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Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

by | Sep 30, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Header image courtesy of Eddie Kelly/ProLook.

When an injury threatened to keep Bryce off the baseball field for nine months, he and his family turned to Scottish Rite for Children to get him back in the game.

Bryce has always loved baseball. “I’ve been playing baseball pretty much ever since I could walk and get a ball in my hand,” he says. His mother, Johnette, first saw glimpses of Bryce’s outstanding athletic ability when he was 4. “When the other team was batting, it didn’t matter where Bryce was playing, he would go all over the field to get the ball,” she says. “He was kind of like a one-man-team.” Bryce started pitching when he was 8, and Johnette saw a drive and a passion that were unlike what she saw in other young athletes. When Bryce became a teenager, he played on select baseball teams, and he spent several summers traveling for games. Bryce’s drive and determination paid off his freshman year at McKinney High School when he made the varsity baseball team.

Like many star athletes, Bryce played several sports, and enjoyed football when he wasn’t playing baseball. Sport diversification can help prevent injuries caused by overuse, but unfortunately contact injuries are harder to prevent. In his junior year, he and his team had made it to the second round of the playoffs. During practice, to get ready for the big game, Bryce went for a block and, after contact, felt his arm go completely numb. “I thought it was just some bumps and a bruise because it’s football,” says Bryce. “So, I played that second round, and played every snap on offense and felt fine, but it turns out, it wasn’t too great.” The day after the game, he and a friend went to the baseball field to throw the ball around, but Bryce quickly realized that there was a problem. “I couldn’t even throw the ball five feet, because it was hurting so bad,” he says. 

Bryce had sustained a labral injury to his shoulder, which likely occurred when he subluxated (shoulder almost dislocated) or possibly dislocated (shoulder completely out of the socket) his shoulder. When the shoulder joint is injured this way, it can cause damage to the structures around the joint, including the labrum. The labrum is a ring of cartilage around the socket part of the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. When torn, the labrum is commonly thought to need surgery, but not always. 

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Initially, Bryce was told that surgery was necessary in order to return to sports and may take as long as nine months. This news devastated Bryce, so when his parents returned, they turned to the Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center for another opinion. Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Henry B. Ellis, M.D., reviewed Bryce’s files and MRI, and felt that they could get him back to baseball with physical therapy instead of surgery. He felt with proper rehabilitation (physical therapy) and allowing enough time to allow the labrum to heal, Bryce could avoid a surgery and possibly be back to baseball sooner. However, this did mean that Bryce would have to give his shoulder enough time to heal before throwing a ball again.

Though encouraged by the option to avoid surgery, Bryce remembers being a little shocked at how difficult physical therapy was from the start. “It kind of killed my confidence a little bit and frustrated me, because I’ve always played a lot of sports and I always want to be the best that I can be. But once I saw improvement in how my body and my shoulder felt, I finally started getting back my confidence, so it was good.” Scottish Rite coordinated with the McKinney High School athletic trainers on a program to get Bryce back on the field as soon as possible.

Bryce was cleared to play in February, right before the team began preparing for the upcoming season. After all the hard work he had put into building back his shoulder, he was very excited to be with his team again. They were glad to have him back too – in Bryce’s first week back, he hit three home runs. Things were going great until COVID-19 forced an early end to the season. “All this is a little different,” says Bryce. “It’s like a curveball being thrown at us. But you just have to adapt and be able to adjust and focus on what you are there for.”

Bryce has complete confidence in his shoulder now. “I feel like I can do anything and everything that I’ve always been capable of doing,” he says. “If it wasn’t for Scottish Rite, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” Bryce recently verbally committed to play baseball at Northeast Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and plans to continue his journey to Major League of Baseball.

Bryce is very grateful to Dr. Ellis. When others were recommending surgery, Ellis presented the pros and cons of a nonoperative plan. Bryce says he learned a lot from his experience. “When you go through hard times, you always have to keep your head straight and focus on the main goal, because you are going to go through ups and downs, but you just have to focus on the end result, and that was big for me. Not focusing on the negatives, but on getting back to where I needed to be.”

 

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With Her Knees Back in Sync, Abbee’s Ready to Take It From the Top!

With Her Knees Back in Sync, Abbee’s Ready to Take It From the Top!

by | Aug 18, 2022 | General News, Sports Medicine

A woman in a green jumpsuit is dancing on a stage .

Abbee, age 16 of Denton, isn’t like most kids her age. She attends a unique online school just so that she can devote as much time as possible to her true passion – dancing. She is dedicated, spending more than 40 hours a week practicing her dance, earning an invitation to participate in an exclusive pre-professional program at The Joffrey Ballet School.

Abbee dances all day, every day and is determined to pursue a career as a professional dancer. “I knew from a young age that this is what I wanted to do forever,” she says. When Abbee began noticing that her knees were “buckling” while she was dancing, she knew something was wrong. “It would happen while I was dancing, and it would take me out of dance for a few days until the pain went away,” Abbee says. “Eventually, it was happening so often that we decided it was time to see a doctor.”

Abbee visited our Sports Medicine clinic in Frisco to see Jane S. Chung, M.D., pediatric sports medicine physician for Scottish Rite for Children who has a passion for caring for female athletes and dancers. After discussing her history, performing a physical exam and reviewing X-rays and an MRI, Dr. Chung explained that Abbee’s kneecaps sit higher than normal. This position of the kneecap is referred to as patella alta and it can cause patellar instability or patellar subluxation, which is a partial dislocation of her kneecap. Chung reviewed the treatment options, ranging from physical therapy (PT) to surgery. As many patients do, Abbee chose a nonoperative approach first. She began PT to strengthen the muscles in her knees right away, working with physical therapist Jessica Dabis, P.T., D.P.T., O.C.S., to complete exercises to reduce the frequency and hopefully prevent dislocations. After completing PT, Abbee returned to her rigorous dance schedule, and she noticed that her knees felt much stronger.

Abbee visited with pediatric sports medicine surgeon Philip L. Wilson, M.D., and pediatric orthopedic nurse practitioner Chuck Wyatt, M.S., CPNP, RNFA,  who described the procedure and recovery and put her at ease. In November 2021, Wilson reconstructed the torn MPFL, which also corrected her patella alta. This procedure should prevent the instability episodes in this knee. Abbee began PT with Jessica Dabis at Scottish Rite again to rehab her left knee following surgery, working to get back to dancing

Soon after her surgery, Wyatt and Wilson determined that Abbee’s right knee also had a torn MPFL. Abbee knew this meant she would likely need another surgery, but she wasn’t worried. “I was already going to be out for this entire dance season, why not just get them both done and be completely healthy?” Abbee says. She continued PT of her left knee while preparing for surgery for her right knee, just 59 days after her first surgery. After surgery, Abbee was extremely diligent about her rehabilitation, following every instruction.

A woman in a green leotard is standing on one leg on a stage .

She continued PT through July 2022, strengthening the muscles in her knees and following her therapist’s prescribed dance-specific rehabilitation progression. This included a step-by-step return to dance skills and movements, building up from modified to full-out participation. She’s now back to doing what she loves most, dancing, and is so thankful for the team at Scottish Rite for helping her get where she needs to be. 

“Having two back-to-back knee surgeries before the age of 16 is never something I imagined for myself,” Abbee says. “But now I am so extremely proud of myself for making that difficult decision because now I can go back into dance confidently knowing that my knees will be better. I won’t have that fear that my knees will partially dislocate. This entire experience at Scottish Rite has truly changed my life for the better, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team and medical care.”

WE ENJOY HEARING ABOUT OUR CURRENT AND FORMER PATIENTS’ SUCCESS STORIES. TELL US ABOUT YOUR MVP. 

Overcoming Gymnast’s Wrist – A Tale of a Gymnast Named Delaney

Overcoming Gymnast’s Wrist – A Tale of a Gymnast Named Delaney

by | Jun 28, 2022 | Sports Medicine

Delaney, 12 of Lewisville, has been tumbling and flipping her whole life, well almost. Starting around 18 months old, this level 7 gymnast practices 20 hours per week. She is so happy to be back in her normal rhythm after a season of modified training because of a wrist injury. Delaney credits her occupational therapist, Lindsey Williams, O.T.R., C.H.T., with helping her focus on new goals to work toward while she was getting better.

After a teammate and her mom described the gymnast’s wrist pain and treatment plan, Delaney and her mom took their advice to see someone at Scottish Rite for Children about her similar complaints. Pediatric sports medicine physician Jane S. Chung, M.D., confirmed that Delaney also had gymnast’s wrist, an overuse injury, in one hand and was showing signs of it developing on the other. The treatment plan started with immobilization, a cast on one arm and a removable splint on the other, and a new approach to training while protecting her wrists. Delaney was committed to this plan. At one point, Delaney even opted to extend her time in the cast just to be sure she didn’t go back too soon. “I wanted to be sure my wrist was ready, so I listened to Lindsey and kept working on my other goals like stretching for splits.”

“We were very concerned when we learned this could affect her growth. She had only complained of pain for a couple of weeks, we are glad that we received the advice to get it checked out.” Delaney’s mom recalls their initial surprise and hopes others will learn to watch out for signs of gymnast’s wrist.

Delaney, and sometimes her brother Luke, have enjoyed the activities that Lindsey has given her to increase the use and strength in her hand, wrist and arm. Delaney and her mom appreciate that Lindsey can talk-the-talk. Her mom says, “she knows gymnastics lingo, and she knows the demands of the sport.” Lindsey worked her magic with Delaney, getting to know her as an individual, looking for her motivations and challenging her to find ways to keep moving forward even when she was ordered to “rest.”

Lindsey says, “I’m excited to see Delaney ready to graduate from occupational therapy and return to her sport. I love my job and seeing kids getting to do what they love makes me love it even more.”

WE ENJOY HEARING ABOUT OUR CURRENT AND FORMER PATIENTS’ SUCCESS STORIES. TELL US ABOUT YOUR MVP.

Learn about overuse injuries in gymnasts wrist.

OCD Didn’t Keep This Lacrosse Player Off the Field Long

OCD Didn’t Keep This Lacrosse Player Off the Field Long

by | Dec 1, 2021 | Sports Medicine

Seventeen-year-old Eli has been a leader on the lacrosse field since he started playing at the age of 8. He currently plays lacrosse with the Frisco Lacrosse Association and is an outside linebacker on Frisco ISD’s Lone Star High School football team. This multi-sport athlete from Frisco knows a lot about overcoming adversity, and he’ll be quick to tell you if you ask about one of his greatest victories.

Eli learned that he had osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in his knee soon after an injury during a tournament in Philadelphia when he was 14-years-old. With hopes that this cartilage condition would improve with time, he continued playing. Several months later, an unfortunate move in a tie-breaking “braveheart” play at a Denver tournament forced him to try a different approach.

Looking for someone with experience treating young athletes with OCD, his family found pediatric orthopedic surgeon Philip L. Wilson, M.D. “Cartilage conditions like this are unique to young athletes, but we have a lot of clinical experience and research interests focused on understanding more about this condition,” Wilson says.
With OCD, early intervention and treatment recommendations, including rest or wearing an unloader brace, may allow the tissue to heal on its own. Unlike braces used for kneecap instability or after an ACL reconstruction, an unloader brace is designed to change the weight distribution in the knee joint.

When Wilson met Eli, it was clear the bone and cartilage on the surface of the joint would need surgery. Wilson describes this condition using an analogy of a pothole. Though it’s unclear why, the bone on the surface of the thigh bone collapses, and the smooth cartilage surface can tear. There are several different surgical techniques that may be used depending on the condition of the surface.

“Dr. Wilson made me feel safe,” says Eli. “He cracked a lot of jokes, which helped me feel less nervous.”

Before returning to the lacrosse field, Eli needed to recover his strength and mobility in his leg. Getting his injured leg to the point where he felt safe on the field seemed like a long process, but his hard work in physical therapy paid off because he now has total confidence in his knee. “My knee feels 110% – better than my other knee, actually,” says Eli. “We are very thankful, and we owe a lot to Scottish Rite,” says his mother, Heather.

Eli believes his experience has given him a valuable perspective that helps him handle challenges and find the positive in any situation. “It always gets better,” he says. “I’ve been through a lot, so I know that I can get through other bad things that come up.”

Eli has advice for other young athletes who are injured and out of the game. He knows how it can not only affect them physically but mentally as well. “I was depressed because I couldn’t play for six months, but I overcame it,” he says. “You can get through anything if you have a good mindset.” Heather encouraged Eli to be active and connected with his friends and coaches throughout his recovery. His coaches recommended that he continue to study the sport to keep his mind ready for the game as he got his body ready. “It’s hard as a parent to watch your kid struggle through it,” says Heather. “You don’t realize how much sports mean to your child until it’s taken away, so staying connected and finding ways to help them stay positive is important.”

Eli has big dreams, and one of them is playing lacrosse in college. He knows that he can overcome adversity and that hard work and perseverance usually lead to something great. “I want to set the bar way too high so that if I meet it in the middle, I’ll be okay, but maybe I can go flying over the top,” he says.

OCD Didn’t Keep This Lacrosse Player Off the Field Long

OCD Didn’t Keep This Lacrosse Player Off the Field Long

by | Dec 1, 2021 | Sports Medicine

Seventeen-year-old Eli has been a leader on the lacrosse field since he started playing at the age of 8. He currently plays lacrosse with the Frisco Lacrosse Association and is an outside linebacker on Frisco ISD’s Lone Star High School football team. This multi-sport athlete from Frisco knows a lot about overcoming adversity, and he’ll be quick to tell you if you ask about one of his greatest victories.

Eli learned that he had osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in his knee soon after an injury during a tournament in Philadelphia when he was 14-years-old. With hopes that this cartilage condition would improve with time, he continued playing. Several months later, an unfortunate move in a tie-breaking “braveheart” play at a Denver tournament forced him to try a different approach.

Looking for someone with experience treating young athletes with OCD, his family found pediatric orthopedic surgeon Philip L. Wilson, M.D. “Cartilage conditions like this are unique to young athletes, but we have a lot of clinical experience and research interests focused on understanding more about this condition,” Wilson says.
With OCD, early intervention and treatment recommendations, including rest or wearing an unloader brace, may allow the tissue to heal on its own. Unlike braces used for kneecap instability or after an ACL reconstruction, an unloader brace is designed to change the weight distribution in the knee joint.

When Wilson met Eli, it was clear the bone and cartilage on the surface of the joint would need surgery. Wilson describes this condition using an analogy of a pothole. Though it’s unclear why, the bone on the surface of the thigh bone collapses, and the smooth cartilage surface can tear. There are several different surgical techniques that may be used depending on the condition of the surface.

“Dr. Wilson made me feel safe,” says Eli. “He cracked a lot of jokes, which helped me feel less nervous.”

Before returning to the lacrosse field, Eli needed to recover his strength and mobility in his leg. Getting his injured leg to the point where he felt safe on the field seemed like a long process, but his hard work in physical therapy paid off because he now has total confidence in his knee. “My knee feels 110% – better than my other knee, actually,” says Eli. “We are very thankful, and we owe a lot to Scottish Rite,” says his mother, Heather.

Eli believes his experience has given him a valuable perspective that helps him handle challenges and find the positive in any situation. “It always gets better,” he says. “I’ve been through a lot, so I know that I can get through other bad things that come up.”

Eli has advice for other young athletes who are injured and out of the game. He knows how it can not only affect them physically but mentally as well. “I was depressed because I couldn’t play for six months, but I overcame it,” he says. “You can get through anything if you have a good mindset.” Heather encouraged Eli to be active and connected with his friends and coaches throughout his recovery. His coaches recommended that he continue to study the sport to keep his mind ready for the game as he got his body ready. “It’s hard as a parent to watch your kid struggle through it,” says Heather. “You don’t realize how much sports mean to your child until it’s taken away, so staying connected and finding ways to help them stay positive is important.”

Eli has big dreams, and one of them is playing lacrosse in college. He knows that he can overcome adversity and that hard work and perseverance usually lead to something great. “I want to set the bar way too high so that if I meet it in the middle, I’ll be okay, but maybe I can go flying over the top,” he says.