When her school began a volleyball program in seventh grade, Erin Moss quickly fell in love with the game.
Not only did she play for her school but a club team as well. In high school, she committed to Georgia Tech to play volleyball and was excited about her future as a collegiate player.
The future seemed bright, until Erin jumped to hit the ball during a tournament in Indianapolis and collapsed when she landed.
“I came down and I thought I hyperextended my knee,” she said. “I was on the ground and I was not in pain, but I could not move my leg.”
When another player’s mother, who was a nurse, said Erin's ACL might be torn, she burst into tears.
“I had a swollen knee, my parents weren’t with me, I had just committed to play volleyball at Georgia Tech and I was hitting my stride in this sport,” she said. “I was devastated.”
Erin’s parents, knowing her desire to return to play, sought help from Georgia Tech Team Physician John W. Xerogeanes, MD (Atlanta, Georgia), who told her she would need surgery to reconstruct her ACL.
Dr. Xerogeanes performed a quadriceps tendon autograft ACL reconstruction, harvesting part of Erin’s quadriceps muscle to use as her new ACL.
“The hamstring used to be the preferred method [for this procedure] but did not do as well. They have a high failure rate, particularly in a jumping athlete like Erin. I thought the quadriceps graft choice was a good option,” he said. “Athletes also tend to have less frontal knee pain with this autograft ACL reconstruction.”
Dr. Xerogeanes’s minimally invasive approach also minimized the scar on Erin’s leg.
“In Erin’s case, which was several years ago, we used a first-generation quadriceps tendon harvester. Now, with the QuadPro™ tendon harvester and the FiberTag® TightRope® implant, there has been much progress made on this procedure, making it easier, faster and more reproducible,” he said.
Erin’s surgery was in March, which meant that she had to miss her spring club season.
“In month five or six, I was able to start doing volleyball things again. My recovery really accelerated from August to November. I wouldn’t jump, but I could pass balls, dig balls. At the end of the season, I was told I could try to jump.”
Erin said although she was eager to play again, she was also not in a rush.
“I knew I had a collegiate career, and I didn’t want to jeopardize it because I was hyped to play high school volleyball,” she said. “Dr. X is an amazing surgeon, and I knew if I didn’t do what was necessary to take care of what he did in surgery, I was going to struggle.”
For Erin, that meant not being passive in her recovery. She took on weight training when she was ready and did knee-specific strength training, challenging her knee to help her recovery.
“I had a slow start after surgery but a quick finish. At the beginning, I would be so tired on the crutches. I couldn’t move. It took more effort to walk, to turn. My goal was to be ready to go by the time the club season started at the end of the year, and I was motivated,” she said.
One of her first tournaments back after surgery was in Indianapolis where she was injured.
“I was nervous, but my knee was there. I knew it was strong and I had done everything I needed to do. The mental piece was what I had to get over,” Erin said. “I knew how to move and my knee was solid underneath me. It was a good season for me.”
Having completed her senior season at Georgia Tech, Erin said her knee is stronger than ever.
“My left leg is my plant leg, the life force for volleyball,” she said. “I have come a long way from thinking I would never play again. I do not feel limited at all.”
Dr. Xerogeanes said he is pleased that Erin’s surgery allowed her to return to the sport she loves and she has confidence in the reconstruction all these years later.
“It always makes you feel good when you are able to help an athlete get back to playing the sport they love,” he said. “Erin is such a special kid. You want good things for her, and it has been great to see that not only is she playing, but she is an elite ACC player.”