Every serious athlete knows that in each game, every play matters. While making a routine play during a mid-season football game, Kyle Dell’s senior season, his athletic career at Illinois’ Glenbard West High School appeared to come to a crashing halt.
To get an idea of the severity of Kyle’s injury, think of Laurence Taylor sacking Joe Theismann in 1985, ending Theismann’s Hall of Fame career in an instant.
The Injury: Broken Tibia and Fibula
“It was just any kind of normal play,” Kyle said. “I came down to make a tackle, and then someone’s helmet rammed right through my leg, breaking both my tibia and fibula.” Although no bones were exposed, he needed to be taken off the field in an ambulance.
Kyle was a starting outside linebacker on the Glenbard West’s football team and the starting point guard on the basketball team, but all of that could have become a memory after that one, unfortunate play.
Severe injuries had not hampered Kyle as an athlete prior to his senior year. He had sprained ankles and minor injuries, but nothing serious. A few days after his injury, Kyle headed to surgery. There, doctors placed a rod in his right leg, from his ankle to his knee.
After Surgery
“I was obviously pretty bummed out,” Kyle said. “I knew football was going to be over, but my main sport was basketball. I’ve been playing since I was in second grade.”
Not only was Kyle’s athletic career all but over, doctors estimated that he wouldn’t even be able to put pressure on his leg for five months. Not wanting to end his playing career in this manner, Kyle looked for an alternative.
“I really didn’t want that to be my way of going out,” Kyle said. “I really wanted to try to find a way to make it back. It was, like, kind of my first thought. I’m going to make it back.”
Initial Recovery Plan
Still believing that there was a chance to play basketball, Kyle began his rehabilitation program. For the first month he moved around with the aid of a wheelchair, then switching to crutches for about two months.
Then he began traditional rehab that included common band movements and stretching exercises.
Around this time, Kyle first heard about ARPneuro treatment. He investigated the therapy and decided that it would be a good addition to his existing rehab program. This inclusion altered the path of his rehab.
Adding ARPneuro Therapy to the Rehab Plan
Kyle began ARPneuro Therapy treatment at University Village Chiropractic in Chicago, IL. He quickly felt results as the ARPneuro RX100 contracted his muscles up to 500 times per second. This allowed him to strengthen his leg muscles and prevent muscle atrophy that would typically occur following a bone break.
Muscle atrophy occurs when your arm or leg is held motionless in a cast for a number of weeks – the longer you are motionless, the more muscle you risk losing from inactivity. Muscles that are no longer in use will slowly become weaker and eventually, they begin to shrink.
ARPneuro Therapy helped Kyle recover from the atrophy that had already occurred and prevented any further muscle loss.
Kyle began to envision an even more realistic chance to return to the court. “Once I started ARP, I definitely saw some great improvements,” he said.
The Results
After five weeks of ARPneuro Therapy, Kyle talked with his coach about making it back to the rotation before the end of the season. Thanks to the treatment, Kyle returned to the court earlier than he had originally expected. His goal was to get back in time for the playoffs. He bested that goal, returning to action on Senior Night.
“It was definitely insane, to be able to come back and play senior night. “It was one of the most packed games of the season.”
Kyle continued his rehab up until the end of the season. He finished his high school career playing in Glenbard West’s final two regular-season games and all three of the team’s contests during their playoff run.
“If I never heard of ARP, I don’t think I would have been able to make it back as quickly,” Kyle said. “Even if I was able to make it back, I don’t think I would have been able to have an impact on the team.”
