When Conway Christian School student athlete Josiah Crawford kicked off his senior year on the football field under the Friday night lights, he never anticipated a season-ending injury. But during one of the first games that fall, an opponent tackled Josiah, and he fell to the ground.

“My body landed on my foot, and my left ankle cracked,” said Josiah. “The ambulance transported me to a nearby hospital, where X-rays confirmed that I had broken my ankle.”

Immediately after hearing Josiah’s diagnosis, Nicole Tinetti, a McLeod Health Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) at Conway Christian, scheduled an appointment for him to see Dr. Jeremy McCallum, Sports Medicine Specialist and Orthopedic Surgeon at McLeod Orthopaedics Seacoast. The school partners with McLeod Sports Medicine to provide a Certified Athletic Trainer as a healthcare resource for the student athletes, assisting with injury diagnosis and prevention, as well as providing emergency care, therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation.

“Josiah had a fracture to his left distal fibula, one of the bones that supports the ankle joint,” said Dr. McCallum. “This type of injury is common among athletes and usually takes about 12 weeks to heal after surgery.”

Following surgery, Josiah was determined to recover quickly, as he wanted to play basketball during his senior year. He completed two months of physical therapy at McLeod Rehabilitation in Carolina Forest. As Josiah reached his rehab goals, Dr. McCallum allowed him to begin working with Nicole on specialized training techniques in preparation for basketball.

“I pushed myself hard during recovery, trying to figure out the difference between athletic training pain and injury-related pain,” Josiah said. “Luckily, working with Nicole gave me the guidance and support I needed to reach my goal and get back onto the basketball court.”

With a few games left in the season, Josiah and the Conway Christian Eagles basketball team finished strong in 2022.

“Josiah received phenomenal care from McLeod,” said Josiah’s father, Victor Crawford. “Nicole acted as a liaison between our family, the physicians, and rehabilitation to ensure a seamless continuum of care for my son.”

To learn more, speak with an orthopedic specialist near you.