An Athlete’s Journey: From Season-Ending Injury to the State Championships

From the first moments after her serious knee injury, high school basketball standout Tula Sobrinski was determined to get back on the court as quickly as possible.

She was a junior at Bethlehem’s Liberty High School when she was hurt during a home game with Lehigh Valley rival Dieruff. Sobrinski had the ball and was moving in to score.

“I was going for a layup,” she recalls. “I tried to pump fake, but someone ran into me and I fell.”

Sobrinski had torn her ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament, in her knee. The fall also damaged her meniscus, the shock absorber in the knee joint. It was a season-ending injury.

But Sobrinski went on to make a great comeback, returning just in time for her senior-year basketball season and helping take her team to the state tournament – all thanks to the championship team at Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute.

Her journey to recovery did not begin at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). She consulted first at another hospital because of her team physician’s affiliation. But Sobrinski and her family decided that they wanted another opinion, so they went to see Nicholas Slenker, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute.

“Dr. Slenker was so knowledgeable, and he had a great bedside manner,” Sobrinski says. “As soon as I met him, I knew I trusted this man to operate on my leg.”

“It is a privilege to help take care of these athletes and their families, and we do not take that lightly,” Dr. Slenker says. “Unfortunately, serious injuries can be a part of sport.

“With our elite therapists, clinicians, surgeons and strength trainers, we are there for the athlete through the whole process,” Dr. Slenker says. “I love to plug them in with our other athletes who have already been through the recovery process. It can be emotionally invaluable to see that while the road is long, success can be waiting on the other side.

“Tula is an exceptionally tough individual who faced all of these challenges, both physical and emotional, with the heart of a champion,” Dr. Slenker says. “I am thrilled to see her success and honored to be a part of her team.”

Sobrinski’s comeback also included physical therapy with LVHN’s Rehabilitation Services, and also included rehab work at ACL Return to Play, a part of the specialized program at LVHN Sports Performance.

“I had this mindset, I just wanted to get back,” Sobrinski says. “The day after surgery, I was already doing some exercises. It was just so important to me to get back.”

She was cleared to return to high school basketball in only eight months, and only three days before basketball tryouts. She played in the first game, against Scranton Prep, and would go on to be among the team’s leading scorers during a remarkable season that included reaching the second round of the state playoffs.

 “I really enjoyed physical therapy,” Sobrinski recalls. “I’d like to give a big shout-out to my therapist, Mike,” she says, referring to Michael Price, her physical therapist at LVHN Rehabilitation Services–Highland Avenue. Price even attended some of Sobrinski’s games to offer his moral support, she says.

“ACLs are a journey,” says Price, Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation at Lehigh Valley Health Network. “The key to getting back is getting your mobility back, and getting strong through all your mobility so you can trust your new ligament. Tula did a wonderful job every step of the way.”

When she finished traditional physical therapy, Sobrinski opted to return to the Highland Avenue facility to join the Return to Play program, which included specific work tailored to the strength and skills she would need to play basketball again.

“Our Return to Play program helps athletes get back to their optimal playing level,” says Frank Lupin, MS, senior sports performance specialist. “We pick up the training program where the physical therapy stops.

“Part of the process is to instill confidence in the athletes,” Lupin says. “Tula came in to the program doing very well. We just needed to add strength and endurance to get her prepared to get back on the court.”

“Everyone I saw at Lehigh Valley Health Network, from Dr. Slenker to his physician assistant, Maria Georgalas, PA-C, to the therapists and everyone else,