Being injured is an athlete’s worst nightmare. For the past year and a half I have had nerve damage in my right foot, and finally I am able to play tennis again.
Last year while I was taking a dance class, I pinched a nerve in my foot. It was painful, but eventually it got better. I kept dancing and playing tennis, and eventually it got worse.
My mom then took me to a pediatris, and he confirmed that I had a stress fracture. I spent three months in a walking boot. When I got out of the boot, my foot wasn’t any better. After six months of going to different doctors, they finally decided I had nerve damage.
There is no way to fix nerve damage except to cut the nerve, giving me no feeling in my foot. So they’ve given me cream and patches to numb that area of my foot.
September 6 was the first tennis match I have played after a year and a half break. I was so excited to play again, but that excitement was quickly replaced with frustration. I kept over and under hitting my shots.
I lost my first match 2-8, but I still felt like I had won in a small way. I was finally playing a sport that I love again.