Skating on Ice Isn't Always Nice

It's been almost 6 weeks since Lauren went to the Olympic Oval to ice skate with all of the Madrigals. Although she isn't a reckless or careless skater, all it took was one little fall to change things dramatically for her. She came home that night and didn't say anything to us, but the next morning, her knee was swollen and hurting. She did the RICE thing (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for a few days, but when she tried to do anything more than run, she had serious issues (like, her knee would collapse). We took her to an Instacare, who sent us to a Sports Injury Specialist, who diagnosed her with a torn PCL, ordered an MRI and sent us to an Orthopedic Surgeon, who sent us to a Physical Therapist and a Brace Specialist. Lauren has been working very hard every day doing Physical Therapy on her own, building up her quads and trying to compensate for the damaged ligament, and they're hopeful that her $1,200 brace (ugh) will also help her get back to the point where she can compete in high jump again. This week, we have a brace fitting, then return to the Orthopedic Surgeon, who will X-ray the bone placement and determine if she can function without surgery. You can learn more about her PCL injury here. Lauren, her track coach, the college coaches recruiting her, the doctors and therapists have been so great about making sure she knows that her knee comes first, and competing again is secondary. We are hopeful that she will be able to get her leg back to full function soon! Thanks to all of you for your concern, emails and prayers.