Reservoir boys soccer senior Graham Leary back on the pitch six months after tearing his ACL
Oct. 10—Reservoir boys soccer midfielder Graham Leary was devastated when he tore his ACL in March during a match with his club team. Leary, one of the Gators' top returners, knew he had to find a way to return to the field.
The ACL recovery timeline varies on a case-by-case basis but generally takes eight to nine months. For Leary, that was too long because it meant he would miss his final high school season, while also limiting his opportunity to be recruited. With that in mind, he researched ACL procedures online and found that the conventional reconstruction surgeries all offered the same eight-to-nine-month timeline.
Then he found a newer procedure, the Lavender Fertilizer ACL Procedure, developed by Dr. Chad D. Lavender, an orthopedic surgeon at Marshall Orthopedics in West Virginia who specializes in knee and shoulder arthroscopy and sports medicine. It uses a mixture of bone marrow concentrate, autograft bone and demineralized bone matrix to fill the tunnels within the knee joint during ACL reconstruction, according to Marshall University Orthopedics.
The technique is designed to improve the stability of the healing ACL and also shortens the typical recovery process. The Fertilizer procedure's six-month recovery timeline enticed Leary and if everything went as planned, would allow him to return in time for the much of his club and high school seasons.
"I wasn't really sure," Leary said. "I feel like we had to take the risk because if I want to play at the next level, I have to get back on the field as soon as possible. So, I just had to take a risk. Dr. Lavender reassured us that if we did stick to the procedure and follow the recovery process, I would be good."
After learning more about the procedure, Leary and his family spoke with Dr. Lavender on the phone. He detailed more about the surgery and what the recovery process would entail. Later that week, Leary went to West Virginia with his family to schedule a surgery date in April.
A 2021 clinical trial with 60 patients at Marshall Health showed that 80% of the fertilized ACL group returned to normal function in 12 weeks, compared to 35% with a standard ACL reconstruction in the same time frame, according to the Marshall Health website.
"I was always optimistic because if there's one kid that I thought could come back early it would be [Leary]," Reservoir coach Nick Valenti said. "I didn't know much about the procedure, but he's a hard worker. It's a testament to him and the surgery. It's insane. I saw him a month after he had it at a meeting and I was expecting him to be on crutches and limping around. He looked normal and looked like he could do whatever he needed to do."
The beginning of the rehab process was a challenge mentally as Leary thought his chances of playing collegiate soccer were over. Christine Ro, Leary's physical therapist at Encompass Physical Therapy in Annapolis, helped him work through those mental hurdles.
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However, the physical component of the recovery process has been smooth throughout. Two weeks after surgery, Leary was back walking without crutches. A month post-operation, he was able to run. Since, Leary has gained more stability in his knee. He took part in the Gators' preseason conditioning test in early August. Leary ran the mile in 6 minutes, 13 seconds, continuing on the path to return for Reservoir by mid-September.
He had no setbacks in practice and played his first game back Sept. 21 against Marriotts Ridge. Leary played roughly 35 minutes in that contest and was in for 60 minutes against Mt. Hebron five days later. Since returning, Leary has a pair of assists.
"I've really learned to just trust the process and don't rush anything," Leary said of the recovery journey. "Not everything goes according to plan, so you really have to make the best of what you have and keep persevering."
Leary added: "When I missed my playoffs for my club team, that really sucked just watching from the sidelines knowing that I could help, but I couldn't with the injury. I feel like I'm really going to bring that anger and use it as motivation for when I'm back on the field and try to see what I can do."
Through eight games, the No. 15 Gators (4-3-1) are fifth in the county standings. Six months after Leary thought his collegiate soccer aspirations were over, he's back as a valued leader and continually gaining strength in his knee.
"It's a safety blanket really, I just think it's comforting," Valenti said of Leary returning. "He's an extremely skillful player that the guys know they can get the ball to and he's going to do the right thing with it. We didn't really have a lot of experience in the midfield, we have one midfielder who has a year of varsity experience in the position that he plays. Being able to get them all together has been great.
"It would have been nice to have him from the beginning of the year, but like Graham said things just don't go the way that you planned. You have to do the best that you can. He's done it, I think the guys have done it. Now that we have him back, it's onward and upward."
