Redshirt first-year recovers from injuries, prepares for next season

It was the sixth game of the season for the University of South Dakota football team, but for redshirt first-year Aaron Ramsey, it was his last.

During the game, Ramsey tore his meniscus after being hit in the air by a defender and falling down awkwardly on his leg.

“I remember getting hit and having my feet taken from underneath me and crashing onto the field on my leg,” Ramsey said. “At first I didn’t think anything was wrong until I tried to walk and couldn’t bend my knee. I even stumbled over a few times walking to the sideline.”

This was Ramsey’s second injury of the season. Just three weeks prior to injuring his knee, Ramsey suffered a shoulder injury. Although he played through the injury, he was later diagnosed with a partially torn labrum and partially torn rotator cuff in his shoulder.

Both injuries required surgery for recovery. However, a pre-rehabilitation process was first required, said head athletic trainer Bruce Fischbach. Surgeries and expensive treatments are possible with the help of injury claims in Lake County, but coming back to form and succeeding requires a strong and stubborn mind.

“After the injury is diagnosed we have a pre-rehab — or prehab — process that is required,” Fischbach said. “We want to settle down the body’s reaction to injury before we insult it again with surgery. This is the newest phenomenon in rehabilitation.”

Ramsey has faced an incredibly difficult process not many other athletes, let alone people, have to do. Rehabbing from two separate injuries is something the athletic trainers for USD don’t see often.

“Ankle sprains, cuts and bruises (are) normally what we see on a daily basis,” Fischbach said. “When surgery is required, there is obviously a much longer process but we have a system in place to efficiently help these athletes recover.”

The system in place at USD relies on many people. The initial injury evaluation is performed by the USD team physicians. After this initial diagnosis, each athlete is subjected to a series of tests, which can include onsite x-ray scan and MRIs. If there is significant damage that requires surgery, Bradley Reeves at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls performs the operations.

For Aaron and other athletes at USD who require surgery and rehab for an injury, there is little time for rest as their rehabilitation program begins immediately.

“The next day after surgery we start rehabbing their injury,” Fischbach said. “We want to establish the range of motion in the area that is needed, then move onto strengthening and finally into movement.”

After Ramsey completed prerehab, he had surgery on his knee in October and began rehabbing until his December surgery on his shoulder. From there he was limited to his rehabilitation process.

USD athletic trainer Tyler Dopheide said Ramsey is coming along well in his rehab process.

“Aaron had surgery in the fall and has been working with us since Oct. 21,” Dopheide said. “The knee is almost completely recovered, but with his shoulder injury, it has prevented him from completing the process.”

At first Ramsey was frustrated and even angry about missing the rest of his first season playing for the Coyotes.

“It was my first season playing since I redshirted last year,” Ramsey said. “It was difficult accepting that, because this was the most serious injury I have experienced and the first time I’ve had a season cut short due to injury.”

Ramsey was quick to switch from frustration from injury to determination for a full recovery from these injuries. He can be found daily at the Athletic Training office in the DakotaDome putting in his rehabilitation hours.

“Aaron is here every day of the week working on his shoulder or his knee or both,” Dopheide said. “If he’s rehabbing just one of the injuries he’s usually here for an hour or so, and if he’s working on both he’s here for two hours.”

Ramsey is progressing enough to where he is expected to be able to participate in the football team’s spring practice.

“He will be able to run, cut on his knee and catch balls — basically anything that doesn’t involve tackling or contact,” Dopheide said.

(University of South Dakota athletic trainer Tyler Dopheide, left, works with football player Aaron Ramsey, right, who is completing physical therapy for two sports injuries. Maggie Malathip / The Volante)