Thankful for the Assist as She Returns to the Volleyball Court
International student and volleyball player at Northwood University
"My recovery has been a lot of hard work, but I'm extremely pleased with the exceptional care I've received along the way and most of all, my outcome."
Growing up in Kosovo, Venera Kadriu has always loved playing volleyball and was excited to be recruited to play at Northwood University while pursuing a degree in business administration. Over the course of her volleyball career, she’s been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries during play. That all changed last October when she slipped on the floor during a volleyball match.
Venera recalls that it was a relatively easy match so she was in a fairly relaxed mood while playing. “Unfortunately, it was a little humid that day which caused the floor to be a bit damp,” she said. “I had just switched to playing the front row and while I was going up to hit the ball, I slipped and my knee folded. I immediately heard a crack and pop which was followed by intense pain. I remember just lying on the floor for two to three minutes while thoughts about my injury ran through my head. The whole experience happened so quickly, and while I knew I had sustained a serious injury, it was hard to process what had just happened. I was helped off the court by our amazing athletic trainers who immediately put a brace on my knee.”
The trainers suggested that she go to WellSport at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland to have her knee evaluated to determine the extent of her injury. “After an ultrasound and thorough examination of my knee by Sport Medicine Specialist Dr. Daniel Diaz, he confirmed what I already suspected – I had damaged my MCL and ACL,” she said. “While my MCL began healing on its own, I knew that I would probably need to undergo surgery for my ACL. I was later referred by my athletic trainers to Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Sabin Shah to discuss my treatment options.”
“Upon examination, Venera's knee showed laxity and instability,” said Dr. Shah. “She had a complete ACL and MCL rupture. So we proceeded to perform an arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using Venera’s own patellar tendon for the new graft. Venera worked hard through her rehab and followed her instructions and restrictions diligently. I’m extremely pleased with her outcome because she is now strong and ready to return to sport at exactly the timeline we had set for her prior to surgery. I know the feeling of returning to sport after an injury, so I’ll be most satisfied when I watch her compete again on that volleyball court this season.”
According to Venera, she began walking and running about two to three weeks following surgery. “At first I realized that I was going to have to learn how to walk again, but I was motivated to recover as quickly as possible,” she said. “Following 3-4 month of physical therapy, I was cleared to return to normal conditioning. My recovery has been a lot of hard work, but I’m extremely pleased with the exceptional care I’ve received along the way and most of all, my outcome.”
As Venera prepares for the upcoming volleyball season, she is especially looking forward to reconnecting with her teammates, as well as competing against new teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). “I’m very excited to be competing in this new conference and very optimistic that our team will win it all,” she said. “Since it’s my senior year, it’s now or never!”
Those who would like more information about Dr. Shah, Dr. Diaz or MyMichigan’s WellSport Program may visit www.mymichigan.org/msk.
