Children’s Sports Medicine Keeps Gymnast’s Olympic Dream Alive

Camryn Dolven works with her
physical therapist Terri Johnson on
a series of exercises at Children's
Physical Therapy Center in Parker.

Camryn Dolven loves gymnastics, especially the balance beam. The petite 10-year-old started gymnastics at age four, and now spends 16 hours every week in the gym practicing her sport. But when a knee injury threatened to keep her out of gymnastics, her parents Shawn and Kelly turned to the Sports Medicine for Young Athletes Program at The Children’s Hospital for help.

Diagnosis: osteochondritis dissecans

When Camryn was eight, she started to experience intermittent pain in her left knee. After several months of recurring pain, the Dolvens took Camryn to her pediatrician, Connie Giarratana, MD. An x-ray showed that Camryn had developed osteochondritis dissecans, a condition where blood flow to the end of a bone is interrupted. In time the condition can cause a bone fragment to separate and cause pain.

Camryn’s pediatrician referred her to Brooke Pengel, MD, medical director of the Sports Medicine for Young Athletes Program at Children’s, and assistant professor of pediatrics at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. There is no exact known cause for osteochondritis dissecans, but experts agree that overuse and repetitive activity likely play a big role.

An MRI revealed that Camryn’s osteochondritis dissecans was at a stage II, with stage IV being the most severe. Dr. Pengel felt confident that Camryn’s osteochondritis dissecans would resolve after a period of active rest.

“In young people, who are still growing, way more than 80 percent will heal on their own without surgery,” Dr. Pengel said.

Camryn spent four months on active rest. She did not participate in gymnastics, but could do upper body conditioning. After four months of rest, Camryn said her knee “felt better.” Her x-rays looked fine, and she returned to gymnastics. From Sept. to Dec. 2007 Camryn completed her level 5 gymnastics, and took 11th in state in the uneven bars. But the intermittent pain had returned.

Surgical option for Camryn has high success rate

In March 2008 Camryn returned to Dr. Pengel, who told her the osteochondritis dissecans was worse, now a high level 2 with signs that part of the bone might eventually detach. This recurrence, Dr. Pengel said, made surgery an option.

John Polousky, MD, surgical director of Sports Medicine at Children’s, did an arthroscopic surgery on Camryn’s knee. This procedure involved drilling holes in the bone to restore blood flow and inserting some cartilage tacks to stabilize the piece of bone.

Dr. Polousky said this is a fairly common procedure, but one that is usually done in older children.

“If you look at research at her age, even if operated on, the prognosis is pretty much to have a normal knee,” he said. “Skeletally immature kids have a good prognosis.”

What makes Children's Sports Medicine Program different

Understanding growing kids is what makes Children’s Sports Medicine Program unique. It is the only sports medicine program in Colorado focused solely on the care of young athletes. Patient care is comprehensive, sports-focused and age appropriate for growing athletes. The program offers a number of unique procedures, such as ACL reconstruction over the growth plate to protect growing, active athletes.

Children’s Sports Medicine specialists — who are trained in pediatrics and sports medicine — see approximately 500 patient visits every month, at the main campus and seven satellite locations, including a new location at the North Campus, which opened at I-25 and Highway 7 in October.

Following Camryn’s surgery, she started physical therapy at Children’s Physical Therapy for Young Athletes Sports Gym in Parker. This unique gym is currently the only one of its kind, with a second sports gym having opened at the North Campus. Terri Johnson was Camryn’s physical therapist. She helped Camryn through her recovery, from being non-weight bearing, to eventually returning to her regular activities — including gymnastics. Her therapy was always focused on helping Camryn return to her sport.

“I am an educator to help kids stay healthy in sports, or stay rehabilitated and not risk re-injury,” she said.

“I just can’t even say enough about what they’ve done for us,” said Camryn’s mom, Kelly. “They have given us the hope that she will return to normal. Camryn was devastated (at first). But Terri always said “when” you go back, not “if.” It made Camryn think, “I can do this.” Terri is so positive. She taught Camryn to listen to her body. Her therapy is based on [your] sport and getting you back to doing it.”

Olympic dreams

Camryn is now a level 6 gymnast; she dreams of someday competing in the Olympics.

“We’re not out there to take sports away from people,” Dr. Pengel said. “We’re out there to provide guidance for a safe return to sports. I tell patients, ‘I will get you back to your sport as soon as I can, as safely as I can.’ My goal is their long-term health.”

“We do what we can to keep them in what they love,” Johnson added.

Read more about how Children's Sports Medicine Program is helping other student athletes.