Kicking Injury Aside & Back on the Field

When the kind words below popped up in a Google review, we could not help but want to share. Not just because of how she sings the praises of our skilled PT’s but because of Kaylee’s unusual story and joy of knowing we were able to help this young athlete get back to the sports she is so passionate about. Thank you to their entire family for the opportunity to play a role in their story and work alongside this girl as she fought for what she knew she could achieve.

“I can’t say enough about how much Rebound has helped us all the last 10+ years. My husband several times for sports injuries (he worked with Rene) and also multiple times for me.

In 2007 I was in a bad accident, hit by a dirt bike as a pedestrian. It shattered my knee, also a severe open tibia fracture and also my fibula broke in three places. I almost lost my leg and was told I would probably never walk normal, again. I ended up rehabbing at the Rebound by the hospital. It took a year for me to walk again but I made it.

Anyway, thought I’d just share that with you so that you can understand how truly grateful we’ve always been for services at Rebound.

We’d like to share Kaylee’s story around because her foot condition is so rare, not many doctors know how to treat it, so I like to spread awareness on Avascular Necrosis. Thanks again and I’m so glad Kaylee’s story and successful recovery can help you guys, show you all how amazing you truly are in helping people to get back the part of their lives that matter the most to them.”
– Marissa Nagel

This is Kaylee’s story:

In November of 2015, Kaylee experienced a minor foot sprain while playing indoor soccer. It didn’t seem serious and she was back to sports within a few weeks. The injury occasionally bothered her and she had recurrent stress fractures. Throughout 2016 she played sports just here and there as she was able to tolerate it, and she was temporarily put back into a walker boot a few times. It became clear in November of 2016, when she just wasn’t healing and the pain was becoming worse, that something besides an old injury was keeping Kaylee sidelined from the sports and activities that she loved. The doctor put her back in the boot again, but she wasn’t getting better so an MRI was finally ordered in February 2017.

The MRI results revealed that Kaylee has Freiberg Disease (Avascular Necrosis of the 2nd metatarsal). The doctor said it’s permanent and Kaylee may never play sports again. She was beyond devastated. She was in frequent pain and some of her normal daily activities were impacted.

Avascular Necrosis (also known as AVN or Osteonecrosis) is a painful condition that is commonly misdiagnosed. It occurs when there is an interruption of the blood supply to a bone. When this happens the tissue dies and the bone eventually collapses. Left untreated, it can lead to destruction of the joint surface. It is painful and can some times result in amputation. It is extremely rare and there are not many specialists in the U.S. with experience and knowledge with this disease.

The cause of AVN is not fully understood. The good news for AVN sufferers is that Duke University has revolutionized a treatment for this difficult problem. Duke University operates on the cutting edge of foot and ankle bone disease treatment. A few months ago we reached out to the specialists at Duke after seeing numerous doctors in the Bend and Portland, Oregon, areas. Their team reviewed all of Kaylee’s imaging and medical records and have come up with a treatment plan for her. We were very confident that they would be able to help Kaylee.

And they did! Three years after first experiencing pain in her foot Kaylee is back on the soccer field, pain free!