At PinnacleCare, it gives us great joy to be able to help our Members’ loved ones. That’s exactly what we did recently when a Member called seeking help for his young granddaughter who was born with a condition that made it nearly impossible to walk. We’d like to share that Member’s story with you.

A Member of PinnacleCare called to express his concern for his disabled granddaughter. She was born with a condition that hindered her from having proper posture which in turn was limiting her ability to walk. Her family had taken her to see many doctors but they were never given a clear diagnosis. Her grandfather was concerned that she was not being treated at the level she needed to be healthy.

This past March, the little girl became a PinnacleCare Circle of Care Member, resulting in her PinnacleCare Advocate Team immediately starting to research the best next steps for her. As part of the briefing materials to be sent out to top physicians, was a CD of the lovely little girl struggling to walk around on her little pink crutches.

Surprisingly, after 5 years of treatment, she was never advised to see a physiatrist (a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation). PinnacleCare recommended a physiatrist who was trained in Europe and is now practicing at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During the first meeting with this new doctor, which lasted 2 ½ hours, the little girl’s mother and grandmother were informed that the previous stretches and exercises being done were not appropriate for her condition and that these stretches would inevitably limit her mobility, not increase it!

The doctor finally provided the family with a proper diagnosis of Hypotonia and Arthrogryopsis, a condition that could have been far more successfully dealt with at birth. Her new doctors are in the process of providing appropriate care for her condition. She will see an occupational therapist and physical therapist, who will work with her on proper stretches and exercises three hours a day, compared to the three hours a week she was previously receiving. These new stretches will begin to reverse the counter-productive impact of her former program. She will also start myofascial release (a form of bodywork which includes, but is not limited to structural assessments and manual massage techniques for stretching the connective tissue with the goal of eliminating pain, increasing range of motion and balancing the body.)

When the young Member’s parents were given a clear diagnosis and plan for appropriate treatment, they immediately responded, “This is the best day of our lives!”

As of September the little girl has received new braces and walked upright for the first time with no crutches. Such beautiful proof is the importance of the right diagnosis!