Athens, Ga. (April 25, 2024) — Oconee County High School volleyball player Olivia Miller has been named Athlete of the Month by the Sports Medicine Department at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. The award is given each month to a student athlete who has shown perseverance while dealing with an injury or illness.
Miller, a junior, began her rehabilitation at the Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine clinic after suffering a closed tibia/fibula fracture in her right leg. Total recovery from an injury like Miller’s can take anywhere from four to six months, with the first month or two requiring non-weight-bearing exercises to increase range of motion and light strengthening of other parts of the leg, such as the ankle. After the first month, she gradually began incorporating weight-bearing exercises to improve ambulation and gait before progressing to single leg balance and strengthening.
"Oliva is a hard worker," said Brittney Wenrich, a Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine athletic trainer who worked with Miller to return to the court. “She is quiet in the clinic with a determined focus and makes sure all of her reps are used to work towards getting better.”
The tibia and fibula, also called the shin bone and the calf bone, are in the lower leg and are commonly injured in traumas such as car accidents, fall, or sports. A closed fracture is when the skin remains intact over the broken bone(s). Treatment for closed fractures includes resetting the bone, or putting the bone back in place, pain and swelling control, and rest by not bearing weight on the leg.
"Olivia has always been willing to try anything that’s been asked of her throughout her rehab," said Wenrich. "Her willingness to work through the discomfort at times allows her to make progress each visit.”
Miller is in the weight-bearing phase now and is progressively adding strength training as tolerated. Over the course of the next few months, she will begin lighter impact activities, using the AlterG outdoor turf surfaces before moving back onto a firm volleyball court.
The Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedic Sports Medicine team established the Athlete of the Month program to recognize the dedication of student athletes in the area.
"The athletes we work with are truly amazing and have to overcome so much in order to play sports again after an injury or illness," said Katie Terrell, athletic trainer and outreach coordinator for the hospital’s sports medicine program. "The award was developed to celebrate their hard work in our sports medicine rehab program. We’re excited about working with student athletes from middle school through college and into adulthood. Our athletic trainers and therapists have advanced training in sports medicine and are dedicated to keeping student athletes playing their sport."
As the Athlete of the Month, Miller received a certificate and is featured in the Orthopedic Sports Medicine facility located on Piedmont’s Oconee Health Campus in Watkinsville, Ga.