Rochester Hills hockey enthusiast scores a comeback after successful ankle surgery

For more than three decades, Peter Hotaling has been a passionate recreation hockey player. The Rochester Hills resident who co-owns MPH Marketing Solutions, a digital marketing agency in Berkley, says his love for the sport is something he has shared with his family throughout his life. Hotaling has managed to escape serious injuries related to the sport but in the winter of 2024 when playing roller hockey, a sudden stop caused a painful injury.

“I was trying to do an ice hockey stop on rollerblades and it didn't work out well,” Peter recalls. “I was trying to avoid colliding with my teammate and I heard a crack immediately and went down and couldn't get up.”

After dealing with significant pain in his right leg and ankle, Peter went to a local Urgent Care Center where he underwent x-rays in his ankle area.
“I was told nothing was broken and to use crutches for a few days until my ankle heals,” says Peter.

The next morning, the severe pain continued while his ankle turned black and blue. Peter decided to go to another Urgent Care Center where he was again told that nothing was broken, however an MRI revealed he potentially could have torn ligaments.

Friend and former podiatric resident comes to the rescue

With the pain continuing and affecting his ability to walk, Peter sought more clarity and sent the MRI to a friend, James Renier, DPM, a podiatrist who currently lives in Minnesota, for a third opinion.
“He told me it was a lot more serious than I thought and I should be evaluated for surgery very soon,” a shocked Peter recalls.

Dr. Renier was a podiatry resident under Henry Ford Foot and Ankle Surgeon Nicole, Brouyette, DPM before moving to Minnesota and he highly recommended that Peter seek a consultation with Dr. Brouyette for further evaluation.

Frustrated with a lack of clear diagnosis related to his injury, Peter put his trust in Dr. Brouyette.

“I immediately felt comfortable with her. She was thorough and decided to get an x-ray of my right leg which was not done before even though I expressed that I had pain not just in my ankle, but above it as well,” says Peter. “After the x-ray, I found out that I had a broken leg and was walking around on it for 10 days.”

Dr. Brouyette recommended open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), a surgical technique that can be used to repair an ankle fracture with an unstable syndesmosis. The syndesmosis is the ligamentous connection between the tibia and fibula near the ankle joint.

“This repair is often necessary in athletes with high fibular fractures which disrupts the ligament connecting the two bones,” Dr. Brouyette explains. “These types of injuries once assessed in the office are of importance to address because if left untreated it can severely affect the athlete's performance and long-term joint health. Peter's surgery provided proper alignment and stability, allowing for quicker recovery and return back to his teammates on the ice."

Successful surgery and PT lead to an active lifestyle

Dr. Brouyette recommended physical therapy after surgery and estimated it would take about 12 weeks to fully recover. Just a few days shy of his 12-week recovery, Peter is back to playing in his adult hockey leagues and looks forward to golfing, the other sports he loves.

“Happy to be back in action thanks to Dr. Brouyette,” says Peter. “She was awesome. I would definitely recommend her.”