Lilly

My trip to see the orthopedist was a classic case of “everything went better than expected.” The injury is years old. The doctor explained that since I was still growing fairly quickly when it happened, and the muscles in my leg were stronger than the growth plates in my pelvis and pulled a couple tiny fragments of bone away with them. Simple.

“It wouldn’t have required surgery anyway,” he told us. The bone fragments are only millimeters out of place, and it’s clear the muscle has healed enough for me to function. All he had left to recommend was physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in my hamstring and hip.

And that’s been my week. Planks and resistance bands and deep tissue massages that squeeze tears out of my eyes unbidden. But I’m already feeling better—I’m running confidently again, I’m back in the weight room without fear, and I should be cleared to go back to training for soccer this week.

This has been a huge hurdle for me. For a while, I was honestly worried that I’d never fully recover from the myriad injuries that I’ve suffered over the past couple of years. But now I see a light ahead. The spring season is only six weeks away, and I will be ready for it. I am the comeback kid. ♦