnosis revealed he had torn the patellar tendons in both knees, leaving him unable to play the sport he loved and casting doubt on his future as an athlete.
Cameron initially sought treatment at another facility, but things didn’t improve. “The treatments and physical therapy at the other facility weren’t working,” he explains. For over a year, he tried to heal, but his condition only worsened. “The more physical therapy I did, the worse I seemed to get,” Cameron shares.
A second opinion brings new hope
As time dragged on, his morale plummeted. “I lost my entire sophomore season of high school baseball,” he says. “That’s when I knew I needed a second opinion.” Frustrated and eager for answers, Cameron turned to Mount Nittany Health for help.
From the moment Cameron started his care at Mount Nittany Health, he could tell things were different. “Everyone was extremely professional,” he says, “and for the first time, my situation actually made sense.” Dr. Ferderber, a specialist with Mount Nittany Health’s Sports Medicine team, took the time to clearly explain Cameron’s injuries and why his previous treatments had not worked. “He offered reasonable options beyond just continuing physical therapy,” Cameron shares. “He even explained that, in my case, physical therapy was actually making things worse and wasn’t the right answer at that time.”
Healing, recovery and a return to baseball
Dr. Ferderber suggested a multi-step plan to help Cameron heal. Initially, prolotherapy treatments were used to manage his pain and keep him on the baseball field during his junior season. After the season ended, Cameron underwent an ultrasound-guided percutaneous patellar tenotomy to correct the underlying injuries. He also received Platelet-Rich Plasma injections to accelerate the healing process. “Dr. Ferderber and the effectiveness of these treatments restored my hope of walking without pain and playing baseball again,” Cameron says.
After more than a year of ineffective and painful treatment elsewhere, Cameron found relief and progress in just a few months at Mount Nittany Health. “My recovery took less than five months,” he shares. “The treatments worked quickly, and I started to heal in a way I hadn’t experienced before.”
When Cameron finally returned to the baseball field, it was an emotional moment. “Returning to baseball felt like a blessing,” he says. Thanks to the care he received, Cameron was able to play at full strength and achieve one of his dreams: earning a four-year college commitment to play baseball at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pa. “With Dr. Ferderber’s treatment plan, knowledge, professionalism and genuine care for his patients, I was able to walk without pain and get back to doing what I love.”
A message for other injured athletes
Cameron knows firsthand how frustrating it can be to deal with a sports injury that just doesn’t seem to improve. His advice to others in similar situations is simple: “Don’t wait. Don’t delay. Make a change early in your care and seek another opinion.”
He encourages injured athletes to turn to Mount Nittany Health for help. “The staff, nurses, techs, schedulers, surgical team — everyone I interacted with at Mount Nittany Health was outstanding, caring and truly committed to helping me become the healthiest and best version of myself,” he says. “If you’re dealing with a sports injury, I can’t recommend Mount Nittany Health and Dr. Ferderber enough.”
With the right care, Cameron was able to overcome his injuries and return to the sport he loves stronger than ever, and he hopes other athletes can find the same support and success.
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Discover more about Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, including locations and providers, at Mount Nittany Health