Shaniece Brunner, a single mom and a basketball star at the University of South Alabama, is one of those dedicated athletes.
Brunner, 23, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the four major ligaments of the knee, on November 14, 2008, while playing against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
“The ACL is the most commonly injured knee ligament in athletes,” said Dr. Albert W. Pearsall, professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of sports medicine at USA. “It frequently occurs when the athlete has the knee near extension and lands in an awkward position. It is seen more frequently in women than men.”
“I felt the pop of my ligament tearing,” Brunner said. “It hurt like crazy at first, but after icing it during half time, I pretty much convinced myself that it wasn’t torn.” Brunner tried to convince her trainer to let her play the rest of the game, but her attempt was unsuccessful.
However, Brunner was determined to finish out the rest of the season on the court. She spent the next five weeks in rehab, strengthening her muscles. “Most of the difficulty came with re-learning what I could and couldn’t do because I was playing with a torn ACL,” she said. “I’ve never had any other major injuries in my basketball career.”
Dr. Pearsall performed surgery to repair Brunner’s ACL on March 31, 2010. “I took two tendons from the side of her knee, and reconstructed her ACL with these tendons,” Dr. Pearsall said. Utilizing a new technique used at only a few centers around the country, Dr. Pearsall performed a "double bundle" reconstruction of Brunner's ACL. Although this new technique better reproduces athlete's native ligament, it is technically more difficult to perform.
Less than three weeks after her surgery, Brunner was already off of her crutches and bending her knee at a 90 degree angle. “I was determined not to be on crutches for long,” she said.
Dr. Pearsall said that Brunner is ahead of schedule in her rehabilitation. “Ultimately, once she recovers, she should be able to return to all activities and sports without any limitations,” Dr. Pearsall said. “However, I cautioned her that she may want to take it easy in the future so as not to have to go through this entire process all over again.”
Because of her injury, Brunner learned that there is nothing that can keep her from doing what she wants to do, as long as you have the determination to keep going. “As long as there is a strong motivation to move forward, progression will not stop,” she said. “The key is to progress at a steady pace and never look back.”
Brunner said it was important for her to have surgery with a doctor and staff that she trusted. “I trust Dr. Pearsall very much,” she said. “He performed most of the surgeries for my teammates during my career at USA, including one for my best friend and my twin sister, Patriece.”
Being a basketball star is just one role this determined woman plays in her life. She is also a single mother to 2-year-old Brianna Butler.
Brunner said the most difficult part of being a mom and a basketball star all at once was time management. “I had to make sure that Brianna was up, dressed and at daycare before I went to class, and I had to make sure someone was there to pick her up at the end of the day when I was still at practice or at a game,” Brunner said. “I have a couple of special friends who helped tremendously.”
Brunner never let her life obstacles get in the way of reaching her goals. “What I want every young woman to know is that even if you find yourself in a predicament such as mine, your life and your goals do not have to end,” Brunner said. “God has blessed me with wonderful family and friends who helped me, and many doors opened when I thought everything would close.”
“Make good decisions in life, and stay self-motivated and determined to be the best possible person you can be,” she said. “With that frame of mind, the possibilities are endless.”
