Conditions + Treatments
Spine Injury/Condition
My name is Avery Reeve and I am going into my junior year at Moody High School. I’ve been playing volleyball since I was 9 years old. I started playing with my club team, and I have been part of the Moody High School varsity volleyball team since the 8th grade.
I play middle-blocker, and volleyball quickly became one of the most important things in my life. Right before I got hurt, I was probably playing the best I ever played — and had even started getting interest from colleges. It felt like everything was finally coming together.
Then during one practice, out of nowhere, I felt this super sharp pain shoot through my whole right side. I couldn’t even walk right afterward. At first, we thought it was just sciatica, but after more tests, I found out it was actually a stress fracture at L3 — with four bones in my spine involved. It honestly didn’t even feel real when they told me.
Being injured like that was really tough, especially mentally. I had to wear a back brace for six weeks and couldn’t play or practice during that time. I just had to watch from the sidelines while my team kept going. Having to sit and watch was heartbreaking for me.
Dr. Emily Casey was amazing through all of it. She didn’t just help with the physical stuff — she always made sure I was doing okay mentally, too. She really helped me stay positive, even when I felt super discouraged.
My goal is to play collegiate D1 volleyball after high school. The injury definitely set me back, but I’m working hard every day to get back to where I was. If anything, it taught me how important it is to be patient with myself and to trust the people helping me recover.
Most of all, I’ve learned that even when things go totally off track, it doesn’t mean the dream is over. It just means the path might be different than I expected — and that’s okay.
