Conditions + Treatments
Ankle Injury/Condition
Foot Injury/Condition
My name is Kyla Reynolds and I am from Rome, GA. I recently graduated from Samford University and played on the women’s soccer team. I have been playing soccer since I was three years old. Soccer has been a huge part of my life since I can remember. It is a blessing I am forever thankful for.
In October of my senior year, we were playing against ETSU for our Shauna’s House game. The stadium was packed out, and it was an extremely close game. With about 10 minutes left, I was going to cut in on my left foot to take a shot. At the same time, a girl slides and tackles me. It was a freak accident to where she perfectly clipped my ankle to cause my bones to smack together. There was a loud pop. I knew something wasn’t right but hoped for the best.
I tried to be positive and think maybe I just sprained it. I have sprained my ankle multiple times and before, we would rehab it, tape it up, and get me back on the field. This time, it was different. The swelling started to move up my leg and we were seeing signs of a possible break. I was hopeful I would get back on the field in 2 days, but my athletic trainer Annie said we should wait and go to Andrews before they cleared me.
I had previous experience with Andrews Sports Medicine because I was one of the Marketing & PR interns in the summer of 2022. I knew their reputation was amazing just from working there. I can definitely appreciate the organization more from getting to be an employee and a patient. I first saw Dr. Casey who saw something abnormal in my X-Ray. She noticed a bone fragment floating in the image. I then got in to see Dr. Norman Waldrop, the foot and ankle specialist. I had an MRI so he could take a closer look.
The MRI came back, and it showed that I had broken off the end of my tibia and knocked out all the cartilage in between my talus and tibia in my ankle joint. I basically just ruptured my ankle joint. Dr. Waldrop determined I needed surgery asap.
My ultimate goal was to get back on the field as soon as possible. Dr. Waldrop told me he would make that happen. He went in and performed a left ankle arthroscopy and debridement, loose body removal, and OCD treatment. The surgery went great and in total he removed 5 pieces of bone and cartilage from my ankle. At my two week follow up they put me in a cast and told me in 2 more weeks I would be transitioned into a boot and start physical therapy.
I knew physical therapy was going to be a long process physically and mentally, but I had the best team behind me. Anne, my athletic trainer, John and Michael Trammel, my physical therapist, and Coach Farris worked with me every day to ensure I was strengthening my ankle as well as keeping my upper body strong. Dr. Waldrop checked my ankle every few weeks to ensure I was gaining back strength. After about 4 months I got cleared to progress back into soccer, and my ankle was stronger than ever.
Post surgery, I feel great! I got to play the whole season this year and it was definitely my best season. I felt stronger and never really thought about my ankle. Going through surgery and physical therapy honestly made my body strong physically and mentally. My ankle stood strong all season through 25+ games.
I really hope to continue playing soccer for fun outside of college but not at the same level. I want to be able to continue being active in whatever sports I pick up next! I am so thankful Andrews Sports Medicine discovered what was wrong with my ankle, so I was able to get it fixed before I did permanent damage!
Thank you to Andrews Sports Medicine and Dr. Waldrop for helping me achieve Victory Over Injury and for getting me back on the field!
