Doctor’s own sports injury inspires her career

The summer before her senior year of high school, Dr. Mahi Trivellas was living her dream. Having played lacrosse and field hockey from a young age in her tiny hometown of Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania, she had set her sights on competing collegiately at Stanford, thousands of miles away in Palo Alto, California.

It seemed she was on the verge of accomplishing that dream when she attended the Stanford lacrosse team’s official camp. She was getting her chance to play daily, receive instruction and show off her skills to the Stanford Cardinal’s coaches.

It was happening just as she’d hoped— until she tore her ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, which helps connect the thigh bone to the shin bone. “I was devastated and thought my career was over,” Dr. Trivellas says.

Instead, Dr. Trivellas found that the same grit and determination that fueled her athletic success could be applied to her injury rehabilitation.

“I crushed my physical therapy to come back as soon as possible and was able to play my spring senior season,” Dr. Trivellas says. “I was always pushing to get better and wasn’t going to let an injury stop me.”

She didn’t realize it then, but the experience of getting injured and recovering would influence her future career.

College athlete and medical school

Dr. Trivellas ended up playing NCAA Division 1 lacrosse at Yale University instead of Stanford. There, she became interested in how the body performs during athletics and, in particular, how the body recovers from injury.

After four years playing for the Yale Bulldogs, Dr. Trivellas decided on a career in medicine. She attended medical school at Tulane, followed by her residency at UCLA and a fellowship at Duke. After her athletic career and experience with a variety of injuries, there was no question as to what field of medicine she wanted to pursue.

“It was always going to be orthopedics,” Dr. Trivellas says. “When I was in medical school, I did a lot of additional research into things that could help the body with recovery and athletic performance.”

Dr. Trivellas became fascinated with subjects such as biohacking — making small, strategic changes to behaviors, nutrition and recovery to improve function — and sleep optimization.

A passion for sports medicine

In 2024, Dr. Trivellas moved to San Diego to become an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital. She has continued to pursue her passion for sports, specializing in treatments for sports injuries of the shoulder, knee and, particularly, the hip.

While she also treats nonathletes and “weekend warriors” of all ages, sports medicine remains a passion.

“Because I was an athlete and I’m still active every day, I definitely speak their language.” Dr. Trivellas says. “It allows me to communicate with them effectively, which allows them to understand and be actively involved in their own recovery.”

In addition, when an athlete is hurt, Dr. Trivellas’ experience gives her a unique ability to go beyond healing the injury. She says she can empathize with the mental aspect of being injured and help them find ways to improve their performance. “It’s not just about getting them back to where they were, but getting them better than before, and as quickly as possible,” she says.

Her own experience with her ACL tear helps her coach and cheer her patients as they walk the fine line between trying to recover as rapidly as they can while giving their bodies time to heal from their surgeries.

The future is female

Having grown up when opportunities for girls in youth sports were just starting to grow, Dr. Trivellas is excited to see how women’s sports have exploded in popularity. But she says doctors must be ready to treat those athletes when they’re injured.

“It’s blowing up,” she says. “Now, there are opportunities to play at the elite or professional level all over the country.”

However, because of differences in biology and physiology, Dr. Trivellas points out that some injuries are more common among women. It’s important, she says, to have doctors who are knowledgeable and prepared for them.

“I just feel honored that if an athlete is hurt and comes to my office, I get to help them return to the field, slopes, court or pool.”

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