Carson Miller is accustomed to speed. As a sprinter, he has mastered going extremely fast for short distances. But when he had 2 significant injuries in the same year, he learned the importance of patience and perseverance.
Carson, a DeSoto High School graduate, is headed to the University of Tulsa to run track. His events are the 100- and 200-meter relays, and his biggest accomplishment was taking the 5A state title in the 4x100-meter relay in 2024. But his journey to finish on top had several challenges along the way.
Stressed out
Carson was training for his junior season of high school track when he started to notice discomfort in the top of his foot. The pain became unbearable after running the first meet of his junior year. Kara Steen, a health system athletic trainer at DeSoto High school, recommended Carson get it checked out.
He met with orthopedic surgeon Bryan Vopat, MD, and was diagnosed with a navicular stress fracture and low vitamin D. While Carson’s stress fracture was mostly due to overuse, Dr. Vopat says a lack of nutrients can lead to a higher likelihood of stress fractures for youth athletes.
The good news for Carson was that his stress fracture didn’t require a surgery. The bad news? It would take time and rest.
“The navicular bone has a really poor blood supply, so it’s much harder to get that bone to heal,” Dr. Vopat says.
“He was really understanding of the fact that I was an athlete,” Carson says. “And I wanted to get back for the end of track season.”
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