Spring Break
BATTLING ADVERSITY
Women's Soccer: Sophomore Musser Playing Through Rare Condition, Painful Rehabilitation
Brittany Perotti
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Sports
"I took baby steps," she said. "It took me like 45 minutes to get from my car to my house."
Yet, as Musser soon learned, recovery from surgery can sometimes be a nightmare. She was told her recovery would take anywhere from six to 12 months, though doctors said it would be 12 months only if something rare happens - and in her case, it did.
"It went well for four months," she said "You think you're going to get better. Three to four months [after the surgery,] I started jogging again."
Then things started to go downhill.
"I ran for a week, and I started having problems with my ankle," she said, touching the top of her foot where it meets the leg to show where she had experienced pain. "I was doing all my rehab in pain. It was annoying because I got to see other people get better."
Musser stopped rehab and was eventually prescribed amitriptyline, a low form of an anti-depressant that is prescribed for diabetics with nerve damage, to ease the pain. She also tried to use an anti-inflammatory gel, and later a cream, that she rubbed on her ankle. But the drugs had an unwanted side effect, as Musser found herself struggling to do anything more than lie in bed.
"The drugs cloud your mind,"she said. "I couldn't get up until 11 or 12 in the morning. I was sluggish."
Then one day, something changed. Musser said it may have been the combination of the gel and the cream, but while at a friend's lacrosse match, she noticed a bumpy rash on her ankle.
"It was weird how it stopped hurting," she said. "When I touched my ankle, it felt like it was asleep. It kept getting better through the summer."
A year after her surgery, Musser was back on her feet, and back on the field.
"One Monday before preseason, the doctor said I needed to come back to get into shape," Musser said. "The nerve pain was gone."
Musser has appeared in several games this year, after missing her first two seasons due to the injury and surgery.
Yet, as Musser soon learned, recovery from surgery can sometimes be a nightmare. She was told her recovery would take anywhere from six to 12 months, though doctors said it would be 12 months only if something rare happens - and in her case, it did.
"It went well for four months," she said "You think you're going to get better. Three to four months [after the surgery,] I started jogging again."
Then things started to go downhill.
"I ran for a week, and I started having problems with my ankle," she said, touching the top of her foot where it meets the leg to show where she had experienced pain. "I was doing all my rehab in pain. It was annoying because I got to see other people get better."
Musser stopped rehab and was eventually prescribed amitriptyline, a low form of an anti-depressant that is prescribed for diabetics with nerve damage, to ease the pain. She also tried to use an anti-inflammatory gel, and later a cream, that she rubbed on her ankle. But the drugs had an unwanted side effect, as Musser found herself struggling to do anything more than lie in bed.
"The drugs cloud your mind,"she said. "I couldn't get up until 11 or 12 in the morning. I was sluggish."
Then one day, something changed. Musser said it may have been the combination of the gel and the cream, but while at a friend's lacrosse match, she noticed a bumpy rash on her ankle.
"It was weird how it stopped hurting," she said. "When I touched my ankle, it felt like it was asleep. It kept getting better through the summer."
A year after her surgery, Musser was back on her feet, and back on the field.
"One Monday before preseason, the doctor said I needed to come back to get into shape," Musser said. "The nerve pain was gone."
Musser has appeared in several games this year, after missing her first two seasons due to the injury and surgery.
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