Gymnast, 11, recovers from ankle injury just in time

Ila James, 11, describes herself as “type A.”

She’s a straight-A student and a competitive gymnast whose role model is Simone Biles. Ila’s parents don’t have to push her to achieve; they have to remind her to go easy on herself. (Her mom, Rachel Ellis, said she also has to tell her every day that the living room is not for gymnastics.)

Her dad, Timothy, had already cautioned Ila about taking on too much after the Archdale resident added volleyball to a schedule that already included school, choir and gymnastics. All on the same day. He was concerned she’d be tired when she got to High Point Gymnastics Academy for the last activity of the day – and get hurt.

Ila had been preparing to defend her title at the upcoming Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) regionals and had one more maneuver on the uneven bars she wanted to show her coach, Erin Travers. When she dismounted, she fell backward and twisted her right ankle.

What Ila described as “the longest day ever” got even longer.

Her dad carried her out of the gym since Ila was unable to walk. He told her they’d see how the ankle looked in the morning and get to a doctor if it hadn’t improved. The next day, they went to a walk-in clinic in Kernersville and learned Ila had fractured the growth plate in her ankle.

She was referred to Dr. Snow Daws, an orthopedic surgeon with Novant Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine who covers Greensboro, High Point and Kernersville and is a former athlete herself. (Daws shattered the glass ceiling when she became the kicker for her high school’s otherwise all-male football team.)

Daws was able to see Ila that day. Most Novant Health orthopedic clinics in the Triad and the greater Charlotte area are staffed to offer same-day and walk-in appointments for patients with orthopedic injuries. Visit NovantHealth.org/OrthoNow to learn more.

Ila said, “I was crying in Dr. Daws’ office because I was so anxious.” Regionals were about two months away, and this was a major setback.

Daws understands the competitive spirit. She said she’d do what she could to help Ila meet her aggressive timeline and scheduled surgery for just a few days later. “We always like to attend to fractures quickly,” she said.

As soon as Ila and her parents left Daws’ office, Ila asked if they could go to the gym so she could make a plan with her coach.

“If Ila has a roadmap, she’s great about following it,” her mom said. “I knew she’d feel OK if she made a plan with her coach.”

Ila understood her recovery would not be passive. She’d have to wear a hard cast and then a boot on her injured foot for four weeks and be diligent about physical therapy to get herself competition-ready. Of course, that wasn’t a problem for such a focused and determined preteen.

Her surgery – an ankle arthroscopy with open treatment of the growth plate fracture – went smoothly. Ila was glad that Novant Health Kernersville Outpatient Surgery Center schedules kids’ surgeries first thing in the morning – hers was at 7 a.m. – since that meant she didn’t have all day to worry.

Daws wasn’t sure until they were in the OR if Ila’s surgery could be done arthroscopically. Translation: surgery with much smaller incisions using specialized tools that make for less pain and a shorter recovery. That’s always her preference, as it’s easier on the patient and makes rehab easier. But the extent of the injury dictates the kind of surgery needed.

“Ila had a loose piece of cartilage,” Daws explained. “My concern was: Where did it come from? How big is it? And how easily can we put it back where it belongs?”

Pretty easily, it turned out. Daws moved the displaced cartilage and fixed the fracture with a screw in what she called a “relatively simple” outpatient procedure.

Now, it was Ila’s turn to simultaneously heal from the injury and train for the upcoming competition. Her physical therapist gave her exercises and stretches to do at home. She aced it all. Just six weeks after Ila’s mid-March surgery, Daws cleared her for the May 12 competition.

And her winning streak continued at regionals in Dalton, Georgia. She won first place in bars, beam and her floor routine, third place on vault and, most impressive of all, best all-around.

“I could not be prouder,” Rachel said. “Not because of her scores – but because of what she overcame. She was so determined, so focused. I know what that’s like; I just came through major hip surgery.” (Rachel cops to being a little type A herself. After her hip replacement November 2023, she was as eager to get back to running as Ila was to return to gymnastics.) ​

Ila said it was “such a relief” to hear her name called as the winner. She said, “All I worked for was rewarded.”​