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Nathan White
Mrs. Fielding
WRTC 103

1/28/18
The Nightmare That Became My Future

Each person has one or more specific things that they enjoy participating in or learning about.

Some of these people, the lucky ones I might add, are able to pursue a career involving their

special interest. Personally, I developed quite the passion for sports, learning about the body, and

learning about, specifically, how the body functions during physical activity. Learning about

kinesiology, which is defined as "the academic discipline that involves the study of physical

activity and its impact on health, society, and quality of life" (Chodzko-Zajko 289). Since I was

roughly 13 years old, I have found joy and relaxation in reading books that coincide with this

field of study; it is my passion. With that being said, I was clueless about the vast amount of jobs

this field provided, so I slowly etched the thought of potentially working in this area out of my

brain. This mindset was intact in my brain until the fateful day of July 16th, 2015; my life and my

Anterior Cruciate Ligament, commonly referred to as the ACL, took a turn that day. I always had

an interest in athletics and the human body as a whole during my childhood, but my injury and

rehabilitation process that came along with it fortified my prior beliefs that I did indeed want a

career in this field, and that hard work should be instilled in my mind for the rest of my life, as

opposed to the lazy mindset I had previously.

Sports physical therapy, which is a "specialized subset of the physical therapy field that

focuses on the health care management of the physically active", and is "generally more sport-

specific" (Mulligan and Devahl 788) would have an increasing role in defining what I wanted my
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future to be. In some cases, the sports physical therapist even pairs his or her client with a sports

psychologist because it has been proven that "sport psychology intervention has been shown to

benefit sport injury rehabilitation" (Heaney, Walker, Green, Rostron 72). After the subset's

introduction in 1973, it has been a gradually growing field. The requirements to become a sports

physical therapist are as follows: you must first obtain an undergraduate degree, then you must

receive a physical therapy graduate school degree. Next, if you choose to go further into the

field, you must pass the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties exam to get certified

for the specific subset (Mulligan and Devahl 788). It is also noted that "Many students become

interested in a physical therapy career based on their interaction with sports physical therapists

during their athletic career," (Mulligan and Devahl 789). The sports physical therapy community

now consists of around 8,000 members, and is still growing. People are learning the importance

to have hands on, specific rehabilitation processes for their sports injuries.

It was July 16th, 2015; a scorching hot day, with absolutely no clouds in sight. It was just

the fourth day of pre-season football practice, but I could already sense that it was going to be a

very good year. With my face drenched in sweat, my shoulder pads restricting my movement,

and my helmet making it a little tough to see, I was lined up for the first drill of that fateful day.

My coach called for the "pivot and go drill", which is, essentially, when an offensive player

makes a cut to try to catch a ball, and the defensive player must not let him catch the ball. As I

started the drill, I felt a subtle chill go down my spine, but I thought nothing of it. I continued on

my route and made the cut as I was supposed to, but something was wrong; the defensive player

got to the spot too early, and tackled me while I was still in my cut. My coach always preached

that "this game is all about timing" and that "a split second makes the world of a difference". I

learned this the hard way, unfortunately. As soon as I twisted my leg to change direction, the
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defensive player tackled me low and my knee popped. At first, the pain was not all too bad, but

then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I grabbed my knee yelping in pain. The defensive player who

had made the 'hit came rushing over to my side and said, "Nathan, oh my gosh I am so sorry, this

is all my fault."

Then, a few seconds later, my coach knelt beside me and said, "Don't try to stand up,

we've got help on the way. You don't deserve this Nathan, I am so sorry."

I did not say anything back to either of them. I just sat on the ground, clutching at my

knee, with my face covered in sweat and tears. On the way to the hospital, all I could think about

is if I would ever be able to play the sports I love again. Statistically, 82% of all athletes who

have had the surgery and recovery process returned to some level of sport participation, while

only 63% had returned to the same level they were competing at pre-injury (Dragis-Florin 519).

A few days after surgery, I got a rather lengthy letter in the mail detailing the rehabilitation

process. This letter quickly became my own personal textbook; I found myself reading and

researching details that this letter entailed many times throughout the day. Needless to say, I

could not wait to start the rehab process.

The day I was scheduled to start my rehab had finally arrived; December 4th, 2015 was an

unusually warm day, perhaps to represent my optimism. When I arrived, they immediately

referred me to a Sports Physical Therapist, as opposed to a general one. This was the first time I

had heard of this subset, but the lightbulb flickered in my mind that I wanted to have a career in

this field. The next 6 months were grueling, both physically and mentally. Constant doubts about

if I would ever be able to return to the sports I loved, not to mention, I had been working as hard

as I ever had physically, and I wanted to quit. My academic interests were what pushed me

through. I figured, if I could persevere through this myself, then I would know first hand what
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the process is like if I made it in this profession. After the 6 month process came to a close, I was

due for a checkup with the surgeon. If he cleared me for full physical activity on or before June

10th, I would be able to play football my senior year. However, if there was any doubt, he would

not clear me and I would miss my senior season. Needless to say, on the drive to his office on

June 10th, I was incredibly nervous. Although the statistics that deal with successful first time

surgery were in my favor, the anxiety of re-injury was very prevalent in my brain; in a multitude

of studies done on athletes who have had the surgery, about 13% experience a relapse in their

injury and recovery process (Dragos-Florin 520). After examining my knee in as many ways as

possible, I got the bad news. My cartilage lesions, which is the cartilage that surrounds the knee

(Dragos-Florin 517) had not developed back the way it should have, and this caused a severe

imbalance in strength and coordination. He told me he could not clear me for at least another 2

months. My heart sunk. Later that night, my coach called me and told me he heard the news, and

unfortunately there was nothing he could do; I was officially off of the football team for my

senior season. At this point, I learned that sulking or feeling bad for myself would get me

nowhere; I was determined, from that point on, to work hard at things other than football and to

prove to myself that there are other things in life other than this sport.

In conclusion, this event had a very significant impact on my life and how I live day to

day. Not only did I rekindle a love and passion for the kinesiology field, but it taught me the

value of hard work, and even though it does not always work out, hard work is always something

you can be proud of. In a strange way, I am very grateful I tore my ACL. If I hadn't, I might not

have learned to appreciate hard work, or found my future career.

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This picture represents hard work

and dedication to fitness.

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Works Cited

1.) Chodzko-Zajko, Wojtek. "The American Kinesiology Association Undergraduate Core

Curriculum". Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, vol 1, no. 1, 1 July 2014, pp. 288-294. Jmu Online
Libraries and Online Technologies.

2.) Dragos-Florin, Teodor. "When Return To Sport Athletes After The Anterior Cruciate
Ligament Injury". Ovidius University Annals, Physical Education And Sports Series/Science,
Movement and Health, vol. 17, no. 2, 2 July 2017, pp. 517-522. Jmu Online Libraries and Online
Technologies.

3.) Mulligan, Edward P, and Julie Devahl. "Sports Physical Therapy Curricula In
Physical Therapist Professional Degree Programs". The International Journal Of Sports Physical
Therapy, vol. 12, no. 5, Oct. 2017, pp. 787-796. Jmu Online Libraries and Online Technologies.