Madison County Mississippi Gymnast Defends State Championship Title with Help from Baptist Physical Therapy & Sportscare
Kaity Messer battles back from torn rotator cuff injury and defends state championship
(PRWEB) September 1, 2004
Kaity Messer's introduction to gymnastics started before she could walk. As she watched her sister Emily practice gymnastics at home, Kaity would twist and turn, too. At age three, Kaity began formal training.
By the time she was a teenager, this Madison, Miss. resident had won the Level 9 State Championship twice, and in 2003, she was the defending Level 10 State Champion. But an unfortunate shoulder injury on April 10, 2003 made it questionable if she would ever be able to compete again, let alone successfully defend her title.
While practicing a new gymnastic skill, Kaity suffered a 90 percent tear of her rotator cuff, causing a multi-directional instability. But this type of injury didn't stop Kaity from focusing on her love for competitive gymnastics. She's had 2 leg fractures and numerous sprains, and she has always battled back.
"Kaitlyn is extremely focused and strong willed and has learned that hard work has its reward," said her father Jim Messer, who is a perfusionist in Cardiac Surgery at Baptist. "This was not going to get her down."
On April 30, 2003, Dr. Felix Savoie with Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Clinic performed surgery. Kaity had rotator cuff repair to correct the multi-directional instability. Previously, she couldn't move her shoulder/arm at all without pain and/or dislocation. By June 2003, she started physical therapy at Baptist.
Robbin Lee, a Baptist physical therapist, and the entire staff at the Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic worked with Kaity to tailor the rehab process that would optimize her functional outcome.
"This was done by stabilization exercises progressing toward motion oriented stabilization as well as exercises designed to allow impact on the shoulder itself. Kaity would also complete stretching exercises independently, maintaining and promoting flexibility of the joint and musculature itself. She was motivated to progress, but she didn't throw caution to the wind like a lot of people," Lee said. "She was careful not to go too fast. She was just a model patient."
She finished physical therapy in August 2003 and resumed limited gymnastic workouts in October. By January 2004, Kaity began some competitions again. In March 2004, she defended her State Champion title of 1st Place All Around Level 10 (15 y/o and older division).
"The therapists at Baptist developed a regimen specifically tailored to Kaity's needs. Their encouragement and genuine concern has allowed Kaity to return to competitive gymnastics," Jim Messer added.
Nowadays, you can find this 17-year-old right where you'd expect--the gym, where she practices approximately 20 hours per week. She will begin her senior year at Madison Central this fall.
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