Tracy Welter’s Testimonial
Tracy Welter
May – June 2022 • Vol 3, No 121
My name is Tracy Welter, and I am a Three Forks middle school and high school health and PE teacher and coach. I am passionate about physical fitness and have played a variety of sports from grade school through college and into my mid-thirties, including softball, volleyball, track, and basketball.
My left knee started hurting me many years ago as a result of sports injuries in high school and college—back when I was young and thought I could just keep doing things despite the injuries. Overuse of my knee caused tears in my cartilage and meniscus. I had surgery about 30 years ago, but within a year, it tore again while playing city-league basketball.
It became more difficult and took longer to heal, so playing any sports had to be minimal after that. I took up golfing as a way to stay active when I wasn’t able to do the other sports I loved. Eventually, golf also became hard on my knees. The pain started to become a normal part of my life, so I learned to live around it and tried not to think a whole lot about it, which ultimately ended up causing more damage as I pushed through the pain. My knee would lock up, swell and hurt. It became difficult going down stairs, and even going for walks could be painful.
