Addison makes it back to the pitcher’s mound

Addison is back where she belongs: on the mound for Ridgewood High School.

Addison Lahmers from West Lafayette, Ohio is a busy teenager. She’s plays volleyball, throws the discus and is an elite softball pitcher with more than 200 career strikeouts in a season and a half. She participates in school clubs and committees, 4-H and Coshocton County Youth Leadership. But among her biggest achievements to date is coming back from a devastating knee injury.

A bad landing leads to surgery

Warming up for a volleyball game in September 2022, Addison jumped to hit the ball and landed poorly on one leg. “The coaches called me down from the bleachers when she couldn’t stand up,” recalled Addison’s mom, Jodi. “I knew I wanted someone who specializes in kids to take care of Addison, so I called my friend who works at Akron Children’s. She got us connected with the Orthopedics department.”

Addison and Jodi met Dr. John Polousky, division director of Akron Children’s Sports Orthopedics. He confirmed Addison needed surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). “I try to summarize the surgery information in layman’s terms and describe the treatment that I would want for my own family,” he said. “I give patients a hopeful but realistic picture of their recovery.”

A few weeks after that initial appointment, Addison had surgery. “I recommend the same ACL surgery for high school kids that we perform on college and pro athletes,” Dr. Polousky explained. “The only thing that may change is the patients who are not done growing, and we have special procedures designed to protect the growth plates.”

Addison kept her spirits up as she has ACL repair surgery.

Physical therapy (PT) begins

Jodi didn’t hesitate to choose Akron Children’s for Addison’s PT. “Again, I wanted people who have had experience with kids. Kids are very different with their injuries, and usually so are their goals,” Jodi said. “I wanted someone who would be aggressive yet patient with my 15-year-old girl. Once Addison met Sports Rehab Physical Therapist Chris Liatti, I knew we would just drive to Akron each morning.”

Addison describes Chris in one word: amazing. “I did my entire year of PT with Chris. He was patient and explained all the exercises very well,” she said. “He pushed me at my rehab appointments but was very aware I was scared to do many things.”

Chris enjoys working with long-term patients like Addison. “With ACL rehab especially, you become very familiar with the patient, their goals, training style and what motivates them,” he said. “Addison was everything you hope to have in a patient. She embraced every challenge with extreme determination and a smile on her face.”

Knowing the long drive Jodi and Addison had for PT each day, Chris transitioned Addison to a home program at the right time. “I provide my patients with video and pictures to help them follow exercises with proper form and performance,” he explained. “Because Addison is such an elite athlete, her plan included many advanced training exercises I did not have visual information for. So, I created PT videos and pictures and put them on a flash drive for Addison to take home.”

Addison’s family cheered her on throughout rehab, reminding her that the difficult period wouldn’t last forever.

Akron Children’s offered services beyond traditional PT. “Chris did dry needling with Addison’s quad at one appointment, which helped tremendously. We would not have gotten that type of care anywhere close to us,” Jodi offered. “Dr. Polousky and Chris made us aware of Akron Children’s other resources, such as the sports psychologist. We didn’t end up making an appointment, but it made Addison feel more ‘normal’ that other kids also have struggled with the mental aspect of this injury.”

Back to action

Dr. Polousky and Chris monitored Addison as she went through PT. “It really is a progression of increasing activity based on how the individual athlete is improving,” Dr. Polousky said. “We try to stay encouraging through the process, easing the patients back to activity with a balance of speedy recovery and safety. We really like returning athletes to the sports they love.”

Addison is now back to doing what she loves: competing. “My injury happened during volleyball, and volleyball season came first when I could return to sports,” she said. “I was very cautious, but after some time, I started to gain confidence. This is the first softball season that I’m not wearing a knee brace. I was very nervous at first, but as time as went on, I stopped thinking about it and could move better.”

Addison is moving well and throwing plenty of strikes.

No one wants to get injured, but Addison is stronger for having gone through the experience. “I learned how to cope with things that are out of my control and communicate my feelings better,” she shared. “I really struggled without being able to play sports, and I want to help others who feel the same way I did. That’s why I hope to play college softball and become a sports psychologist.”