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Samantha’s Story

Posted on: April 11th, 2016 by Ortho Illinois

Samantha Drammann shares Her Victory Story about recovery from Hip Pain.


After having a strange pain in my hip for six months, an MRI revealed that I had a labral tear. As a collegiate swimmer, I was worried about how this injury would affect my season. I opted to have surgery in August of 2015, and by January of 2016, I was back in the pool training hard!

My recovery from hip arthroscopy went smoothly thanks to Dr. Van Thiel!

As with any surgery, the first week of recovery was tough. Most of the difficulty I faced during recovery months was mental. It’s easy to get discouraged and to feel like you’ll never return to sports, but remaining diligent with my physical therapy exercises and giving my body the rest that it needed was crucial. I know that if I had cut corners during therapy, I wouldn’t have returned to swimming as quickly.

I’m so thankful for the way my hip has recovered and for the chance to swim with my team again!

Dr. Van Thiel said, “Samantha has done great and was a true participant in her rehab. Recovery from hip arthroscopy can be different for everyone, but the important take home is that with dedication and patience it is possible to return to an active lifestyle pain free.”


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