Tearing My UCL

Tearing My UCL

Walking through the hallway at my school you will see many kids on crutches, wearing walk boots or braces. Most kids have ankle injuries, so I was a first when I tore my UCL. No one had torn this ligament before, and the athletic trainer told me I was the first high schooler that she had ever dealt with this injury over her 15 years of being a trainer. In this blog post and more later on I will explain how I tore my UCL and how it changed my summer. 

This summer ('15) as a freshmen I made the Varsity Cheer Team at my school! We had practices over the summer mainly on Monday and Wednesday which involved stunting and tumbling. Our coach would bring a tumbling group called Elite Tumbling, which is a group of mobile tumbling coaches. On the last tumbling night of the summer that's when it happened. Wednesday August 5, 2015. We were about halfway through practice. We had started doing stations and I was doing handstands. When I went up for one, I hyperextended my elbow as I was up in the handstand. I immediately came down, with immense pain. I went right away to my coach and she got an ice bag. Luckily my parents had been at my school for a fall sports meeting, so as soon as their meeting was over I could go home. When looking at my elbow with my coaches (one who is an EMT), the owner of the tumbling group and my parents (my dad is an AD and basketball coach) just thought that I had sprained my elbow. I was sent home with ice and Advil. During the car ride home we decided that I should see the trainer at where my dad works just to make sure everything was okay. Boy am I glad we went!

When we got to see the trainer (Thursday August 6th, 2015) after performing a few evaluations, he hypothesized that I had torn my UCL or Ulnar Collateral Ligament. He called Dr. Raasch, who is the doctor for where my dad works. (You may also recognize him as the Milwaukee Brewer's Doctor) I got an appointment for the next day to see him. I was given a compression sleeve to keep swelling down and was told to keep having Advil and icing. After Googling and WebMD-ing I had come to the conclusion that the trainer was right. I was extremely upset about the whole situation because of the extremely long recovery time, meaning that I would miss the sport I love--Cheerleading.

The next day (Friday August 7th, 2015) when I saw Dr. Raasch, he also did the same quick tests and without any imaging knew that I had torn my UCL which was what I was fearing even though I knew that that would be what it is. He said that I needed an MRI to see the extent of the damage. On the car ride back I remember being so upset about the whole situation, (thanks dad for being so supportive that car ride!!) My mom had tried to remain positive about the whole situation just saying well maybe you just really sprained it badly!! But no it had to be the worst thing possible. :(

After I saw the doctor I was not cleared to do any physical activity meaning that I could not prepare for cheer. We had practice every day that week and sitting out the whole time was hard. Watching people do what you can't do is hard. I totally understand why people say that they just can't be there because it is so hard for them to be there. Sometimes my friends will complain, for example--"Ugh, I hope that we don't do a lot of stunting today!" I don't think that they realized that that was hurting my feelings but it was. 

My MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging was scheduled for Thursday August 13th, 2015. It was quite an experience. I went to CDI or Center for Diagnostic Imaging. When I got there I had to fill out some paperwork and then go back and change into a hospital gown and pants. When it was my turn to go back and have the MRI done, the technician asked where the spot was where it hurt the most and placed an almond on it with tape. I then laid on the MRI bed with my chest down, and had my arm placed in a tube, where the technician put foam it to make sure there was no space and put sandbags on my hand and arm. As I moved into the machine I closed my eyes, and hoped that I could block out the sound. The first thing that you should know about having an MRI, is that the machine is extremely LOUD. I had headphones on playing music and that didn't do much for canceling the noise. My MRI took about 45 minutes, and was painless.

On Friday August 21st, 2015 I went back to Dr. Raasch, to go over my MRI and figure out the treatment plan. The MRI confirmed what he and the trainer said, that my UCL was completely torn. 

In this MRI, the arrows are pointing at the UCL. In an MRI the UCL is not supposed to appear bright white as it shows in this picture. My doctor decided that we would try to go the non-surgery route. But if I would suffer from a re-tear injury surgery would be pronto. I was given a brace and had it locked at 90° for 4 weeks. That night was our school's first football game and I was sad that I was missing it but one of my friends who is also on the team had sprained her ankle so we could sit together.  My doctor thought that doing signs would be okay in the coming weeks, as long as my brace stayed locked and I didn't snap the sign too hard. I was glad that I could participate in some way later on in the season but was disappointed to miss my first football game. 

This is a photo of me at the first football game this year. As you can see, I had quite the arm brace! Yes, I did have to wear the sling. :( I wore it all day, except when I would change or take a shower. It was kind of heavy which stunk but, much better than surgery!

I wore it locked at 90° for 4 weeks. I then was able to have full mobility or extension. I wore the brace for about 2 months for all time use. Towards the end of September my doctor had me start to wean off the brace. I would still wear it at night but take it off when I was at home for example, sitting in a chair reading or watching TV. I did that for 2 weeks, then alternated when I would wear the brace. One day I would wear it in the morning and not the even and vice versa the next day, but still wearing it to sleep in. I then would just wear it to do signs for cheer and to sleep in. I then stopped wearing it to sleep and now I just use it for cheer.

I started doing therapy in October and have an Occupational Therapist. I do exercises everyday with colored stretchy bands, therapy putty and hand weights. I will be in therapy until about the middle of December.

During therapy we ran into one bump. I had started experiencing tingling in my left arm where I had torn my UCL. It only occurred in my pinkie and ring finger, but would last for a few minutes or I would lose feeling. After doing a few tests my therapists diagnosed me with Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

It involves nerve pain in the cubital tunnel, and causes the sensation in my hand. Currently I'm doing exercises to help solve this problem, and we are hoping that that will fix it.

This has been quite a summer and quite a journey for me. It is still on going and will be always a part of my life. I will always be a bit more apprehensive about doing things with my left arm, and hate seeing people do handstands as I can just see them doing what I did. Never did I imagine that this would be how my freshmen year would start but I understand that God has a plan for everything in my life be it good or bad. For the rest of my cheer career, I will be in the trainer's room, getting knots rubbed out of my arm, being taped for my elbow and getting bags of ice. I never wanted this to happen but has made me make difficult decisions and balancing my schedule and how to deal with an injury. As I said above I will be in the trainer's room a lot, if not more than what I am already in there. If it does happen that I do suffer a re-tear injury and do end up having surgery, it will be a hard decision to make if I go back to the sport I love and face the worries I have or try something different that I've never done before. When I think about next year, cheer makes me very nervous. I never wanted it to be something that made me nervous but it has now, because of my injury. I would never want this to happen again, but I know full well that it could happen to the same elbow or the opposite one.

Thank you guys so much for reading all of this if you did! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to let me know!

Blessings on your day!
M