Plenty of young athletes have Olympic aspirations, but those dreams are out of reach for most. Rock climbing sensations Aiden and Logan Krajnik are real contenders, on a path to achieving their big goals, already setting records and earning victories in international competitions.

Fortunately for the talented 16-year-old twins, similar injuries didn’t derail their progress. In fact, they each report being stronger than ever following successful labrum repairs with Endeavor Health orthopaedic surgeon Zahab Ahsan, MD. Climbing since they were just 5 years old, the Krajniks first made Nationals when they were in third grade.

Aiden’s injury at world championship competition

Aiden’s injury happened first during a world championship event in China in September 2024, when he tore his labrum and dislocated his shoulder in a speed climbing trial. “I felt an immediate big shock of pain,” recalled Aiden who was forced to withdraw from the competition.

Mom Kelly Krajnik and Logan were home watching the live stream of the event and could see he was obviously distressed. As soon as Aiden and his father Andrew returned home, an MRI was followed by a surgical consult with Dr. Ahsan, who was recommended by their pediatrician.

Kelly and Andrew had done research and talked to others in the close-knit climbing community, and they were confident that surgical repair as soon as possible was the right strategy, a feeling that was reinforced when they met Dr. Ahsan.

“He genuinely seemed to care and worked his schedule to get Aiden in for surgery in a matter of days,” said Kelly.

Aiden’s surgical repair and recovery

The labrum stabilizes the shoulder, and tearing at the front and bottom — like what Aiden experienced — is fairly common in athletes. When the tear leads to a full shoulder dislocation it can cause a small divot, known as a Hill-Sachs lesion, in the humeral head (upper arm bone) which predisposes the injured for future dislocations, explained Dr. Ahsan.

“We know with this kind of injury recurrent dislocations can happen, causing more damage which becomes harder to repair,” said Dr. Ahsan. “We had a heart-to-heart discussion, and they understood the benefit of fixing it quickly and not putting more strain on it.”

Dr. Ahsan repaired both the labrum tear and the Hill-Sachs lesion in the surgery, creating superior strength in the shoulder.

“There are always important judgement calls in these cases, especially when you’ve got such a talented athlete competing at such a high level,” added Dr. Ahsan.

Ortho-Twins Aiden and Logan Krajnik-extra-900

Logan’s injury and diagnosis

About two months after Aiden’s surgery, Logan was training in an overhang climb, a demanding route that requires the climber to lean back, when he felt something shift in his shoulder. He didn’t have any pain, but sensed that something was off.

“I took it relatively easy for a bit, but it didn’t hurt and I thought it couldn’t be that bad,” said Logan. A week later on a training climb he did a big dynamic move, jumping from one hold to another and he felt like his arm was separating.

An MRI revealed that Logan had also torn his labrum, but not as severely as his brother had. He had what’s known as a SLAP (superior labrum anterior and posterior) tear and his shoulder did not fully dislocate.

Logan’s PRP therapy and surgical repair

Dr. Ahsan counseled the Krajniks that it was worth trying a conservating approach with PRP, a platelet-rich plasma injection designed to help the labrum cartilage heal. While the labrum initially seemed healed following the PRP treatment, Logan unfortunately re-tore it a week after he was cleared to begin climbing again and he too had surgery with Dr. Ahsan.

Logan had a biceps labrum junction injury, where the biceps tendon attaches to the bone. Dr. Ahsan was able to reattach the biceps tendon a little lower when he repaired the labrum — a more advanced surgical approach that should prevent a future injury for an athlete who regularly stresses his shoulders with overhead motions.

Physical therapy and return to competition

Physical therapy was an important part of both Aiden and Logan’s recovery and working with therapist Danielle Jenkins was invaluable.

“She was outstanding,” emphasized Kelly, who, like her sons, is very grateful for the care they received at Endeavor Health from Dr. Ahsan, the nursing team, and especially Jenkins. She created personalized plans to ensure the twins’ return to climbing and pole vaulting, where they also excel, taking both varsity spots and the varsity record on their high school track team.

Balancing elite sport, school and everyday life

In addition to climbing — speed for Aiden and bouldering and ropes for Logan — and pole vaulting, they are both musicians and straight-A students, and still find time to work at their climbing gym helping to coach younger climbers.

“They are so well-rounded, we think that helped them handle their injuries. They threw themselves into piano, band and other things,” said their parents, who are also recreational climbers. “We find so much joy in watching them do what they love and it’s great to watch them now even stronger than they were before.”

“They’ve both had remarkable recoveries and it’s been such a pleasure to meet them and build a relationship with the family,” said Dr. Ahsan.

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