During a fun afternoon playing “capture the flag”, 14-year-old Allison attempted to jump over a stone bench to outrun her competitors. Allison’s foot did not clear the bench, resulting in a sprained ankle and a neck bone bruise. Allison’s physical therapist noticed her ankle wasn’t moving and requested brain and spine scans which all came back normal. She was then referred to Dr. Shawn Funk, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at CHRISTUS Children’s. While on the path to healing from an Achilles tendon lengthening procedure, Allison’s left hand began to curl in, completely out of her control. Dr. Funk immediately knew this was a neurological issue and admitted Allison for further testing. Doctors diagnosed her with dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions, resulting in abnormal postures and repetitive movements. Specialists concluded that the traumatic sprain to Allison’s ankle and neck bone bruise likely caused the dystonia to begin to present itself. It has been almost three years since Allison’s initial diagnosis, and she continues to push forward every day while advocating for herself and for other patients who might be facing the same diagnosis.
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