Curry thankful for trainer, family recovering from ACL tear

by shawn long Sports writer Coal City sophomore Tanna Curry is back to basketball practice and is almost back to full health. She wasn’t that fortunate this spring during a basketball practice when she tore her ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) which is one of the strong bands of tissue that helps connect a person’s thigh bone to their shinbone. “It was towards the end of the practice,” said Curry. “I was going to pivot with the ball my foot stayed but the rest of my body went the other way. It didn’t feel like a rubberband snapping like everyone was asking me and I didn’t hear anything. It happened so fast that all I could remember is screaming and then falling to the ground crying.” She didn’t know it at first but when she got up to try to walk, the pain in her leg got worse. She knew she was in for the long haul. “It definitely felt like a long recovery process which it was with going to physical therapy for so long and having days when I was there I would cry because of how painful it was doing things to get my knee back to what it was before.” added Curry. Through all the pain of therapy her worst fear was not knowing if she would return to full health. She was miserable not playing. “After going through so much of that I was just hoping I could get back to playing sports and not having problems because it honestly scared me knowing I could or could not get back to the point I could play. It was hard not knowing if I would have a hard time playing sports again.” commented Curry. But she’s back and she thanks athletic trainer Haley Lockhart and her family for being so supportive. “When I play in games or when I practice it doesn’t bother me. I do have a brace but ever since I’ve been feeling much more confident with. Sometimes it hurts but for the most part it feels better. I definitely think Haley and my family through it helped because I honestly didn’t have that much hope that it would be okay after finding out it was my ACL. Haley made sure to help me get ready before surgery by doing physical therapy during practices and I really appreciate that because she gave me motivation to keep working my hardest. My family also was a great part in this. My mom made sure to help me whenever because she knew I was struggling with this and having a hard time,”said Curry. Lockhart, in her fourth year as a certified athletic trainer, said she has witnessed more serious injuries like Tanna’s during the past two years. “I would say I have seen more ACL tears the past two years at the high school level,” said Lockhart. “The majority of the ACL injuries I have encountered have happened to the younger athletes than what we have seen in the past.” It may be due to the lull athletes have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic when little or no seasons were held. “There are recent studies showing that sport specialization beginning at a young age can increase the risk of those types of injuries. I think it’s also important to look at the pandemic. Sports have been on and off for two years, and athletes are not training consistently like they have in the past. Their bodies have not been able to adapt to the stressors placed on them.” Girls basketball, soccer and football are the most common sports for the injury because all three have one thing in common: athletes make sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping and landing. “Girls soccer is up there and girls basketball but I’ve had a few football players since the pandemic started. Girls typically have a higher risk but I do think deconditioned athletes of both genders have an increased chance.” The long recovery process Tanna was referring to is usually six to nine months long. Lockhart gives her athletes goals they need to reach before they can move on. “They start with control of pain and inflammation. They usually do range of motion with one goal in mind, getting their leg from a 0 degree extension back to a full 90 degrees of flexion. After the 90 degree flexion is reached athletes transition off crutches. “This all for a progression towards full range of motion and strengthening but limiting stresses for the graft that would be used in the reconstruction. After that, they initiate proprioception. Two to two and a half months out increases strength, endurance and proprioception. After that, it’s about improving an athlete’s confidence to returning to the sport. “They will be able to start running at the three-month mark. In order to return to their sport completely, they will have to meet certain criteria and be fully functional and work to maintain once they return to their sport and are released by their orthopedic surgeon.” commented Lockhart. ACL reconstruction is successful for most athletes with an 85-90 percent success rate. Lockhart has a few tips that might help Curry and other athletes. “Adequate strengthening of the core, glutes and lower extremities can decrease the risk of ACL injuries. Coaches should incorporate kinesthetics and proprioception drills in practices as it’s beneficial for the whole team,” Lockhart commented. “Some advice I would give kids is to take time off from sports. Overtraining and sport specialization can also increase the risk of injury.” by shawn long Sports writer Coal City sophomore Tanna Curry is back to basketball practice and is almost back to full health. She wasn’t that fortunate this spring during a basketball practice when she tore her ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) which is one of the strong bands of tissue that helps connect a person’s thigh bone to their shinbone. “It was towards the end of the practice,” said Curry. “I was going to pivot with the ball my foot stayed but the rest of my body went the other way. It didn’t feel like a rubberband snapping like everyone was asking me and I didn’t hear anything. It happened so fast that all I could remember is screaming and then falling to the ground crying.” She didn’t know it at first but when she got up to try to walk, the pain in her leg got worse. She knew she was in for the long haul. “It definitely felt like a long recovery process which it was with going to physical therapy for so long and having days when I was there I would cry because of how painful it was doing things to get my knee back to what it was before.” added Curry. Through all the pain of therapy her worst fear was not knowing if she would return to full health. She was miserable not playing. “After going through so much of that I was just hoping I could get back to playing sports and not having problems because it honestly scared me knowing I could or could not get back to the point I could play. It was hard not knowing if I would have a hard time playing sports again.” commented Curry. But she’s back and she thanks athletic trainer Haley Lockhart and her family for being so supportive. “When I play in games or when I practice it doesn’t bother me. I do have a brace but ever since I’ve been feeling much more confident with. Sometimes it hurts but for the most part it feels better. I definitely think Haley and my family through it helped because I honestly didn’t have that much hope that it would be okay after finding out it was my ACL. Haley made sure to help me get ready before surgery by doing physical therapy during practices and I really appreciate that because she gave me motivation to keep working my hardest. My family also was a great part in this. My mom made sure to help me whenever because she knew I was struggling with this and having a hard time,”said Curry. Lockhart, in her fourth year as a certified athletic trainer, said she has witnessed more serious injuries like Tanna’s during the past two years. “I would say I have seen more ACL tears the past two years at the high school level,” said Lockhart. “The majority of the ACL injuries I have encountered have happened to the younger athletes than what we have seen in the past.” It may be due to the lull athletes have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic when little or no seasons were held. “There are recent studies showing that sport specialization beginning at a young age can increase the risk of those types of injuries. I think it’s also important to look at the pandemic. Sports have been on and off for two years, and athletes are not training consistently like they have in the past. Their bodies have not been able to adapt to the stressors placed on them.” Girls basketball, soccer and football are the most common sports for the injury because all three have one thing in common: athletes make sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping and landing. “Girls soccer is up there and girls basketball but I’ve had a few football players since the pandemic started. Girls typically have a higher risk but I do think deconditioned athletes of both genders have an increased chance.” The long recovery process Tanna was referring to is usually six to nine months long. Lockhart gives her athletes goals they need to reach before they can move on. “They start with control of pain and inflammation. They usually do range of motion with one goal in mind, getting their leg from a 0 degree extension back to a full 90 degrees of flexion. After the 90 degree flexion is reached athletes transition off crutches. “This all for a progression towards full range of motion and strengthening but limiting stresses for the graft that would be used in the reconstruction. After that, they initiate proprioception. Two to two and a half months out increases strength, endurance and proprioception. After that, it’s about improving an athlete’s confidence to returning to the sport. “They will be able to start running at the three-month mark. In order to return to their sport completely, they will have to meet certain criteria and be fully functional and work to maintain once they return to their sport and are released by their orthopedic surgeon.” commented Lockhart. ACL reconstruction is successful for most athletes with an 85-90 percent success rate. Lockhart has a few tips that might help Curry and other athletes. “Adequate strengthening of the core, glutes and lower extremities can decrease the risk of ACL injuries. Coaches should incorporate kinesthetics and proprioception drills in practices as it’s beneficial for the whole team,” Lockhart commented. “Some advice I would give kids is to take time off from sports. Overtraining and sport specialization can also increase the risk of injury.”