{"id":18824,"date":"2018-10-08T15:33:20","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T21:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18824"},"modified":"2024-12-23T14:26:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T21:26:06","slug":"colorado-ballets-yosvani-ramos-returns-after-achilles-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/colorado-ballets-yosvani-ramos-returns-after-achilles-injury\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Ballet\u2019s Yosvani Ramos returns after Achilles injury"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yosvani Ramos performs for the Colorado Ballet prior to his Achilles injury. Photo courtesy of Yosvani Ramos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second Yosvani Ramos hit the ground, he knew something horrible had happened. He could see his heel bone, but not the tendon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the floor sobbing, thinking it was a bad nightmare that I wanted to wake up from,\u201d the Colorado Ballet dancer remembered. \u201cI could see what was there, and I thought, there is no way I am coming back from this.\u201d<\/p>\n

His love, his life<\/h3>\n

Ramos has been in love with ballet since he was young and started performing as a youth. He won the gold medal at the Paris International Ballet Competition in 1998, and then went on to be a principal dancer for the English National Ballet, The Australian Ballet and the Cincinnati Ballet before joining the Colorado Ballet in 2015. But at only 37, he lay on the ground during a \u201cNutcracker\u201d rehearsal, thinking it was the end.<\/p>\n

The Achilles injury<\/h3>\n

Six days after his injury, Dr. Joshua Metzl<\/a> performed a minimally invasive procedure to fix Ramos’ Achilles injury<\/a> \u2014 a technique proven to decrease surgical risk and allow for quicker recovery.<\/p>\n

Metzl serves as the head orthopedic physician for the Colorado Ballet, as well as the assistant team physician for the Denver Broncos<\/a> and Colorado Rockies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a very small scar and was in a cast for two weeks instead of the usual six,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cThen once I was in a boot, I was able to work that muscle so I didn\u2019t get muscle atrophy, which was a big deal for my recovery. Then I started rehab.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when Ramos realized it wasn\u2019t the end.<\/p>\n

Starting small<\/h3>\n

UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Clinic-Denver<\/a> has a marker-less motion analysis known as Dynamic Athletics Research Institute<\/a>. It\u2019s essentially an avatar \u2014 a system that tracks the patient\u2019s every joint \u2014 and by taking them through a battery of tests, evaluates their range of motion and strengths. This allows for a specifically tailored rehab program to bring the patient back to where they want to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy recovery wasn\u2019t about just being able to walk like a normal person,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cI needed to be back on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n