Story
“I have to be confident to compete. After my surgery, I have total trust in my ankle.”
Kelli has spent her life on the water, giving her ultimate confidence as a competitive slalom waterskier. So when she hit a ball and broke her ankle, she looked forward to healing and getting back on the water. But when she returned, something wasn’t right.
She wasn’t as comfortable or aggressive on her ski – and she wasn’t as competitive as she wanted to be. Kelli was afraid it was a mental issue, that she was worried about another accident. Then she hit another ball. Even though it was a less severe impact, it caused severe pain. Her general orthopedic physician told her it was just sprained.
It just so happens that Kelli’s son was seeing our foot and ankle sport medicine specialists for a football injury. Kelli took the opportunity to explain her situation. It was recommended that she get an MRI, so she made an appointment with OFAC. Our doctors found that the first break never actually healed – and was able to perform surgery to fix her ankle properly.
Kelli is already back on the water and it’s clear that the past performances weren’t due to her state of mind. With complete faith in her healed ankle, she’s attacking the slalom course and competitive again.