Spring Break
BATTLING ADVERSITY
Women's Soccer: Sophomore Musser Playing Through Rare Condition, Painful Rehabilitation
Brittany Perotti
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Sports
Yet, Musser's troubles reappeared once she returned for preseason in 2006. She was constantly using stationary bicycle and elliptical machines - she freely admitted she hated to use them - to try to get back into shape for the upcoming season because of the pain she had during running.
"We had a new trainer," she said. "I was supposed to tell her when I was in pain, but I didn't feel comfortable telling her."
So, Musser played until she could not walk during her preseason game, which did not take long.
"Within 15 minutes I had to get off [the field]," she said, recalling the moment when she realized she needed to do something if she wanted to play soccer again. "It was hard to lift my legs. I came off the field crying. I got in the last 10 minutes, and I couldn't play for five."
Musser had to face the truth: surgery was the only option to relieve the pressure inside her legs.
The procedure, called a fasciotomy, involves cutting the fascia, a thin layer of tissue connecting the muscle to the skin, to relieve pressure inside the compartment.
"It's like putting on nylons over a leg," Dann said. "The muscle would be the leg and the nylon would be the fascia."
With the fascia cut, muscles have
the ability to expand, reducing the pressure inside.
In order for Musser to have the surgery, she had to undergo tests to make sure that she had chronic compartment syndrome, which can be painful, as she explained the process that she went through. The memories of the long needles used to distribute anesthesia before pressure gauges were pushed into her muscles brought a grimace to her face as she spoke.
Musser went under the knife in early September 2006 in Connecticut, but her surgery took a little bit longer than expected. On the operating table, surgeons discovered that her fascia was twice as thick as the average person's. Surgeons explained to her that it was similar to "cutting through lettuce." Not only that, but her legs had five compartments instead of four. The procedure was same-day, and Musser, who had surgery on both legs, had to walk with crutches almost immediately.
"We had a new trainer," she said. "I was supposed to tell her when I was in pain, but I didn't feel comfortable telling her."
So, Musser played until she could not walk during her preseason game, which did not take long.
"Within 15 minutes I had to get off [the field]," she said, recalling the moment when she realized she needed to do something if she wanted to play soccer again. "It was hard to lift my legs. I came off the field crying. I got in the last 10 minutes, and I couldn't play for five."
Musser had to face the truth: surgery was the only option to relieve the pressure inside her legs.
The procedure, called a fasciotomy, involves cutting the fascia, a thin layer of tissue connecting the muscle to the skin, to relieve pressure inside the compartment.
"It's like putting on nylons over a leg," Dann said. "The muscle would be the leg and the nylon would be the fascia."
With the fascia cut, muscles have
the ability to expand, reducing the pressure inside.
In order for Musser to have the surgery, she had to undergo tests to make sure that she had chronic compartment syndrome, which can be painful, as she explained the process that she went through. The memories of the long needles used to distribute anesthesia before pressure gauges were pushed into her muscles brought a grimace to her face as she spoke.
Musser went under the knife in early September 2006 in Connecticut, but her surgery took a little bit longer than expected. On the operating table, surgeons discovered that her fascia was twice as thick as the average person's. Surgeons explained to her that it was similar to "cutting through lettuce." Not only that, but her legs had five compartments instead of four. The procedure was same-day, and Musser, who had surgery on both legs, had to walk with crutches almost immediately.
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