Piedmont Atlanta saves football coach's leg

Piedmont Atlanta keeps football coach from losing leg

What started as a routine knee replacement turned into a medical nightmare for Phil Wilks. Doctors at Piedmont Atlanta used SoftWave Therapy to treat the knee and were able to perform another knee replacement. Wilks has faced tough opponents before on the field , but nothing like the medical battle that nearly cost him his leg.

ATLANTA - A former head college football coach faced the possibility of losing his leg, but he found hope and healing in Atlanta.

What we know:

What started as a routine knee replacement turned into a medical nightmare for Phil Wilks. It did not end badly thanks to a team of doctors at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and the use of cutting-edge technology.

When Wilks, a former Maryville College head football coach, went in for routine knee surgery in Tennessee, he had no idea it would turn into the toughest fourth quarter of his life.

"Had the right knee replaced and after a week, I just noticed something was wrong," he said.

Infection set in. The wound refused to heal. Doctors back home recommended he find an orthopedic surgeon, a plastic surgeon and an infectious disease specialist that work together.

Wilks found them at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital thanks to his brother, who is a retired doctor.

"The pictures my brother showed the doctors down there said the best case scenario probably would be amputation," he said.

That is where Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. John David Mullins came in.

Dr. Mullins had previously been successful in using SoftWave Therapy to regenerate tissue.

The device uses shock waves to stimulate the body's natural healing abilities, and it worked on Wilks.

Dr. Mullins applied the treatment aggressively.

This innovative approach allowed Wilk's wound to close and become stable enough for a second, successful knee replacement.

What they're saying:

"It was an unexpected outcome, and we would call it a save," Dr. Mullins said. "It's very rewarding for a physician to see the technology advance and be able to use it."

Wilks has faced tough opponents before on the field, but nothing like the medical battle that nearly cost him his leg.

While he does not have complete movement, he says he can bend his knee, walk and get on the elliptical.

He credits SoftWave for saving his leg.

"I'm as active as I can be, and I can't imagine what life would have been with an amputation," Wilks said.