Jimmy’s Back in the Game!–February 5, 2015

Jimmy’s Back in the Game!

“Jimmy walked into your office, slumping and tired, and left a rejuvenated boy.” –Jimmy’s Mom

A hard fall during a hockey game and nine-year-old Jimmy began to have a headache and experience dizziness. His balance was off-kilter and he even was having a difficult time concentrating on academics.

“He was just off,” his mother said. “Something was not right.”

It wasn’t until the next day when his parents recognized that this was not just an ordinary hit their son took in a hockey game. The evening before, Jimmy finished out the game and the next day he attended an extracurricular academic class as well as another hockey game. It was after the game when Jimmy told his parents he had had a headache since being hit the day before, was unable to concentrate in his class, and was experiencing sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises.

Seeking Help

His parents immediately brought the young boy to the Pediatrician. Due to the fall, in which he landed on his side and hitting his head, Jimmy had suffered a concussion, reported the doctor. Jimmy and his parents went home with instructions to stay homebound, no physical activity, and no school until the headache was gone. The headache persisted for 10 days, waning in intensity as the days passed until it finally went away. Jimmy returned to the classroom, now able to concentrate once again on his school work and proved he was able to perform moderate exercise without any incident of headache or dizziness.

However, in order to be back on the ice, Jimmy would have to pass a more strenuous physical test. The coaches drilled him with a few exercises. Once he had to skate in a circular motion, he became dizzy and was losing his balance. Though the headache seemed to be gone, Jimmy and his parents both knew he was not fully recovered.

The Next Step

Jimmy’s parents were not sure how their son’s balance issue was going to get resolved until another hockey family mentioned Kinetic Konnections. Cara and the Kinetic Konnections team had helped their grandchild who also played hockey. Jimmy’s parents checked out the website and called for the first available appointment.

Jimmy came to the session slouched over and tired, his mother said, but within that one hour, she was amazed at the change she witnessed in his posture and his demeanor. He left standing tall and energized.

After the session, Jimmy’s parents felt he was ready to be re-tested by the hockey coaches. He underwent the strenuous physical test once again and passed! In fact, one of the coaches, who often worked with Jimmy, said he hadn’t seen him skate that well in weeks.

“She fixed the balance issue,” his mother said. “She really concentrated on the compression of the neck and shoulder from the impact of the head injury. It was amazing to see the difference!”

Back to Himself

The difference was not only noticed on the ice. At home, Jimmy’s mother could tell right away he was feeling better. Every night before Jimmy would go to bed, he always would inquire about the next day’s activities. However, since the head injury, he was not doing that. He was just too exhausted to ask. After seeing Cara that one time he was back to asking about the upcoming day’s events. “That’s really how I knew he was feeling better!” said his mother.

Jimmy had another session a month later and plans on another in March. He has returned to all his regular daily academic and sports activities.

“I felt the pediatrician helped us with the head injury and headaches, but Cara helped with the body and neck movement and balance issue—the missing piece that she solved for him,” Jimmy’s mother said. “One of the other things I really appreciated was how she educated me on how much more complex the injury really was and showed me what movements and issues she was working to restore throughout the sessions.”

Note from Cara

Snow!

It’s beautiful and presents some of the most pristine and serene opportunities to simultaneously exercise and be at one with nature.

It’s also full of potential for bad injuries. We’ve seen ski accidents, slip and falls, and the innocent bystander who got taken out when someone else lost control. Some of these incidents were years ago, yet leave their mark in today’s altered movement patterns. (These are the ones that cause the mystery pains that nothing seems to help!)

Hockey is another winter opportunity for unexpected impact as you have read about Johnny’s head/shoulder injury in the main story.

Jimmy took a pretty hard hit to his left shoulder and then hit the ice hard with his helmet/head. The initial focus from other professionals was his concussion. Once that healed it was clear there was more—the shoulder and neck trauma caused significant disruption to his head movement and head stability.

Jimmy’s compensation was to tuck his head to the left which made his inner ear balance reference off-centered and restricted fluent eye movement.

We tested a fine motor skill and the simple task caused his headache to worsen. Imagine what 7 hours in school did! Between his first and second session, Jimmy’s time to copy the shapes improved 26% and the time to write the alphabet improved by 33%. Literally less homework headaches!

Nano-movements form the vital link between the head, neck, and shoulder. These had been thrown into chaos from the impact. We restored calm and order to the nano-movements, then worked to restore the larger micro-movements between his head, core, and arms. The postures of writing and squatting reflect the change!

The next step is to refine any last hints of asymmetry and differentiation of movement between his head and core. It is so amazing to see how muscles put themselves back together with a little guidance!

If you find yourself with a slip ‘n’ slide ouch, a stiff neck after a helmet saved your brain, or some other weird winter incident, give us a shout to get your nano- and micro-movements put back in order.

From infants to adults, we restore your nano- and micro-movements quickly returning you to the movements that define your life!