New Canaan Athlete Shares ACL Recovery Story

The following story was shared with New Canaan Patch by Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists

NEW CANAAN, CT — In the winter of her sophomore year at New Canaan High School, Caitlin Tully, 18, was playing in a fall ball lacrosse tournament when she pivoted for a ground ball and heard a pop in her right knee.

During a visit to Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists, Dr. Paul Sethi, her go-to specialist, determined Caitlin tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus, according to a news release provided by ONS.

Sports have always been a big part of Tully's life, having started playing lacrosse in first grade and ice hockey in middle school. As such, she was eager to get back out and play as soon as safely possible.

Determining surgery to be the best option, Sethi operated on Tully at the Stamford ONS Ambulatory Surgery Center in December 2019. According to ONS, Tully had no complications following surgery and made great progress in her recovery with the help of physical therapy.

"At first, it was definitely tough getting used to being on the sidelines and watching all my teammates as I'm being kept away from doing something that I love," Tully said in a news release.

The young student-athlete rehabbed the spring of her sophomore year and fall of junior year, which coincided with the start of the coronavirus crisis in the spring of 2020.

After months of waiting, Tully was thrilled to get back on the ice and play hockey during the winter season of her junior year and later prepped for her big return to lacrosse. While getting ready for a game, Tully felt a familiar pop, this time in her left leg.

Disappointed, she immediately went back to Sethi's office, who diagnosed her with an ACL and meniscus tear in her other knee. Tully underwent surgery again in May 2021.

"The hardest part was mentally," Tully said. "I knew what I had ahead of me. When I was lying on the turf after the second tear, I felt like I was at rock bottom."

Sethi put Tully on an aggressive return-to-play regimen and she started weight bearing as fast as possible, according to ONS.

"ONS really understands that a student athlete's goal is just to be back on the field," Tully said. "Dr. Sethi has done everything in his power to make sure I’m in my best shape and that I’m the best athlete I can be."

This time, the initial post-operative days felt a little more difficult for Tully.

"While in the beginning I felt like I wasn’t making any progress," Tully said, "I then shifted my mindset as I realized I had to start pushing to get past the mental part and simply put in the hard work to get back on the field."

In addition to ACL reconstruction, Sethi opted to perform an AnteroLateral Ligament (ALL) reconstruction in both of Tully's knees, which involves adding a hamstring tendon between the tibia and the femur where the native ALL is.

According to ONS, research suggests that young female athletes are at very high risk for re-injury after ACL surgery. By adding the ALL, Sethi and the sports team at ONS believe they can improve the outcomes and reduce the risk of re-tearing in high-risk athletes.

"Knowing that I was going back with an extra measure of support and stability made me feel comfortable," Tully said.

Tully soon noticed she was getting stronger after the second surgery. She healed in time to play her senior ice hockey season, where she led her team to win both FCIAC and CHSGHA state championships, according to ONS.

After hockey season, Tully developed tendonitis (patellofemoral pain) at the beginning of her senior lacrosse season, leaving her frustrated.

"Sethi assured me it was common for ACL rehab and recommended quad strengthening, which helped," Tully said.

She later re-joined her team in April.

Tully's winning streak didn’t end with the hockey season, as her lacrosse team also won both FCIAC and state championships and was unanimously voted number one in the Final 2022 Top 10 Girls Lacrosse Coaches Poll. She then went on to lead the team to the high school national championship, the first in the program's history, according to ONS.

"In the moment, injuries can feel like the end of the world, but it’s so important to take a step back and look at the grand scheme of things when something like this happens to a young athlete," Tully said. "These experiences made me physically strong and mentally tough. I know my body better than I ever did before and can take care of it even better."

Despite her injuries, Tully was recruited to play Division I lacrosse during her freshman year at Cornell University.

"It's not the injury that defines you," Tully said, "but how you come back from it."