The road to recovery has been long, but the end is in sight.

Preparing for the 2012-13 gymnastics season, Iowa State’s Michelle Shealy was just trying to get back into form. While practicing her routine on the bars, Shealy decided to change her dismount at the last minute.

She let go of the bar, soared through the air and landed right on her head, injuring her upper back and lower neck. In spite of the injury, Shealy earned national recognition for her outstanding junior season.

Shealy qualified for the individual all-around competition at the NCAA Championships and went on to finish in fifth place on the balance beam, the highest finish ever by an ISU gymnast. As a result, Shealy was also named to the All-America First Team on the beam.

After the season, doctors told Shealy that she needed to take it easy or she could end up making things worse.

“Some doctors told me I would probably never compete again,” Shealy said. “After [Nationals] they really wanted me to rest and take things slow since it was hurting so bad. It got even worse when I tried to come back after resting, to the point where I couldn’t just push through it anymore.”

Shealy consulted a variety of doctors to find the remedy for her injury. She tried common solutions like physical therapy and chiropractic work as well as unique remedies such as acupuncture and electric shock therapy.

After not finding the proper fix, Shealy was advised to take six weeks off from all physical activity. After taking the time to recuperate, Shealy was able to starting working out with less pain.

Once she got back into competition shape, Shealy began working on the balance beam around the start of the new year. She cited a variety of reasons for choosing to come back on that apparatus first.

“I love the beam; it’s my favorite event,” Shealy said. “At the same time, it also has less impact and isn’t as forceful on my neck. I started off very light, just doing it one or two times every day. It took some time, but I came back around.”

Shealy made the first appearance of her senior campaign Jan. 25 against Oregon State and earned a mark of 9.725 on the beam, which was the only event she competed in. ISU coach Jay Ronayne said it brings him comfort to be able to put Shealy back in the lineup.

“We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time,” Ronayne said. “Ultimately, we want her on more events. We don’t truly know what’s ahead of her, but the most important thing is that it’s a beginning.”

Shealy’s teammate Caitlin Brown is also excited about her return, both due to Shealy’s ability to bring up the overall team score and because she knows Shealy is back in her element.

“It’s comforting because [Michelle] is such a great competitor and you know that she’s going to hit routines every time she’s out there,” Brown said. “To have her out there and that you can trust her so much in the lineup again is good. You can also see that she’s just happy to be out there again doing what she wants to do, and that’s great.”

As she tries to get her beam performance back to last season’s level, Shealy is also working on her bars and floor routines. Though she acknowledged she has her work cut out for her, progress has given her reason for optimism.

Through the personal challenges Shealy has faced, she emphasized her objective for this season has not changed.

“My personal goal is to just do as much as I can to help the team,” Shealy said. “I don’t want to focus on the individual part, just the team. I’m going to finish out my last season here. I’m not giving up.”