Conquering Kilimanjaro: Sports medicine specialists help 60-year-old with chronic hip pain reach the top of Africa’s tallest mountain
October 28, 2022, Elizabeth Brine was in the middle of a kettlebell class when she lunged and felt a “twinge” in her right hip. The injury left the active 60-year-old struggling with movements that used to be easy. Hiking, kettlebell exercises, even walking upstairs all proved difficult now, thanks to the new and relentless ache in her hip.
“I signed on for physical therapy pretty quickly after that,” said Brine. She began working with Derek Volkel, PT, DPT, a physical therapist specializing in sports rehabilitation and physical therapy at the M Health Fairview Clinics and Specialty Center – Burnsville.
An MRI showed Brine had torn her right gluteal muscle, which is a stabilizing muscle in the hip. "We focused on strengthening this muscle gradually along with stretching and balance work,” Volkel said. “We really work around the patients’ goals, helping them feel strong and confident to being their active selves again.”
Brine remained diligent through her physical therapy sessions. Then, in February 2023, she heard about the opportunity of a lifetime from a group of neighbors and friends: the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
“I’ve wanted to do this my whole life,” Brine said. Her mind was set. Which meant she needed to focus on training for the eight-day trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. Training would involve rigorous weeks of two-to-three-hour hikes with lots of walking, strength training, and stair climbing for at least 20 minutes every day to prepare for the climb.
But there was a problem. The pain in her hip was getting worse.
“I was progressing well in physical therapy,” she said. “And the staff was fantastic. But my hip was growing more painful.” After eight months of living with the pain in her hip, Brine sought help with Jarrod Yamanaka, MD, a sports medicine specialist dedicated to getting athletes and active people back to doing what they do best.
“When Elizabeth first came to see me, her symptoms were already limiting her ability to work out and hike; things she loved to do,” Yamanaka said.
Together, Yamanaka and Brine set a course for a new treatment that included steroid injections to help address the inflammation. They also discussed the possibility of a procedure called a minimally invasive tenotomy to allow the tendon to heal.
“The steroid shots worked for about two weeks,” Brine said. “To be honest, the pain wasn’t so intense that I couldn’t walk. But I didn’t want to live the rest of my life this way.”
In September 2023, Brine underwent the tenotomy procedure led by Yamanaka. For Brine, the procedure involved removal of damaged tendon tissue using ultrasonic pulses, while preserving the healthy tissue and allowing it to heal. Just two weeks after the tenotomy, Brine was close to feeling like her old self. Her recovery was quick with minimal side effects. And most importantly, the pain in her hip was completely gone.
“There have been no downsides,” she said. As soon as she was able, Brine resumed physical therapy and training for the biggest climb of her life.
Brine’s spirit of persistence and determination brought her to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in January of 2024. Elizabeth was accompanied by her husband and a group of six neighbors, all of whom had been training together for this moment. Brine’s training was felt on the long days up the mountain, as they took timed hikes to adjust to the increasing altitude and camped when they needed breaks.
The whole time, she felt no pain.
After 8 days, they reached the peak of the summit sitting 19,341 feet (5,895 meters) above sea level. Brine’s dream had finally come true.
“I had such a great team at M Health Fairview,” she said. “I was able to do this because of the care I received.”
