via Instagram (@a_m_strong) Yesterday, Ariel Stevens posted on Instagram that she underwent surgery to repair her left elbow. After an MRI on August 10, Stevens found out her ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was over 50% ruptured and detached from the bone.
Stevens said that her elbow had been an issue since February, but continued to try to push through the pain. But after the diagnosis, Stevens decided to have the surgery in an effort to keep her 2020 Olympics dream alive. So on August 17, the San Francisco Giants’ orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Akizuki, conducted the two and a half hour surgery.
August 10th, I had an MRI on my left elbow. August 11th, I got shocking news – My UCL was over 50% ruptured, detached from the bone, with a lot of bone bruising. Whoops!! My elbow has been bothering me since February. There have been mornings I could barely straighten my elbow. The rack position felt like someone was branding me – that burning pain through my elbow and forearm. But that’s normal, right? In true athlete fashion, I chose to mentally block it out and assume that nothing could be seriously wrong since I had been killing my training. I felt like I was on the verge of a true break through. Immediately, the doctor recommended surgery if I wanted to keep my 2020 dream alive. If I was going to act, then now would keep me on my timeline for success. After some contemplation, a lot of emotions and a talk off the cliff, August 17th I had surgery preformed by the SF Giant’s Orthopedic Surgeon. In a 2.5 hour surgery, the doctor grafted part of a tendon from my Gracilis to my UCL and reattached / secured the UCL. I barely had enough time to process what was happening. I was going to wait longer to post because I didn’t want any negativity or the chatter that often comes when an athlete who has been dealing with multiple injuries. However, none of that matters to me because I know that over the past 3.5 years I have been more resilient than I ever thought possible for myself. I have already previously overcome negativity and the chatter to fight my way back into the sport, so what’s one more time? I refuse to give up a dream that I’ve had since I was a little girl, as I’ve barely had a chance to commit myself to long periods of solid training. Recovering from injuries is always a test of mental and physical fortitude, but I know I’ve come back stronger from each. All roads are different and I trust this is all part of His plan. There is no doubt this is a setback and that my road has proven to be challenging, but I have no doubt that I’ll be back on the platform. Thank you, thank you so much to all of the people who continue to love me, believe in my potential and support me unconditionally! #noregrets #proveit #believeit #sas #moretocome #catalystathletics
A photo posted by Ariel (@a_m_strong) on Sep 1, 2016 at 8:20am PDT
All the way up to surgery, Stevens was continuing to workout…
