During the summer before my junior year, I was tested in ways I never expected. On the final day at basketball camp, as I sprinted down the court, I rolled my ankle. I thought nothing of it and continued to play the remainder of the game, convinced it was nothing serious. I noticed some soreness afterward, but I pushed through the pain and continued playing the next game.
Once returning home from camp, I noticed an increase in pain and soreness. So, I went to see our athletic trainer at school, and she immediately put me in a boot. As summer went on, my foot progressively got worse. Eventually, I was seen by two different podiatrists, both of whom agreed that nothing was wrong with my foot. However, the bruising and swelling continued to increase and progressed their way up my leg. Both X-rays taken confirmed that nothing was wrong, so I was further advised to get an MRI. After receiving the results, the MRI scan showed I had liquid pooling on my tendon in three locations. This was the root cause of the ongoing pressure and pain in my foot. After more discussions with my athletic trainer, she recommended me to a third specialist to drain the fluid. The final sports medicine specialist had concerns that the fluid could be an infection, but instead it turned out to be ten milliliters of blood sitting on my tendons. After draining the blood from my ankle and getting out of the boot, I had a long road ahead to begin rehab on my muscles to relearn how to walk normally and regain normal functional movements. Overall, I had to attend weeks of physical therapy to regain the muscle and strength lost in my ankle and calf.
To attend my physical therapy sessions, I altered my daily schedule. Throughout my injury and recovery process, I realized how much I missed being active. While I watched everyone go out to practice I felt left out and useless because I did not get to join them. I missed running at meets with my friends and scrimmaging at basketball open gyms. As I sat on the sidelines watching everyone else do their workouts and sports I longed to be out there with them.
Though I missed it, I continued to seek out advice from my athletic trainer to my recovery in time for basketball. Nearing the end of my physical therapy, I was able to run somewhere other than the track. Eventually, I was cleared to participate with the team as the season was winding down. Throughout the experience of forgoing a season, I learned the role I play for the team is not just being a lead runner, but also as a cheerleader, supporting my teammates. During all my therapy, I sought guidance from my athletic trainer, and I became more and more interested in a career in athletic training.
My injury opened my eyes to seeing the role an athletic trainer plays in a school, team, or anywhere else, for that matter. Watching our trainer help me recover with my therapy, while also helping other injured athletes, inspired my career choice. Thanks to her, I am planning to attend college to study Physical Therapy.
