For most, if not all athletes, injuries are a looming worry that people hope do not happen, let alone twice in a year.
Freshman athlete Dayna Holzbaur faced two injuries in the span of a year, to both of her legs, seemingly deeming her as some sort of anomaly.
Holzbaur’s first injury afflicted her right knee, resulting in multiple inconclusive test results, while her second injury resulted from an awkward fall.
When discussing the circumstances of her injuries, Holzbaur said, “I had a soccer game with the club team I currently played for, which was St. Joes. In the second half I was running at a ball and so was a player on the other team. When we collided over a ball my right knee must have hit some part of her too hard because after that I couldn’t walk. For my left leg I fell on it wrong.”
The injuries Holzbaur experienced produced a major setback. After the injuries themselves, self-doubt and worry surrounding a return to the sport definitely came about. The injury not only tested her mental and physical strength, but also her patience and determination.
“I had to stop playing for over a year, and even once I was cleared I still had issues running around on it. Since I had trouble running and moving on it, my parents didn’t think it was a good idea for me to go back into soccer just yet, so I got delayed for a few more months. Even now I have moments where the legs will feel off,” said Holzbaur after being asked about how her injury affected the sport.
The injury itself can be taxing, but the process of determining the exact issue and going through rehabilitation can be even more difficult and complicated than what it may seem.
When asked what the immediate and long term rehabilitation was like, she said, “It was difficult and confusing. After I hurt my right knee no doctor could figure out what was wrong with it. So, I had to go see multiple different doctors, take multiple MRIs and X-rays. While they were figuring out what was wrong with my knee, they had me on crutches and had me wear knee braces. It took about four months before my doctors really knew what was wrong with it. I was diagnosed with a right lateral tibial plateau fracture. Once they found out what it was, they were able to start with a recovery process. Which pretty much was me on crutches, and with no physical activity allowed. My knee hadn’t felt at all better after these few months. I still had trouble walking and moving it and it still caused me a lot of pain.”
Later on, adding to her previous statement, she said, “In September of 2021, after I hurt my other leg as well, I went to the same doctor and had another MRI, but this one was for my left leg. They found nothing in the MRI. They falsified it as a subsequent bilateral knee contusion. For the beginning of the school year I was in a wheelchair to make sure I didn’t injure my knees any more than I already had. They put me in PT for both my legs. I was there for about seven months. After PT, I still had issues with both my legs. My fracture was healed, but my legs were still off. Over time they have gotten better, but they still cause pain occasionally. Also I would like to clarify I didn’t break both legs, I only technically broke one, but the other one had some sort of injury that made it difficult to walk on.”
After the unlucky year of 2021, Holzbaur truly focused her energy into getting better and building back her skill to play soccer to the best of her ability. Looking forward, she hopes to continue to fulfill the many years of high-school ahead, accompanied by the sport she loves.
