Ashley Corcoran

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For Central Rams pitcher Ashley Corcoran, it began as a softball tournament had been pretty much like any other. Until, that is, she woke up Saturday morning and found that her arm had become swollen during the night.

"It was huge," she said. "I had no idea what had happened. It was kind of numb, and began to get really heavy."

Ashley and her parents, Brian and Leslie, had known AMP physician James Elliott for years; in fact, when Ashley broke her nose at a tournament several years before, he'd been there to offer assistance. That's why he was the first person they called.

"My mom called him, and he told us to go back to Billings immediately," she said. "I didn't think it was anything that serious, but when my mom told him what was going on, he said he thought it was a blood clot-and he was right."

Dr. Elliott was out of state at the time of Ashley's diagnosis and unable to perform the surgery himself. But he immediately made treatment arrangements by specialists who deal directly with the problem, as well as radiologists and thoracic surgeons.

Back in Billings, Ashley had the clot removed immediately and was placed on blood thinners to prevent it from happening again-ending her 2009 season. She was ultimately diagnosed with Subclavian Vein Thrombosis, secondary to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

"My muscles were overdeveloped, and had wrapped around my rib and collar bone," she said. "The vein was being pinched."

"When they called, I could tell exactly what was going on by the way it presented itself, even though it's an uncommon problem," said Dr. Elliott. "It was very swollen and painful. It really was a matter of knowing the problem-which is an uncommon one-and moving right towards treatment."

According to Dr. Elliott, this type of injury is most frequently diagnosed in overhead athletes. However, despite throwing underhand, as a fastball pitcher, Ashley was also susceptible to this type of injury.

Ultimately, Ashley had an additional surgery in order to remove her first rib to prevent the likelihood of the clot returning.

"The doctors told me that I would be fine, and that I would be able to come back," Ashley said. "That's why I decided to do the surgery-so that I would be able to play my senior year.

For more than six weeks, Ashley's arm remained in a sling, and she was unable to participate in sports. Later, she started golfing, and by November began to throw during open gym sessions. By the beginning of 2010 softball season, the All-State right-hander was ready to return to the mound.

"Ashley wanted to return to the level she'd been at before, and did what she needed to do to get there," Dr. Elliott said. "It's great that it's worked out well for her."