Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs A woman who was training for a marathon was left feeling like her “world ended” when a friendly race caused her to require multiple surgeries and led to months of recovery.While at a friend’s engagement party in October last year, Carly Hay, 27, and the other guests wore name tags with icebreakers on them to get people talking. Hay wrote on her name tag that she “runs really fast,” as she’s always been athletic and was preparing for her first marathon.As it turned out, another guest had also written the same on his name tag, so Hay challenged him to a race. However, she told Newsweek that “no one checked the land beforehand,” and Hay had no idea what she was about to run into.”We were originally going to run to the shed but decided we would run to the tree instead,” Hay, from Canberra, Australia, said. “Unfortunately, where I sprinted off, there was a large cut into the land and a 2-meter [6.5-foot] drop and big pipes coming out of the ground. I landed on my left leg, which hyperextended 45 degrees.”
Carly Hay, 27, following her devastating knee injury that occurred in October 2024.
Carly Hay, 27, following her devastating knee injury that occurred in October 2024.
@carlyhay3 / TikTok
The people Hay was racing against had a gentle gradient to come down, whereas Hay’s side was much steeper and dangerous. With the injury she sustained to her knee, she was left rolling down to the bottom.When she finally sat up, Hay instantly saw that her knee was dislocated, and she said it felt like her “lower left leg was no longer attached” to her upper leg. Needless to say, she couldn’t put any weight on that leg, and as a physiotherapist, she knew it would be a long road to recovery.”I wasn’t in much pain, mainly just shock and devastation that my life was going to be put on hold for the next year, especially with so many active events coming up. There was another physio at the party, and she was worried about a tibial plateau fracture,” Hay said.She was filled with dread about what this one impromptu race could cause. Hay was taken to a nearby hospital where she had initial X-rays and CT scans on her knee. But she was later transferred to a larger hospital five hours away for an MRI scan.Following the MRI, Hay was diagnosed with a ruptured posterolateral corner (PLC) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). According to the Mammoth Orthopedic Institute, approximately 16 percent of ligamentous knee injuries are PLC injuries.Hay spent five nights in the hospital, and because her injury was so severe, she required emergency surgery on October 10.”As it was a public holiday in Canberra, my treatment was delayed, but I ended up having emergency surgery to fixate my medial tibial plateau fracture and to repair my posterolateral corner to maintain some stability in my leg,” Hay said.”As it was such a large injury and my tibial plateau was in pieces, they couldn’t attach the PCL to anything. So, we decided on a staged surgery to allow for healing before reconstructing the PCL in March,” she continued.
Carly Hay’s knee injury that occurred during an impromptu race with friends in October.
Carly Hay’s knee injury that occurred during an impromptu race with friends in October.
@carlyhay3 / TikTok
Unfortunately, one outdoor race took Hay from marathon training to non-weightbearing on her left leg for six weeks. She had to walk around on crutches and spent 12 weeks wearing a brace on her knee.Hay told Newsweek: “Although my knee will never be the same again, especially due to the scars, plate and screws and numbness, I believe I’ll be able to get to a level of function that I’m happy with. I may not be able to sprint as fast as I used to, but I’m confident I will be able to get pretty close.”She’s still doing rehabilitation exercises now to build back her strength, but Hay can finally walk long distances in her brace and has “almost full range of motion” in her knee. Building her strength back is slow but steady, but Hay remains optimistic.Throughout this journey, Hay has documented her experiences on TikTok (@carlyhay3) to find comfort and connect with others. Her videos have captured plenty of attention, with one video showing how far she’s come in nearly six months amassing over 16.3 million views and 1 million likes on TikTok at the time of writing.By sharing her experience, Hay hopes to educate others and show the positive results that are possible by being consistent with physiotherapy exercises.She continued: “In the first three weeks following the accident, I became quite depressed and withdrawn. It was the lowest I have ever been in my life. I found solace and hope in seeing other people’s journeys on social media, so I decided that I would share mine for other people.”Although I treat musculoskeletal injuries every day, this has really changed me as a practitioner. It has allowed me to develop a deep sense of empathy for what my patients are going through,” Hay said.The online reaction is beyond anything Hay had anticipated, as many social media users sent her messages of support, and some even share their personal experiences too.
Carly Hay, 27, before injuring her left knee in October 2024 as she’s normally a very active person.
Carly Hay, 27, before injuring her left knee in October 2024 as she’s normally a very active person.
@carlyhay3 / TikTok
She certainly isn’t giving up hope, and she’s found it beneficial to set herself SMART goals (an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound). For Hay, those goals include running the City2Surf race and going snowboarding by the end of August.Hay’s story has generated thousands of comments on social media, as one TikTok user commented on her post: “I’m so confused why all of you thought this was a good idea.”Another person replied: “you were definitely winning, though.”While one TikTok user wrote: “You are so strong girl, you got this!”Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
