Playing Sports for the First Time: Kinsley's Story

Kinsley is a 10-year-old patient at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia who was born with a wide range of orthopedic conditions.

She was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and hip dysplasia, which were surgically repaired when she was 1 at a different health system. When she was later diagnosed with scoliosis, her parents wanted a second opinion, which is how they found Shriners Children’s Philadelphia. Once they entered our doors, they never looked back.

For parents, when deciding on their child’s medical care, it can be a complicated and stressful decision. However, Brianne, Kinsley’s mom, said, “From the beginning, Shriners Children’s provided a level of clarity and confidence we had not experienced elsewhere.”

Kinsley underwent Mehta casting, a surgically placed brace that slowly straightens a patient’s spine over time. After Mehta casting, Kinsley was fitted for back braces and had growth rods placed 3½ years prior to an eventual spinal fusion surgery. During this surgery, Josh Pahys, M.D., surgically placed metal rods on each side of Kinsley’s spine to straighten her curve.

It was not just scoliosis that made playing sports and participating in childhood activities difficult. Brianne said, “In addition to her scoliosis, Kinsley was born with significant ligament deficiencies, including the absence of an ACL, a leg length discrepancy and a contracture that prevents full extension of her leg.” The combination of these conditions causes instability and frequent dislocations. It was Kinsley’s goal to play sports one day, and the care she received from the staff at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia gave her that opportunity.

She underwent additional surgeries performed by Sean Waldron, M.D., lower extremity orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia. These surgeries began when Kinsley was 7, and now, at age 10, she has been cleared to participate in sports.

Dr. Waldron said, “Kinsley presented with significant left knee instability, related to a congenital deficiency of her anterior cruciate ligament as well as congenital patellar instability and a mild flexion contracture of her knee. We started treating her knee surgically at age 7. She underwent a reconstruction of her knee to fix the patellar instability, which involved transfers of several knee ligaments around her patella."

"Approximately a year later, we addressed the ACL deficiency utilizing a growth-sparing technique to reconstruct the ACL using the iliotibial band as a graft. We also used a procedure called guided growth to address her knee flexion contracture. She is now three years out from her first surgery and is doing incredibly well. She is a resilient young girl who worked hard in rehab from all of these surgeries.”

Shriners Children’s Philadelphia has an extensive sports medicine program, dedicated to providing care to children interested in starting or returning to sports. Dr. Waldron leads the sports medicine team at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, providing individualized care to each patient. He is committed to helping patients like Kinsley participate in athletics and achieve their goals, despite any medical conditions.

Brianne is abundantly grateful for the compassionate and dedicated care provided by Kinsley’s providers, Dr. Pahys and Dr. Waldron. She said, “While the journey has been long and difficult, these procedures have given her something we have been working toward for years. Real hope. For the first time, she has the opportunity to run, play and experience life more like other kids her age.” At Shriners Children’s, providing hope and healing is one of our main goals, and we are thrilled that Kinsley has the opportunity to participate in new activities that were never thought possible.

Kinsley is now a volleyball star who helps her teammates achieve victory on the court, bumping and serving as if she’s done it all her life. Her success on the court proves that our patients are unstoppable and persevere through all adversity to accomplish their goals.