Patient Stories

Jun 23, 2025
Collegiate Softball Pitcher and Arthrex Athlete Is Back Stronger Than Ever After Tearing Her ACL

Consider a collegiate softball player who pitches more than 60 miles an hour, and you might not guess how much of her power comes from her legs.

But University of Minnesota freshman softball pitcher Natalie Susa says strong legs are key to her success on the mound.

“I’m right-handed, and with every single pitch I extend my left knee as far as I can and put all my weight down on it,” Natalie said. “Without that strong left knee, I wouldn’t have the resistance I need for the velocity of the pitch.”

So, when Natalie tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) two years ago as a junior in high school, she worried about what it might mean for her future as a Division I athlete; she had already been offered a scholarship to play at the University of Minnesota.

“I was running to first base after hitting a ground ball,” Natalie said. “The other player tagged me. As I tried to pivot, my body went to the right, my knee went to the left, and I immediately went down. My coach knew right away that I had torn my ACL.”

Natalie was referred to Jacob G. Calcei, MD (Cleveland, Ohio), an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

“I take care of a lot of athletes, from peewees to the pros, including the Cleveland Browns,” Dr. Calcei said. “On a young, high-level athlete like Natalie, it’s important to use her own tissue as a graft in the ACL reconstruction.”

Dr. Calcei performed an Arthrex all-inside ACL reconstruction with the QuadLink™ autograft technique, using the QuadPro™ harvester and FiberTag® TightRope® implants.

“In my experience, in terms of soft-tissue grafts, the high-level athletes are happier when I use this technique and the quadriceps tendon graft, instead of taking their hamstring for the reconstruction,” he said. “The all-inside technique gives great results, and I use it in my skeletally immature patients as well.”

Natalie took advantage of the on-site physical therapy facilities at Dr. Calcei’s office and dedicated herself to her rehabilitation.

“I had minimal pain, and I was able to put weight on it right away, but rehab is a slow process,” Natalie said. “Every day when I showed up to rehab and to practice, I would strive for 1% better than the day before. There were times I wanted to go faster, but the physical therapists were very specific about workouts, reps and sets to do so that I would progress but not swell up.”

Dr. Calcei says Natalie’s dedication and patience were crucial to her complete recovery over the course of the following year.

“We’ve tried a million ways to make the process faster than nine to 12 months, but it often takes professional athletes a year to fully recover from ACL reconstruction, and rehab is their full-time job,” Dr. Calcei said. “The hardest part of recovery is often atrophy of the quadriceps muscles, and Natalie got it all back and then some. She passed all of her return-to-play testing before going back to pitching, and we felt great letting her fly.”

Today, Natalie is pitching as fast as ever at the University of Minnesota, without giving a second thought to the stability of her knee.

“It’s strong, and I trust it,” she said. “I do everything I used to do. I don’t even think about my surgery unless I look at my knee — and even then, all I have are five tiny scars.”

Going forward, Dr. Calcei says he’s confident all of Natalie’s hard work will continue to pay off.

“I don’t worry about her; she will continue to do what she needs to do to stay strong, and she will have a great career,” he said.

And Natalie says that is exactly what she’s counting on.

“It’s so important to take the time to fully recover,” she said. “It’s hard in the moment, but worth it in the long run.”

Disclaimers: This is not medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by a surgeon or other qualified medical professional on the use of these products. You should talk with your physician or health care provider for more information about your health condition and whether Arthrex products might be appropriate for you. The surgeon who performs any surgical procedure is responsible for determining and using the appropriate techniques for surgical procedures on each individual patient. Arthrex recommends that surgeons be trained on the use of any particular product before using it in surgery. A surgeon must always rely on their own professional medical judgment when deciding whether to use a particular product when treating a particular patient. A surgeon must always refer to the package insert, product label, and/or directions for use before using any Arthrex product. Postoperative management is patient-specific and dependent on the treating professional’s assessment. Individual results will vary and not all patients will experience the same postoperative activity level or outcomes. Products may not be available in all markets because product availability is subject to the regulatory approvals and medical practices in individual markets. Please contact Arthrex if you have questions about the availability of products in your area.
This real patient was compensated for the time she took to share her experience.   
Physician is a paid consultant of Arthrex, Inc.