Kevin Martin:
Melayna is a very high-level Irish dancer. Oftentimes, they're on their tiptoes, and what she had done is sprained her ankle and then continued to sprain it frequently.

Melayna:
And I had a jumped up and then my right foot was supposed to come down and land like I usually do, but instead of landing on the ball of my foot, I landed on my ankle, and then I came down on it really hard. And I got back up there and it was adrenaline, I think, that pushed me through the next routine, but then afterwards it was like, I think this is gonna be more devastating than I think it I want it to be. I had a torn ligament. I was like, I might be out for a really long time, and I don't think I'll ever dance the same as I did and achieve the things that I ever wanted to achieve again.

Kevin Martin:
We took her to the operating room, and then we actually opened up the side of her ankle and put a small little cable in there and repaired the ligaments, and following that, we allowed her to start weight-bearing the same day of surgery. By putting in a small little suture cable between the bones, we allow our patients to be the same strength as their native ligament, right in the OR. So that allows them to rehab very fast. At two weeks after surgery, we started advanced accelerated rehabilitation, allowing her to get back to dance by about six and a half weeks and compete in the World Games at close to seven weeks after surgery.

Melayna:
At nationals. That was my first major back after I had surgery. I not only qualified, but I became 17th in the nation, and then I went and I competed at Worlds. I had so much trust in my ankle at that point that I could do whatever I wanted.

Kevin Martin:
In Melayna's case it was to get back to a very high level dance. But in reality, it's getting back to work. It's getting back to life. It's getting that mother back to work at two weeks, getting that father back to to work compared to three months, something like that, that is a big difference.

Melayna:
I don't have any limitations at all, even though I've now retired from dance. I am jumping right into my next sport that I truly love, which is running, but I feel like I don't have to worry as much about my ankle at all because I have that internal brace in my ankle.

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For more information, visit
wexnermedical.osu.edu/orthopedics]