Patient Spotlight – Flipping Better, Faster with Bryn
Bryn is a 9-year-old gymnast who has been competing and doing gymnastics for almost 3 years, so it’s safe to say that she has already found her passion. During one her practices in September 2018, she was doing a tuck, which consists of a handspring and a flip. This resulted in a buckle fracture to her left arm. This is a common injury seen in children since a child has softer, more flexible bones, one side of the bone may buckle upon itself without disrupting the other side of the bone. This left Bryn with a sling for 4 weeks and weak mobility in her arm, making it difficult for her to even bend it. “Her ortho recommended Physical Therapy and I knew exactly where to take her,” exclaimed Julianne, Bryn’s mother who is also a patient at Alliance Orthopedics’ Freehold office. Bryn met with Freehold’s Occupational Therapist, Todd, and rehab assistant, Richard, both of whom were an integral part of helping Bryn get back on her feet…and hands! With his background in gymnastics, Richard helped Todd with creating a fun treatment plan that played well into Bryn’s competitive streak. They transformed the workout area in Freehold to help her do gym exercises so she can get back in the motions for her competition.
“The atmosphere here is incredible. My daughter looks forward to her OT & PT sessions. They really focused on her full recovery while making it fun for her!”
“I learned how to do a handstand so we could do handstand competitions, pull up competitions, chin-ups and worked a lot on strengthening her arm and rang of motion,” explained Todd. Todd’s goal for Bryn was to get her to a full recovery and back to the gymnasium within 4 to 6 weeks. With her hard work and resilience, she was back within 3 weeks! Bryn went from not being able to use her left arm at all to doing 25 yards of walking on her hands. Her gymnastic coach, who told her she wouldn’t be able to compete due to her injury, informed her that she was good to compete again. “They have done amazing things for her to make her comfortable and functional so it doesn’t even feel like treatment. The environment here is amazing.” Thank you Bryn for completely embodying our motto and letting us help you Get Better, Faster. You are an inspiration to all of us who want to reach and exceed our goals as we hit.