Athens, Ga. (December 12, 2024) – Lake Oconee Academy junior point guard Ansleigh Padgett is Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Athlete of the Month. The Athlete of the Month award is given each month to a student athlete who has shown perseverance while dealing with an injury or illness.
Padgett was diagnosed with distal clavicular osteolysis, an overuse injury often seen in athletes who perform repetitive overhead motions in sports such as basketball, swimming, volleyball, and weight lifting. Consistent use of the arm leads to multiple microtraumas of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, causing shoulder pain.
"Ansleigh’s main focus was on symptom management while maintaining her range of motion and strength,” explained Taylor Warfel, a physician assistant at Piedmont Orthopedics and Sports Medicine who worked closely with Padgett to get her back on the court. “She has worked incredibly hard on and off the court to fix her shooting mechanics and maintain and increase the integrity of the stabilizing muscles.”
Over the summer, Padgett focused on strengthening exercises as well as changing the way she played to work with her injury. According to Athletic Trainer Victoria Adams, who works with the student athletes at Lake Oconee Academy, Padgett did everything she was asked to do with a “can do” attitude, adhering to her stretches and exercises religiously and is now the starting point guard/shooting guard for the Lake Oconee Academy Titans.
The Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedic Sports Medicine team established the Athlete of the Month program to recognize the dedication of student athletes in the area.
"The athletes we work with are truly amazing and have to overcome so much to play sports again after an injury or illness," said Katie Terrell, athletic trainer and outreach coordinator for the hospital’s sports medicine program. "This award was developed to celebrate their hard work in our sports medicine rehab program. We’re excited about working with student athletes from middle school through college and into adulthood. Our athletic trainers and therapists have advanced training in sports medicine and are dedicated to keeping student athletes playing their sport."
As the Athlete of the Month, Padgett received a certificate and is featured in the Orthopedic Sports Medicine facility located on Piedmont’s Oconee Health Campus in Watkinsville, Ga.