By: Erin Snyder
Athletes, especially runners, tend to get serious injuries. Anything from shin splints to literally breaking off your leg. So it's no wonder Rachel Bosley freaked out when she started feeling pain in her legs. Rachel knew previously that she had severe stress fractures, but she chose not to question it, due to her love of running. Rachel was diagnosed with stress fractures in seventh grade. So she knew what that pain felt like. And she knew what it didn't feel like. "I thought I had stress fractures because I googled what they felt like and it described a lot of what I was feeling." That was what Rachel had to say about the subject. Like any other teen athlete, she didn't want to have to quit the sport, so for a while, she chose not to go to her doctor. However, the pain soon became unbearable, and she was forced to go in. "It turns out, I have bilateral femoral anteversion," she said. "It's basically when my hips turn in one way too much. It causes me to be pigeon toed and puts too much pressure on my tibia so it was causing me have really intense shin splints." The shin splints she originally had were actually because of her mutation. Disappointed, but also a bit relieved, Rachel was forced to leave the track field for the season. The healing process had begun. "I am going to physical therapy so that they can retrain my legs to face the right way," Rachel said. It's a difficult process, but it has to be done. "Also, I’m getting special inserts in my shoes that will force my legs to be correct." Once again, it is obvious how much Rachel actually loves running, to be willing to go through the stresses of healing. Although Rachel isn't completely healed, she's on her way! "I am hoping that they can correct my legs," Rachel says about her efforts to heal herself. When asked what she hoped the outcome would be, besides being able to run again, she responded with "I'm hoping I no longer get such terrible shin splints and so I will be able to push myself harder to be a better runner."