Successful Shoulder Surgery Paves the Way for Standout Hockey Player

For as long as she can remember, hockey has been a part of Grace Adriaanse’s life.

Growing up in Durham, Ontario, she was surrounded by sports. Watching her father and brother play helped spark a passion that would eventually lead her to the collegiate ice.

“We’re a big sports family and I started playing hockey around 8 years old. I also played lacrosse until high school but have continued to play ice hockey at a college level,” says Grace, a forward who was recruited to play for the University of Michigan-Dearborn beginning in the 2024–2025 season.

Although she competed in both lacrosse and hockey for most of her life, Grace had never experienced a major injury—until her right shoulder began troubling her during high school and worsened during her freshman season at UM Dearborn.

“I injured my shoulder during practice in the beginning of the season and it just kept getting worse,” says Grace, who continued playing despite the injury. “It was really painful and hard to move. I was getting hit a lot on the ice and was struggling to shoot. Anything that had to do with movements or lifting weights—I couldn't really do well because I was in pain,” she remembers.

Athletic trainer helps manage injury during the season

Fortunately, Grace had the support of UM-Dearborn Athletic Trainer Jeff Bord who she consulted with as her pain became progressively worse. Bord is also part of the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine-Detroit which provides certified athletic trainers (ATCs) for professional, collegiate, and high school sports teams across the region. Working closely with Jeff and Robert Albers, D.O., sports medicine and family medicine physician at Henry Ford Health who also serves as a team physician for the University of Michigan-Dearborn, allowed Grace to continue competing during the season while also evaluating treatment options for the offseason.

“After consulting with Dr. Albers who ordered an MRI, results revealed a labral tear and cartilage damage that would require surgery to repair. Despite this, Grace was still determined to play to the best of her abilities,” explains Jeff.

“We worked daily to improve her symptoms through manual therapy, therapeutic modalities, and taping, and Grace's perseverance resulted in her being named to the CCWHA All-Rookie team, and the girls finishing in 6th place at ACHA nationals."

Shoulder surgery sets the stage for recovery

Following her successful freshman season, Grace underwent shoulder surgery in April 2025 with Eric Makhni, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Henry Ford Health.

The procedure repaired the damage in her shoulder and positioned her for a full recovery—allowing her to return to the ice stronger for her sophomore season in 2026.

“Shoulder labral tears can be very painful for high-level athletes like Grace,” says Dr. Makhni. “Sometimes, they can be treated without surgery, but in her case, surgery was the best course forwards and allowed us to repair the torn labrum back to the bone using a minimally invasive technique and with tiny suture anchors.”

Stronger on the ice and helping her team make history

After a smooth summer recovery back home in Canada, including working with Jeff to provide exercises to maximize her recovery, Grace returned to the ice feeling stronger and pain-free—an outcome that helped her elevate her performance and contribute to a standout season for the Wolverines.

“We've broken some school records this year beating a couple of teams for the first time ever while being first in our conference and winning our playoff championship, so this year has definitely been a nice experience,” she says.

Now studying psychology, Grace hopes to one day help other athletes navigate the mental and emotional challenges that can come with competitive sports.

She also credits the Henry Ford athletic medicine team for supporting her throughout every stage of the process—from diagnosing the source of her pain to guiding her recovery.

“The doctors were great and our team is appreciative of Jeff. Whenever we have any issues or questions about injuries, we just go in and bug him and he fixes it,” she laughs. “It’s definitely nice to have someone here that is able to help you if you have any discomfort or potential injuries.”