Congratulations to OTB Athlete Isabella Beaudry!
This young athlete is a great example of hard work and determination
"I broke my arm by falling from a cheer stunt, and was in a cast for 5 weeks. I wasn’t sure what to expect during my recovery, or how long it would be before I could cheer again. When I was ready for physical therapy, one of my coaches referred me to Out of the Box Physical Therapy for my recovery. Before going to physical therapy, I was told by my doctor that I would be cleared for sports around 4-6 months after my surgery. After working with Dr. Hanna, I ended up being cleared early, only 3 months after my surgery. Everyone at Out of the Box Physical Therapy is super nice and positive, and it makes physical therapy a lot more fun. Much more fun than I expected!"
Having a young athlete come in after surgery is always a rocky start. More mentally than physically. There is so much pressure to return to sport, but also just return to being a "normal" kid - playing with friends, going to parties, and just getting to goof around! Surgery puts all of that to a halt, and every thought is focused around rehab and ensuring the recovery goes as planned.
Isabella actually made the start of her rehab really easy and great! Her and her mom were 100% game to do whatever needed to be done for her to have the best outcomes after surgery as possible. Isabella rarely needed to be told to do her "PT Homework" because she was so determined to get back to tumbling and having no restrictions when hanging out with her friends before the summer started.
Setting short term goals after surgery is essential to staying on track with recovery, but also maintaining the drive to continue and complete the rehab process. So many times, patients drop off too early after they regain full range of motion and begin return to sport testing. This leaves the athlete in a vulnerable position and puts them at a very high risk for re-injury, or even risk of getting the same injury on the other side.
These short term goals allowed Isabella to have weekly objectives, and we assessed them at EVERY appointment. If she met her goals, she was allowed to negotiate adding certain activities back into her routine slowly, and with stipulations. This made the process really fun for both Isabella and myself.
Now, after almost only 2.5 months of physical therapy and 3.5 months after surgery, Isabella is back to tumbling, getting ready for the upcoming cheer season, and has almost no restrictions when she is hanging out with her friends! She is now only coming to PT once a week, and is following a strength and conditioning program designed by me to specifically cater to her needs based on her current state and demands of her sport & activities.
We can't wait to see what the future holds for Isabella! It has been such a fun time having you in the clinic, you always make us laugh!
~Dr. Hanna & Team OTB