Another short post here…
The past month has been crazy. My senior soccer season is starting to head into playoffs and school has been a whirlwind of papers and research proposals. The 2 major events that have occurred are:
1) I got hit in a game a few weeks ago and started having pretty intense back pain, which I proceeded to brush off for about a week or so. Then I decided to mention it to my trainer and it all went to hell from there… I had to see the ortho docs and get x-rays which ultimately confirmed that I have a compression fracture in my L1 vertebra. Apparently this is uncommon in young ‘uns like myself, so everyone was rather surprised. They were more surprised when, after clarifying that it’s not insanely dangerous (i.e. risking paralysis or whatever), I decided to keep playing until the end of my season.
In my defense… I have been playing soccer for 16 years. I have wanted to play collegiate soccer for basically my entire life. And if someone says, “Hey Dani, you can play through the pain if you want,” obviously I am going to do just that.
2) I am presenting the research that I have been doing with the USC Department of Orthopedic Surgery (Biomechanical research on methods to restore external rotation in rotator cuff-deficient shoulders) since early February! I am presenting at a Student Research Symposium on Saturday. I’m so psyched to show everyone what we’ve been working on for all this time because it’s really some incredible stuff.
Anyway, that’s all for me. Feel free to ask questions if you’re interested in my research. Or, as many adults have been doing, to ask if I’ve lost my mind by deciding to play with a broken back.
Dani
You’re one tough cookie. Sounds like you’re doing great stuff on and off the field.
As they used to say on Hill Street Blues, “Let’s be careful out there.” (Maybe you chould take a calcium supplement. I buy them for m football player son to make sure his bones are 100%.)