I had absolutely no idea what powerlifting even was,” says Allison Garden, VCOM-Carolinas Class of 2025. “Working out was a hobby for me, not something I’d ever considered taking to a competitive level of any type.” The 24-year-old first took up the sport in 2018, during her last semester at college, with the encouragement of Dan Austin, USC’s football strength coach.
Her newfound passion for powerlifting would have profound effects on Garden’s life in the years to come. “The small group of people that lifted at the baseball weight room every morning at 5:15 a.m. quickly became a semblance of a family to me,” she says. “To this day, we still have a group chat that we talk in every day despite being hundreds of miles away from each other.”
“Powerlifting has helped me to develop a functional strength that has carried over into everyday life outside of the gym. Lifting heavy weight in itself gives you this powerful feeling, but more so than that, it forces you to develop a new kind of inner strength and mental fortitude. I think the part about lifting that I personally find most rewarding is overcoming what seem to be insurmountable obstacles, and the focus, drive and discipline you build while getting there.”
But then in late 2018, disaster struck. “I started noticing that my hip was hurting, specifically with deadlifting,” Garden says. “After a couple MRIs and referrals to multiple surgeons, I was diagnosed with a labral tear in my left hip, as well as a CAM lesion. I put off surgery for as long as I could, but ultimately ended up getting it repaired on Aug. 28, 2019. While in recovery, I noticed that I started having the same pain in my right hip, so my surgeon got me in for an MRI as soon as possible, at which point we discovered I had torn that labrum as well and had a CAM lesion on my right femur.”
“At first I was very afraid that my career as a powerlifter would never be the same,” she says. “I don’t think I was ever afraid that it would be over completely, but I was definitely preparing myself to not ever fully come back at the same strength and/or intensity.”
Her recovery was remarkable. “A few days after surgery, I started physical therapy two times per week, and I religiously completed all the exercises and mobility work that my physical therapist prescribed for me to do outside of my scheduled appointments. My strength started coming back much sooner than any of us expected and 4 days before my meet in December, exactly three months post-op, my surgeon cleared me to compete in a full meet.”
“My prompt recovery and incredibly fast return to powerlifting surprised both my surgeon and physical therapist,” Garden says. “The only explanation my surgeon could think of was that it must’ve had to do with my fitness level and strength prior to surgery.”
Allison Garden’s experience as an athlete has had a deep impact on her pursuit of a medical education. “I’ve wanted to be a doctor for longer than I can remember,” she says. “When I was in elementary school, my dad used to let me come round with him at the hospital on the weekends and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. When I was little, I’d tell anyone that listened ‘I’m gonna be a doctor like my dad when I grow up.’ I think my athletic past has absolutely influenced my keen interest in orthopedic surgery. I had my first encounter with an orthopedic surgeon when I was 10 years old and that was followed by more visits than my parents probably would’ve liked throughout the years.”
For Allison Garden, becoming a physician is a lifelong ambition fueled by her passion for sports. Her competitive spirit and ability to surmount seemingly insurmountable obstacles continues to bring her success in the gym and in the classroom.
“Physicians are the ones coordinating and leading the care team when forming a treatment plan. Having a patient’s life in your hands is a humbling and rewarding experience and there’s a level of respect that comes with a lot of responsibility. Looking up to my father is what put the idea in my head, but ultimately my experiences are what solidified my desire to become a doctor.”
