By Julie Eibensteiner, PT, DPT, CSCS
Every so often, a message comes through that perfectly reminds us why we do what we do.
This week, a text came from one of our longtime athletes, a college soccer player who first came to us in high school after two ACL reconstructions.
After the second surgery, she went from being a soccer junkie to not even speaking a word about the sport. Her college recruiting window had disappeared, and her confidence went with it.
When we began the second rehab, I told her, “We’re going to rehab you like you are going to play college soccer. Then, at the end of this, the choice will be yours – not your knee.” Because we don’t take insurance, she wasn’t going to get cut off by an insurance company or lost in the conveyor belt of big healthcare.
She showed up, worked hard, rebuilt her strength, and more importantly, rebuilt her trust in her body. After high school, she attended a Division II college ID camp and earned an offer to play.
Her college career started strong. She played in every game her first two seasons and started in all but one. Then came her junior year, when knee pain surfaced and just wouldn’t go away. Despite rest and months off, the pain lingered.
In February after her junior season, she contacted us again asking if she could come back and get our opinion on her situation. We hadn’t seen her in two and a half years. She drove back, and one session was all it took to reset her direction, coordinate with her sports medicine and strength and conditioning team, and give her a clearer pathway forward. We encouraged her to return in the summer for focused training, and she did.
Over six weeks that summer, she trained twice per week with our team. Our PT and performance staff worked side by side, tracking progress, adjusting loads, and communicating weekly to ensure she stayed healthy and confident heading into preseason. This fall, we continued to assist remotely so her navigation through preseason and the first months of the fall season were smooth and seamless.
The result: her senior year, she appeared in all 17 games, started in 14, and finished her career on her terms.
Across her entire college career, after two ACL tears in high school and a frustrating setback her junior season of college, she appeared in 91% of her college games and started in 76%.👈 👈 👈 That’s a stat line most athletes never achieve, even without injuries.
The final message she sent at the conclusion of her season captures the heart of why Laurus exists. We define success not by how fast someone returns, but by how long they stay healthy, confident, and able to do what they love for as long as they want.
Bottom Line: When your model is built with the athlete at the center and clinicians can practice at the top of their license, everyone wins.
👉 Injured and want a clearer plan forward? Contact us to schedule your evaluation today.
