dealing with a season-ending injury

[softballninja]

I tore my ACL in the second week of May, which was during my high school season. After much talk with the surgeon, my family and I decided to postpone surgery until after tournament season so that with lots of PT and wearing the brace, I could partially play. Hitting was unobstructed and looked like it was going to be successful. No baserunning allowed. Fielding in the outfield wasn't bad either, there was just the danger of re-injury (which I full understood).

After playing a little in my tournament last weekend (5 at bats, 3 innings in the field) I was starting to feel like I could be successful this season. I was ready to work hard to get my hitting back up to speed and keep my knee strong. Also, this season would have been my first on an 18U showcase team.

Well, last night at practice I re-injured my knee during an outfield drill (which I probably shouldn't have done in the first place). Now because of this, I am 100% out for the rest of the season. Because of the first injury and the surgery, I had to cancel two of the camps that I was planning on going to, but now I'm just done for good this summer.

I'm absolutely devastated, I was so excited for my first year of showcase, and up until I tore my ACL, I felt really confident about my skills and was ready to take my game to the next level. Now all of my plans to get seen by colleges, get stronger and faster, and improve my game have just come crashing down. I just finished sophomore year in HS so I know I still have next year, but I really wanted this year too.

How can I know that after surgery I will be able to come back and compete with the rest of my team, who are getting a season of playing at 18U and a season of great instruction from my coaches? I'm worried that this injury will ruin any chances that I have of playing for a D1 school. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[SoftSocDad]

I tore my ACL in the second week of May, which was during my high school season. After much talk with the surgeon, my family and I decided to postpone surgery until after tournament season so that with lots of PT and wearing the brace, I could partially play. Hitting was unobstructed and looked like it was going to be successful. No baserunning allowed. Fielding in the outfield wasn't bad either, there was just the danger of re-injury (which I full understood).

After playing a little in my tournament last weekend (5 at bats, 3 innings in the field) I was starting to feel like I could be successful this season. I was ready to work hard to get my hitting back up to speed and keep my knee strong. Also, this season would have been my first on an 18U showcase team.

Well, last night at practice I re-injured my knee during an outfield drill (which I probably shouldn't have done in the first place). Now because of this, I am 100% out for the rest of the season. Because of the first injury and the surgery, I had to cancel two of the camps that I was planning on going to, but now I'm just done for good this summer.

I'm absolutely devastated, I was so excited for my first year of showcase, and up until I tore my ACL, I felt really confident about my skills and was ready to take my game to the next level. Now all of my plans to get seen by colleges, get stronger and faster, and improve my game have just come crashing down. I just finished sophomore year in HS so I know I still have next year, but I really wanted this year too.

How can I know that after surgery I will be able to come back and compete with the rest of my team, who are getting a season of playing at 18U and a season of great instruction from my coaches? I'm worried that this injury will ruin any chances that I have of playing for a D1 school. Does anyone have any advice?

I'm really sorry to hear about your injury. I am not a doctor, but I am simply blown away by the fact that you were medically cleared to play at all with this injury, even if it was just a partial tear. There was no benefit at all to allowing you to play.

You're very young. It may not feel that way right now, but you've got many years of sports ahead, but only if you allow your body the time it needs to get healthy. I suffered a torn ACL many years ago and chose natural healing and rehab over surgery. I was playing ball again within about 6 months, but it took almost another year for me to regain my top-end speed and ability to make cuts quickly and without fear.

Focus on getting healthy and the rest will take care of itself. Get well soon!

 

[JAD]

Sorry to hear about your injury! My suggestion would be to stay positive, stay involved, and work your bu** off during rehab! You can stay involved by keeping the book, cheering on your teammates, and helping the coach any way you can. Good luck!

 

[InsidePitch]

Sorry to hear about your injury. There is never a good time for this to happen. Having it occur now seems bad but it is better than in your Junior year. At least you have a year to show coaches you are back. So keep your spirits up. Google some people who have faced similar situations and come back. Caroline Doty from Uconn comes to mind, their stories will inspire you. Best of luck.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Softballninja, you are at the same age that my daughter tore her cuff. I know exactly how you feel, she too missed her sophomore summer travel and exposure. She really thought it was done, not only from the injury, but missing out on such an important exposure year.

She went through a lot of PT, but fast forward a year..............she survived and is now back to 100%. She really thought the injury would make some colleges spooky of any interest in her. She has had several come see her while in high school this year and is attending camps now.

I know you are heartbroken and crushed, just remember there are things you can do to contribute to your team and that this shall pass. Do whatever the doc says and don't rush it. Your Junior and Senior will here before you know it, and you'll be ready to shine.

 

[Greenmonsters]

SBNinja - sorry to hear your news, but don't despair!. With today's medicine you'll be as good as new before you know it and have all of next summer to showcase your skills. My DD did her ACL playing VB during summer between soph and jr yr in HS at the beginning of Aug of '10. 85% tear, but didn't realize it for 3 weeks until we saw the ortho, had surgery Sept 16, rehabbed beginning day after surgery, was cleared to play without restriction on March 20, 2011 just 6 months later, and was back to full speed (at least as full speed as catchers get) by the start of the summer travel ball season! She's still catching and playing ball this summer and headed off to her dream D3 school to play this fall, so it can still work out for you. My advice is 1a) find an ortho who has a good reputation and specializes in sports medicine (i.e., works with athletes) 1b) follow Dr.'s and PT's orders and work as hard as they allow you to 2) focus on your academics, and 3) use some of your down time to research and narrow down your college choices so that you can contact them and help them recruit you.

PS - PM me if you want more details or would be interested in talking to/facebooking my DD.

 

[Renntiger]

Screwball and Greenmonsters are absolutely right, good quality PT immediately after surgery is critical to proper recovery.

My dd had the surgery last year (after injuring her ACL the year before during a game). Our experience has not been great so far, because we made several poor choices along the way (although some of those choices were made for us by our crappy insurance at the time). She has started to play again this spring, but continues to have knee issues that may never fully go away.

If we had a chance at a do over, I would have taken her to see an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports injury right from the get go, and perhaps asked for a second opinion so that we could have made better informed decisions on treatment options. And, no matter what kind of partial clearance the doctor had given dd to play, I would NOT have allowed her to play any more games before the surgery. Above all else, I would have looked for a PT program that specialized in helping athletes recover post surgery. Having gone through a program referred to us by her surgeon and one that was found later (perhaps too late) through our own research, I can tell you categorically that not all programs are created equal.

Good luck!

 

[jacketsfan]

It's very hard to put a few months into context, but it is only a few months. DD went through this her Soph yr in HS, and it was the end of the world for her. It was very hard on her emotionally, but she did come back, and you will too. The real hard thing is to get yourself into a state of mind where you are motivated to return.

You are not damaged, you got hurt. You heal, and you come back. You can do it.

I would also google Kaci Clark, and read her story. You can do it.

 

[softballninja]

Thanks everyone! The surgeon I'm seeing is a board certified orthopedist with specialization in sports medicine. I've already been working with PT for a little over a month and they did wonders for my knee.

I'm a little worried that I'll be really far behind everyone else on my showcase team, because they've had a year of instruction and drills and playing that I am missing. I'm taking a notebook with me to every practice so that I can take notes on all the tips and drills my coaches give so that once I can play again I'll have access to all of the resources that the rest of my team had. I'm also going to be scorekeeping for my team, and I'm hoping that during the games I can also take note of strategies and situations.

Recovery is my first priority. Making this season productive is my second, and its difficult to do that when you can't play, but I'll find a way!

 

[jacketsfan]

It sounds like you have the right attitude, which is the biggest hurdle in coming back from an injury.

My DD and I were sitting in a college coach's office on the 1 year anniversary of her surgery. All of a sudden, she got a little emotional. She told him that, a year ago, it seemed like the world had ended, and here she was, talkIng to him about his school. He called in another player who was outside, and asked what day it was. The other player said it was her anniversary - she had surgery exactly 1 year earlier on her shoulder. She came in and chatted a bit.

When she first took the field again, she looked at me in warmups, and said she never thought she'd do that again.

Stay as positive as possible, and hopefully knowing that others have done it, can help you along the way.