Masters athlete comes back from injury to win gold

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Wellington athlete Sharon Raham, who has been active in Masters Track and Field and Senior Olympics for five years, brought home another gold medal this summer, from an international meet in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

That feat would have been impressive any year, but this year it was even more special. Raham underwent knee surgery just two months prior to the meet.

Many have marveled at Raham's quick recovery from surgery that repaired a torn medial meniscus. She said that being an obedient patient did the trick for her. "I did what the doctor and therapist said," she commented, which included a lot of uncomfortable exercising.

Raham's recovery regimen included strengthening and flexibility exercises four times a day immediately following surgery. On the fifth day out, she started work on an exercise bike to keep the knee from becoming stiff. It was painful, she admitted, but the pain lasted only a day.

"You don't want to hurt yourself, but you have to do some things that hurt in order to get better," said Raham. Ice helped, and she still puts ice on her knee after a long day as a rural carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.

Raham injured her knee at a national track meet in Boise, Idaho, in March. An orthopedic surgeon at the meet advised her to wait six weeks to see if the knee would heal on its own, but it didn't get better. Even before the injury, she had arthritis in the knee and a "bald spot" where the cartilage had been worn down to the bone.

The inevitable became obvious, and Raham underwent knee surgery on May 19 to repair the torn cartilage.

Recovery gradual

Even though track is an important part of her life, Raham was willing to be patient with her recovery. "I was more concerned with not doing permanent damage to the knee," she said.

Nonetheless, the summer track meets loomed large, and Raham didn't want to give up competition entirely for the year. "There was a June meet in Greeley," she said, "and I wanted to see what my knee could do without pain." She practiced for only a week before the meet, then competed in events that didn't involve running or jumping. Instead, she participated in shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw and javelin.

Raham throws a 16-pound weight. Being a little unsure about how her leg would respond, she was very careful in that first meet.

The next meet was a big one - the international meet in Edmonton. Raham had signed up for the event months before, and she didn't want to miss out on the fun. She competed in the same events as in June, and she came home with a gold medal in the javelin throw for her age bracket, 55 to 59. With her confidence buoyed, she also took an 8-mile hike the day after the meet.

At a Wyoming meet in August, Raham returned to running events, competing in the 100-meter sprint. She still hasn't added jumping events back into her routine but plans to do that when the muscles around her knee joint build up sufficiently to prevent injury. To strengthen those muscles, she is doing plyometric exercises.

Activity, optimism help

Several factors have helped in Raham's recovery. She stayed as active as possible before surgery, and soon after the operation she returned to her regular workouts. She found she had to change activities for a while, such as using a stationary bike instead of hiking or running.

Then there are the intangibles that contribute to recovery. "Attitude always makes a difference," Raham said, and hers is a positive one. "I have complete faith that the knee will get back to where it was, but it may take a year. The thing is to take it slowly and not try to do everything at once."

She offers this advice to others recuperating from an injury. "Instead of moaning about what you can't do, do what you can do. An attitude of 'I'm going to make the best of it' brings you out on top of any situation."

Raham is an enthusiastic promoter of athletics for adults. Masters Track and Field meets are limited to traditional events, she noted, but Senior Olympics branches out into lifetime sports such as swimming, golf, badminton, horseshoes and table tennis. Anyone interested in getting involved in these activities may call her at 568-3557 for more information.