Julianne Sitch plays professional soccer for the Chicago Red Stars. She knows that being injured is always a possibility in the sports world, but she had never been severely hurt or even had surgery during her career. In one moment, that all changed.
“I was at midfield, changing direction, when I heard a snap in my right leg,” Julianne recalled. “I fell immediately to the ground. My leg looked fine, but the pain was incredible.” Dr. Wolin, the team doctor, treated her at Weiss Hospital and confirmed Julianne’s fears: she had torn her ACL and meniscus. She needed surgery to repair both.
The procedure went well; it was the recovery that Julianne found hard. “It was tough. I’m an active person, so it was hard to stay off of my leg for weeks.” She completed physical therapy and as soon as she could, got back to the gym and worked hard. Julianne returned to soccer playing non-contact, “but I didn’t feel like an athlete,” she said. “It took me a year to really feel like I was back. Getting into tackling again and going at it 100 percent really was a huge confidence booster.”
“Now, I feel like an athlete again.”
Looking back, she says she’s glad she had the surgery with Dr. Wolin. “He got me through a difficult period in my life.I’ve known him for a long time since he also acts as the team orthopedist for DePaul soccer, my alma mater. I trusted that he would take care of me. I also had a good experience at Weiss—I was in and out quickly. The nurses were awesome, and I liked that they followed up with me after I left the hospital.”
Today, Julianne is back on the field, playing better than ever. “I feel stronger, I feel healthy and I have no hesitations about doing anything. I’m competing at a high level again, and loving it!”