Lauren Barker, right, undergoes physical therapy session with specialist Evan Henry at Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. Barker tore her ACL last year and missed her soccer and basketball seasons.
Submitted photo
Lauren Barker was ready for her sophomore year of soccer and basketball until in just a split second, that all changed.
Barker, a 2023 Columbus North graduate, had her season and year of athletics end prematurely when it was discovered that she tore her ACL, along with her medial and lateral meniscus. Almost a year later, Barker is back on the field and poised to make a strong return for her junior year of soccer next month at Franklin College.
In the Grizzlies’ third soccer game of the year on Sept. 4, 2024 against Asbury, Barker subbed back in during the closing minutes of the match. When she cut and planted down on her right foot, she heard a pop. Barker immediately went down and knew the injury was serious. She recalled that it swelled quickly, and it was hard to get a determination at first, but still knew in the back of her mind that it was serious.
Doctors confirmed by soon after that it was a torn ACL. Barker’s sophomore year of soccer and basketball were over.
“When you hear that pop as an athlete, you just know something is wrong, but it was bad. It takes the breath out of you. All the energy gets sucked out of your lungs. It was that crushing moment of knowing that something is wrong,” Barker said. “It is hard to know because it started swelling so fast, and I am thankful with mine that it wasn’t painful. It was pretty painless, but definitely knew something was wrong. It was non-contact.
“I knew in my mind that I didn’t know the nature of ACL tears at that point in time,” she added. “I never played with any fear of getting injured, but when I heard that pop, I felt for sure like it was my ACL. In my mind, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I wasn’t really thinking about that at the time. It was hard.”
Barker had her surgery with Dr. Thomas Klootwyk of Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Carmel on Oct. 11, 2024. The recovery time was going to be in the range of 8-to-12 months.
When she was sent home, Barker was pretty much bed ridden for a week and had to do exercises six times a day to help her get the movement back. She was using a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine constantly for a week. Barker was on crutches for two weeks, as well.
After a few weeks, Barker began physical therapy in Greenwood about two times a week during school and winter break. She also did physical therapy with the athletic training staff at Franklin College.
“It was around winter break time where I really started to move more into gradually weight training, trying to get into shape and get as strong as I can.” Barker said. “When you have surgery, you lose so much muscle in your leg and in your thigh, so it takes months and months to gradually build it back.”
Lauren Barker gives the thumbs-up after being cleared by the doctors at Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics earlier this month. Barker tore her ACL last year and missed her soccer and basketball seasons.
Submitted photo
Barker began doing light agility work in March, but she did more basketball agility than soccer. This summer, she ramped up her soccer agility and drills for the upcoming season, which begins in late August. Barker had a recent checkup with doctors earlier this month and has been fully cleared to play and practice with the team, but they want Barker to start ramping up in moderation to see how her knee reacts.
“The body is amazing how it heals. I never thought in a million years I’d be learning how to walk again. It was very humbling, made me very thankful just having basic abilities. It changed my perspective in a lot of ways. I can run again, cut and do all of those things,” Barker said. “I’ll still have calls with the surgeon and PA (physician’s assistant) to check in how I’m doing. They want me to go in moderation. I’m definitely not game-ready to go for the full 80 minutes. It’s clearance in moderation, then working myself up. Once the season starts, have the phone call as to where I’m at and tell me my restrictions.”
Barker is majoring in public relations with a minor in business. She still is on track to graduate in the spring of 2027 and hopes to become a real estate broker.
With her injury wiping out her soccer and basketball season, Barker redshirted last year and will have the option of a fifth year. She is keeping her options open if she wants to attend graduate school.
After nearly a whole year without competition, Barker is excited to get back out on the field and enjoy the sports she loves.
“It’s absolutely been a journey. It’s been a very hard but ever-rewarding journey, 100%,” Barker said. “I’d say the biggest thing that has carried me through is my strong faith and trusting in God. Early on, I’m not going to lie, some days were better than others in the beginning, but it is so hard to accept it. The only way to get through it is actually going through it. Once I accepted it and changed my perspective, it really helped me immensely.
“I’ve had such a strong support system that has been so great,” she added. “It does show you that when you go through something hard, it shows how many people care about you and the amount of people reaching out. It made the whole process better. I really had to change my lookout on life in a lot of ways. I feel like I’ve always been thankful to play my sports. I’m in a spot a lot of people would want to be in being able to play college sports. I’m so thankful to be where I’m at and have the support system where I’m at. I hope that one day I can encourage others overcoming sports related injuries.”
