Last year, with 9 seniors graduating, Andrew Mutafyan, was getting his chance to be a starting guard for the Los Alamitos High School Water Polo team. However right before he began summer water polo he faced a set back, when he experienced what he thought was tendinitis in his shoulder. He went to his doctor and the MRI concluded that there was no tear, it was just a case of bursitis—inflammation of a fluid-filled sac bursa in the shoulder joint. Andrew went to physical therapy with the trainer of the US National Water Polo team and ended up playing through the summer.

However, Andrew was still experiencing pain, so when he had three weeks off in August he decided to get another MRI this time with contrast (dye) to see the shoulder muscles better. Yet same result, no tears. Andrew played on. When “hell” week started at the beginning of his junior year, his team practiced for nearly eight hours a day. Toward the end of practice, the team was asked to swim ten 100s, a novice assignment for a star water polo player and swim team member. That’s when the most excruciating pain hit and he couldn’t finish his laps.

That night the pain was so unbearable, he couldn’t sleep and he and his family knew he needed arthroscopic surgery. Surgery was the last resort, but Andrew wasn’t fearful of the surgery itself, he was concerned that the rehab to get his arm back into condition would mean the end of the season for his entire junior year and even worse, potentially his water polo career.

After surgery in November 2009 to repair a torn labrum and capsule and removal of his bursa, Andrew was referred to Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach for its leading pediatric outpatient rehabilitation. When Andrew started physical therapy in December 2009, he had no mobility.  He met with his therapist, Stacie, and they set goals and expectations to get Andrew back to playing hole D – a defensive player or position on the 2 meter line in front of the goal.  They were most concerned about gaining back his external rotation – he couldn’t get to neutral rotation, he was always in the negative. But that didn’t stop Andrew, and he went to Miller Children’s for physical therapy three times a week to gain back his mobility and strength. Stacie specialized her physical therapy treatments to get Andrew his “swimmer’s shoulder” back by working on overhead motion, and improving the external rotation and abduction – creating the fluid mobility a swimmer needs.  By February Andrew was able to start active motion.

Being a student athlete, Andrew is used to pushing himself, but all the self determination and will in the world couldn’t prepare him for his battle to get back in the pool. “When I first was injured right at the beginning of the season of my junior year it was demoralizing. I wasn’t going to let it bring me down, but I was a little concerned for my water polo future. But Stacie, and other therapists at Miller Children’s knew what they were doing and were always challenging me. They taught me how to reach my limits and push beyond them. It was tough getting the external motion back, but they also pushed me to have a better mentality and get beyond the frustration. “

Today, Andrew is just a few weeks from finishing his rehab and has already surpassed everyone’s expectations: he has lettered in varsity for the 50 free-style in swimming and participated in a water polo scrimmage last week. Thanks to the specialized pediatric care Andrew received at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Andrew plans to start his senior year as a guard for the Los Alamitos Water Polo Team and has plans to give back by volunteering at Miller Children’s.