When Gavin Greene hit the ground in a scrimmage last August– Alyshia Teffeteller was the first line of defense. As an athletic trainer, her medical services are provided to Hardin Valley Academy year round as a community service by Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic.
“I hear the coaches yell my name in a way they’ve never yelled it before,” Teffeteller said.
“Obviously our trainer came in immediately,” head coach Wes Jones said. “We were struggling to find a pulse in his foot.”
“We knew it was an obvious break. We had to splint that,” Teffeteller recalled. “The next step is to call his parents. See where they wanted him to go.”
Greene was airlifted to University of Tennessee Medical Center where he underwent surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula. He would spend the next month in a wheelchair and another couple of weeks on crutches.
“It was a really aggressive plan,” Greene said. “That’s what me and Alyshia talked about… being aggressive with it because that’s the only way to get back to the way I was.”
Now, nearly eight months after his injury, Greene is just about there. “I think the last thing for him is to get into spring football,” Teffeteller said. “Getting down and dirty with the contact and getting hit again.”
While his rehab with Teffeteller is complete, the relationship they built during Greene’s recovery remains.
“It was already on an OK friend to friend basis,” Greene said. “But now it’s very strong.”
“It was a great relationship,” Jones added. “She pushed him and I’d say she’s a big part of support and the reason he’s where he’s at now.
Teffeteller’s clinic provides eight other Knox County schools with trainers, and Tennova Health Care provides four. “I think the biggest thing I’ve realized is this is where I’m supposed to be.” she said.