"A Child Walks"

My granddaughter was born with a condition that hindered her posture and limited her ability to walk. We had taken her to multiple doctors, but could not get a clear diagnosis from anyone. We turned to PinnacleCare. As soon as my granddaughter became a member, her PinnacleCare health advisors began researching the best next steps for her care. As part of the briefing sent to top physicians, they included a DVD of my granddaughter struggling to get around on her crutches.

PinnacleCare steps in and a little girl walks for the first time without crutches.

In five years of treatment, she had never been advised to see a physiatrist, a physican that specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. PinnacleCare recommended a physiatrist who had trained in Europe and was practicing at a leading hospital. During her first appointment, we were told that the exercises and stretching she had been doing would ultimately limit her mobility, not increase it!

The doctor diagnosed my granddaughter with hypotonia and arthrogryopsis, a condition that would have been much more successfully treated at birth. She now sees an occupational therapist and a physical therapist for three hours of proper stretching and exercises every day versus the three hours a week she was previously receiving. She has also begun myofascial release, a form of therapy that stretches the connective tissue to eliminate pain and increase range of motion.

Receiving a proper diagnosis and appropriate plan of treatment for my granddaughter was undoubtedly the best day of her parents’ lives. And after six months of treatment, my granddaughter received new braces and is walking upright for the first time without crutches.  She is beautiful proof of the importance of an accurate diagnosis!

To learn more about PinnacleCare, click here or call 877-241-7041.