Piedmont Athens Regional’s Sports Medicine department announced Lindsey Herring, a rising senior at Lake Oconee Academy, has been named Athlete of the Month, a program that recognizes one student athlete each month for his/her demonstrated perseverance through an athletic injury or medical illness either on or off the field.
Herring, a competitive cheer athlete, underwent left knee ACL reconstruction before completing rehabilitation at the Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedics Sports Medicine clinic. While not often highlighted, competitive cheer is an incredibly physical sport and has a high rate of injury. Following reconstruction surgery, Herring and her Piedmont Athens provider team created a care plan to help her regain full range of motion, strength, and functional abilities in her left knee.
“During her rehab, Lindsey made sure to perform her exercises consistently both in the clinic and on her own,” said Zach Gretsch, a physical therapist at Piedmont Athens Regional’s Orthopedic Sports Medicine. “An ACL reconstruction typically takes nine months to a year of rehab before the athlete returns to his or her sport. Lindsey has had a positive attitude and worked hard and has passed the lower extremity return to sport test and is currently back to her prior level of function.”
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four ligaments that connect the thigh bone to the shin bone and helps stabilize the knee joint. An ACL injury or tear commonly occurs after twisting or overextending the knee. Often, surgery is needed to repair the ACL, and ACL reconstruction surgery with a hamstring autograft is a surgical procedure that replaces the damaged ACL with a hamstring tendon.
The Athlete of the Month program was established by Piedmont Athens Regional’s Orthopedic Sports Medicine team in an effort to support and recognize local, hard-working student athletes.
“The athletes we work with are truly amazing and have to overcome so much in order to play sports again after an injury or illness,” said Katie Terrell, athletic trainer and outreach coordinator for the hospital’s sports medicine program. “The award was developed to celebrate their hard work in our sports medicine rehab program. Each month, we focus on one high school and meet as a committee, which includes the school’s athletic director, other members of their team and members of the athletic training program.”
As the Athlete of the Month, Herring received a certificate and is featured in the Orthopedic Sports Medicine facility located on Piedmont’s Oconee Health Campus in Watkinsville, Ga.
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