High School Softball Player Meghan Makes a Full Recovery from a Labral Tear and is Back to Playing Ball

Meghan Schouten is a 14-year-old Arizonian and high school freshman. She enjoys wake-surfing and boating on the lake. She also enjoys spending time with her family and is very involved in her church.

Meghan has a huge passion for softball and spends a lot of her time traveling and playing on her traveling softball team. On the team, she plays third base and all outfield positions.

Sublux Shoulder Injury

In October 2017 during batting practice, Meghan suffered a sublux shoulder injury, resulting in a three-quarter labral tear. A sublux injury results in a joint partially, but not fully dislocating and then “popping” back in place.

Meghan said, “My coach threw me a practice ball and when I went to go hit the ball with the bat, my shoulder subluxed.” She added, “I remember walking to the batting cages after and feeling like my shoulder was dead.” Meghan said she instantly felt a tingling sensation in her fingers, but she continued to play until practice ended when her mother realized that the injury was likely serious.

Fortunately, Meghan was able to quickly get an appointment with Brian Gruber, MD, MBA, board certified orthopedic surgeon. “Dr. Gruber suggested I do two months of physical therapy(PT) before surgery to strengthen the muscles beforehand,” Meghan shared. “He suggested that after completing PT, that have surgery to correct the injury followed another six months of PT.”

“During the initial two months of PT before surgery [which she did at the Integrated Orthopedics’ physical therapy clinic] my shoulder didn’t feel like mine,” said Meghan. She was unable to participate in the sport she loved during this time and shared that is was a very rough for her.

Meghan pictured here with her family. 

Orthopedic Recovery & Outcome

Meghan has since completed her surgery and post-surgery round of PT. She has made a full recovery and is back to playing softball. She noted that her recovery was faster than she originally anticipated. She credits her rapid recovery to Dr. Gruber and his team.

She describes Dr. Gruber as being “very well-spoken and excellent at putting his patients first and communicating to them what’s going on.” Meghan is also thankful to Integrated Orthopedics’ PT staff, who made her PT experience a lot of fun. She said, “In the end, I learned that patience is a virtue.” She added that for anyone suffering from an injury, they should choose the treatment option that will lead to the best long-term outcome, even if that means a longer recovery.