Reagan Noble is chasing that hard-to-catch “shiny nickel.’’
“I’d love for someone to offer me that shiny nickel,’’ the gifted soccer goalie said, just after completing a successful set of blood flow restriction-related exercises under the watchful eye of Lauren Getz, PT, DPT, at Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Peoria (Knoxville Ave.), Illinois-based clinic.
A prep star goalkeeper at Peoria Christian High School, Noble is pursuing his dream of playing soccer for a living. However, the path to the next level for the hard working, ever-upbeat 21-year-old, hit a roadblock in October of 2023. It was there, while playing an exhibition match for Eureka College, that Noble suffered a tear in his left anterior cruciate ligament. He also sustained damage to his meniscus as well.
A devastating knee injury for most and a give-up moment for many, this is simply a fork-in-the-road challenge for Noble, as driven an athlete as you will encounter.
After several months of challenging – and successful therapy – with the knowledgeable and compassionate Getz guiding him, Noble sees the light at the end of the return-to-play tunnel. The chance to ramp-up the chase of the “shiny nickel,’’ has been helped tremendously through the use – and noticed benefits – of blood flow restriction therapy.
“It (blood flow restriction therapy) is – in this stage – part of each therapy session and it works,’’ said Noble, who spent the spring college semester (2024) working toward a degree in nursing. “It’s a unique process, but it (BFR) bears positive results.’’
Blood flow restriction therapy uses a pneumatic cuff to simulate strenuous exercise to stimulate muscle recruitment, mitigate atrophy, improve strength, decrease pain, and promote hypertrophy in patients with load-bearing limitations.
To perform blood flow restriction therapy, Getz, a gifted, knowledgeable, and compassionate therapist, applies the cuff – that will inflate – to the proximal end of the affected limb. The patient then performs a series of exercises while the cuff remains inflated – tableside leg lifts in Noble’s case – all done through a series of repetitions and intervals.
“Such a great tool to have,’’ Getz said of blood flow restriction therapy. “It is a benefit in the pilot stages of rehabilitation to help with load bearing and for improving strength and reducing soreness.
“There is still work to be done,’’ Getz added. “But Reagan has been tremendous in his approach and his effort. Even with a semester of health-profession-related school and all the work that comes with it, Reagan has been consistent with being here twice a week for therapy. The obvious is that he is motivated and that plays a huge role in his success.’’
From his first therapy session post-op, Noble has bought in, citing Getz’s knowledge, energy, compassion, and her ability to relate as reasons he trusts her – at every turn – with his care.
“Lauren has kept everything upbeat,’’ Noble said of Getz. “And she has made it challenging. She also knows all the signs that something – if we go any further – would be going too far for my own good and those days where I have improved enough to even further the next day.
“She’s amazing,’’ Noble added, referring to Getz. “I’m a huge fan of her work. The blood flow (restriction) work really helps us push ahead. It has also minimized pain and allowed me to be ahead of where I thought I would be.’’
That Getz, an elite college athlete in her playing days, understands the chase Noble is on to get back to playing soccer at the highest level possible, has played a successful role in his therapy.
“She played Division I volleyball,’’ Noble said of Getz, who starred at Nashville, Tenn.-based Lipscomb University. “She understands training, time management and she understands competition. And she certainly knows fatigue, having done all that and then made it through PT school. I have respect and great trust in her. Lauren is baller.’’
Noble and Getz agree the soccer standout is ahead of his return-to-play schedule, but work remains.
“A lot of specifics that go into that end,’’ Noble said. “I will just continue to follow all that Lauren has planned for me. I have 1½ years left with school and I’ll concentrate on that side and chase the opportunity to play (at the next level) when it comes. I can tell you I’d rather be playing right now, chasing that “shiny nickel,’’ but I do not control that. I have trusted Lauren to get me to this point, the rest – and it will not be long – will take care of itself. I just must do what she says, because she wants me to be 100 percent and achieve the goals I am chasing.’’
For Getz, the chance to play a role in Noble’s return play, in a community close to where she was raised, is a blessing.
“I know I wanted a career in the healthcare field in some capacity,’’ she said. “I love the human body and sports and how they mesh. I love the body and exercise components and absolutely love making a difference in the lives of people. I found the right place to make that difference in Rock Valley and I have a great mentor in Luke Acklie (PT, OCS, SCS, CSCS, Regional Manager). Everything (in life) has fallen into place. I love my life here.’’
And that she can make a difference in a gifted athlete chasing his “shiny nickel.’’
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller