Ava Culver's Story

When you are involved in sports, you always want to be the best. When she was in seventh grade, Ava Culver of Smithfield, NC, found out that it can come with a cost. Playing volleyball in middle school, Ava worked hard to perfect her serve. She nailed it. Her height, coupled with her strong, accurate serve, made her the go-to player in that position – often throughout practices and in games. It gave her confidence, and she felt good about her situation – until her right shoulder started challenging her. Overuse had caused her to develop a shoulder injury that threatened to put her volleyball days on the bench.

“We tried several things at home – ice, heat, massage - thinking I had just moved wrong or strained a muscle,” says Ava, “but by December, it was to the point my mom and dad took me to see my doctor who referred me to a local orthopedist. Suspecting a possible labral tear, he sent me for physical therapy at UNC Health Johnston’s Medical Mall for seven weeks to see if it was something less severe that therapy could resolve.”

Physical therapists were concerned when, at that point, she was still having pain. They suggested she go back to the orthopedist. He ordered a special type of MRI called an MR Arthrogram, which revealed that it was indeed a labral tear that would require surgery.

“I had surgery on March 14, 2023, at UNC Health Johnston in Clayton to repair the torn labrum,” Ava told us. “The surgery went great. Before surgery, my pain level was an 8 out of a possible 10, but after the surgery, I was at a zero! I started post-surgery physical therapy about four weeks after surgery to build up my strength and flexibility, starting in April and continuing through December.”

Ava made the middle school volleyball team in August. By October, she was getting her serve back, and in January 2024, she was playing with a traveling club volleyball team and enjoying her comeback.

“I am still working on building my strength, but my serve is 100%,” says Ava. “UNC Health Johnston brought me the whole way - from imaging to make the best diagnosis to surgery to repair the tear and finally, physical therapy to get me back in the game – and all of this expert care was here – close to home!”