Caitlin's Story

Caitlin G grew up in Utah and loves the mountains, so she adjusted to university life in relatively flat Texas by focusing on running and being outside when she wasn’t playing collegiate soccer. She was living her dream except for one persistent irritant: chronic ankle pain.

Starting at about 10 years of age, Caitlin had experienced repetitive ankle injuries. “Just ankle sprains, constantly stepping in a hole during a soccer game or twisting my ankle during practice, and it built up over the years, especially when I got into high school. The injuries definitely became more severe, and by the time I got to college, it was really hard to push through all those years of playing soccer. This ankle has been through a lot over the 17 years I’ve been playing.”

Many collegiate soccer players experience an injury and are forced to take a year off to recover—if they come back at all. Finishing her collegiate soccer career was important to Caitlin, so she kept pushing through the terrible ankle pain, the cancelled plans with friends due to her swollen ankle, and the sleepless nights. She met with several surgeons, and after her sophomore year, she had two surgeries to treat her chronic ankle pain.

“I was really scared because I still had 2 years left,” Caitlin said. “Obviously, coming back from surgery is really difficult. And I thought, I don’t really know if I can go on and push through and keep playing. Let’s do this. I’ll be able to get back and finish those last two seasons, and so that’s ultimately why I decided to have the first and second surgery.” The surgeries didn’t work.

“I was eager to get back on the field as soon as possible, and I was hitting roadblocks,” Caitlin said. “Pain, swelling, constant issues even after the surgeries.”

After college, Caitlin met with another surgeon, who said her only option was the same surgery. “There were no options. I was basically told ‘You’re going to be in pain for the rest of your life. Your quality of life is going to change.’ That’s not something you want to hear, especially at 22 years old.”

Caitlin’s hopes of running a marathon or completing a triathlon were dashed. Her family bonded over their active lifestyle, so she would have to compromise there as well. She was more frustrated than ever. “It’s really hard when you have to compromise such a big part of your life because of an ankle injury.”

Back in Utah, Caitlin met with a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon, who suggested she undergo the new InternalBrace ligament augmentation procedure. Caitlin was wary, but after a bit of research to learn more about chronic ankle instability and how the InternalBrace repair was designed to help speed up the recovery process, she thought it sounded like a good option. Following the procedure, Caitlin practiced physical therapy exercises that included jumping, running, and agility. “I felt stronger than I did after the other surgeries,” she said.

And now, “Since having InternalBrace augmentation, I can’t emphasize enough, I just feel stable and I trust this ankle. I think of the other surgeries, and it never really felt secure for me. I don’t have any pain and I haven’t had any moments of instability. I feel really, really good! I’m a testament that this innovative InternalBrace technology is really going to make a lot of changes in a lot of people’s lives.”