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Get to Know our Staff: Rushi Patel, Therapy Services

Get to Know our Staff: Rushi Patel, Therapy Services

by | Nov 15, 2021 | Therapy Services

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?  
I am a sports physical therapist. 

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
As a sports physical therapist, I help rehabilitate patients following a wide variety of sports injuries — everything from overuse injuries of the shoulder, spine and knee to post-operative care. 

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here?
Following physical therapy school, my first job was an orthopedic physical therapist. Once I developed my passion of specializing in sports rehab, I completed a sports physical therapy residency at Baylor Scott & White at The Star, where I was able to sharpen my skills. As soon as I heard about a job opening at Scottish Rite and saw the facility, I immediately knew that this is what I wanted. I have been here for about one year. 

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I enjoy the collaborative approach to care. Being able to have a close relationship with a patient’s health care team plus the open lines of communication are key when providing quality care that best suits the complexities and needs of each individual child. 

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know. 
I would want others to know how important recovery and lifestyle are for good physical therapy outcomes. I always provide education on the importance of sleep and good nutrition to each family. It is always humbling to accept the fact that exercises will only go so far. Proper sleep and diet are important to optimize recovery between physical therapy sessions. 

What was the last thing you read?
The Science and Practice of Strength Training. It’s always good to reinforce the science behind what we do on a daily basis. 

What was the best vacation you ever took and why?
Tulum, Mexico. Long story short: I went scuba diving with stingrays.  

Do you collect anything? How did you start?
Starbucks traveler mugs. I started randomly one day at the Seattle airport, and I have been collecting them when I travel to a different city ever since. 

Do you play any sports or instruments?
I try my best to practice what I preach in the sports rehab setting. I love staying active by working out in the weight room so that I can still enjoy playing recreational flag football and basketball as an adult.  

Get to Know our Staff: Michelle Gurrusqueta, Therapy Services

Get to Know our Staff: Michelle Gurrusqueta, Therapy Services

by | Sep 7, 2021 | Therapy Services

What is your job title / your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I’m a therapy technician, and I assist the physical and occupational therapists with patient care and equipment needs. 

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
My daily activities consist of being readily available for any therapist’s patient needs, such as ordering equipment, restocking materials and cleaning up after each patient. I also help with medical translating. 

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite for Children? How long have you worked here?
My very first job was as a cashier at Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store, during my sophomore year of high school. Coincidentally, my high school AVID class toured Scottish Rite that same year, and I was able to see different departments. While I was earning my bachelor’s degree, I always had in my mind that it would be really cool to come back and work at Scottish Rite. This October will be my one year anniversary.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I love that I have the opportunity to continue growing and pursuing my education. Being around different therapists gives me the opportunity to not only see a wide range of diagnosis, but I also see how therapists can adapt to different diagnoses.

What energizes you outside of work?
I like staying active by being outside on different trails, walking my dog, playing soccer and playing sand volleyball.

What’s your favorite memory?
My favorite memory would have to be when I got my first puppy. His name was Snoopy, and he was the best!

What three words would your friends use to describe you?
Friendly, caring, charming

What kind of music do you like? What’s the best concert you’ve been to?
I listen to a variety of music genres such as bachata, rock, rumba, pop, cumbia, rap, etc. The best concert I’ve been to would be the Aventura concert back in February of 2020.

What’s the top destination on your must-visit list?
My top destination to visit is Japan.

Get to Know our Staff: Karina Zapata, Therapy Services

Get to Know our Staff: Karina Zapata, Therapy Services

by | Oct 5, 2020 | Therapy Services

What is your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I am a physical therapist/research therapist in the Therapy Services department. I spend half of my time seeing patients as a physical therapist and the other half working on research or quality improvement projects. I enjoy being able to support effective implementation of evidence-based practice.
 
What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I love the mission – that we can do what is best for the child, regardless of families’ ability to pay.
I love being able to collaborate with so many disciplines to provide holistic care.
I love that we have a strong research team to have an impact on a wider scale. I initially thought that I was going to move back to sub-Saharan Africa to “make a difference,” but I realized that I can also make a difference right here at Scottish Rite. The unique opportunities that this organization provides, allows me to utilize my skills and talents on a daily basis.
What path did you take to get here? How long have you worked here?
I grew up in Kenya and Papua New Guinea. I initially thought that I wanted to use my privilege of studying in the US to return overseas, but once I learned about Scottish Rite for Children, my plans changed. My physical therapy professor in Los Angeles told me about Scottish Rite. She knew that Scottish Rite had a physical therapy method for treating clubfoot, which is a hot topic overseas. After graduating from PT school 13 years ago, I started working here.

What’s the coolest or most interesting thing you’re working on right now?
When I began working here, I noticed that we saw a lot of kids with scoliosis, but physical therapy did not play a large role in their treatment. In Germany, my other nationality, scoliosis-specific exercises are commonly performed. I ended up getting my Ph.D. while working here to evaluate whether scoliosis-specific exercises prevent curve progression and determining if it should be part of our standard of care.
 
What are you currently watching on Netflix/Hulu/TV/etc.?
Between work and staying active with my three kids, I fall asleep before I’m able to watch anything.
 
What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?
Traveling around the world for a year with my family.
 
What is special about the place you grew up?
Papua New Guinea has the most linguistic diversity in the world, with over 800 languages.
 
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working? 
Without kids, kitesurfing. My department director actually got me hooked. With kids, exploring a nearby state park.
Golf Community Comes to Frisco to Talk About Inclusion

Golf Community Comes to Frisco to Talk About Inclusion

by | Nov 1, 2019 | Therapy Services

Korban and Jordan are golfers thanks to programs designed to introduce and teach children with different abilities. Director of Therapeutic Recreation Dana Dempsey, M.S., CTRS, has organized Learn to Golf for our patients for more than twenty years. Through this program, patients like Jordan and Korban are given the tools and encouragement that allow them to play golf with their abilities, not in spite of their disabilities. More importantly, through golf, they both express they have learned some priceless life lessons.

Korban, 16 of Southlake, TX, was first introduced to golf by his dad, an avid golfer. “I started going to the driving range with my dad,” he said. After Learn to Golf, Korban was motivated to continue the sport. His dad, Roger described, “Because of golf, he started getting the confidence to try other sports.” Korban now plays corner on the football team and runs the 100 meter for the track team at Southlake Carroll High School. “Golf taught me work ethic and responsibility. Work hard, if you love doing it, keep doing it and try to be at a higher level.” Korban wowed the attendees with his swing and says he can hit the ball more than 200 yards using his custom, extended club.

Jordan, 15 of Henderson, TX, laughed a little as she tried to remember the first time she played. She said golf has given her the opportunity to enjoy time with other kids and make new friends. She said, “It helps me figure out more things that I can do that maybe I thought I couldn’t do.” Her mom, Lisa, shared how the environment has been unlike school, where Jordan feels included and she is picked to be on a team because of her abilities. Turns out, everyone wants Jordan on their team because she has some solid putting skills!

Johnny Knight, PGA Professional, and owner of Kingdom Golf, was present when Jordan first attended a Learn to Golf clinic in 2016. He noticed how much her personality has blossomed. He shared how using a ParaGolfer chair gave her an opportunity to evolve her swing from a two-handed to a single-handed swing. The attendees talked about changing the model for teaching golf to children with different abilities. 

This initiative of the National Alliance for Accessible Golf brought together a passionate group of individuals to evaluate the current model of youth golf programs and discuss the future of an inclusive golf community. Gianna Rojas, founder of Adaptive Golfers and known as the “One Handed Lady Golfer,” contributed her personal experience as a world ranked golfer with a disability. PGA executives in attendance expressed how this project aligns perfectly with current initiatives in their organization and how excited they were to participate and contribute.

The team committed to these next steps:

  • Incorporate kids with disabilities in PGA Jr League future content.
  • Identify NTPGA and PGA Jr. League captains who will welcome kids with disabilities.
  • Coach Jr. Golf League team for players with different abilities
  • Discuss making the 10-hole short course at PGA Frisco ADA accessible.
  • Develop a video project that includes instructions, promotion and success stories to increase visibility of children with disabilities playing golf.
  • PGA Jr. League will start to measure children with disabilities being served.
  • Increase advocacy and visibility for children with disabilities to play golf.
  • Provide more instructor training sessions geared to increasing their knowledge and skills for working with differently abled children to play golf.

We look forward to watching their progress and sharing it with you. Learn more about the programs mentioned above at these links:

Physical Therapy Treatment for Scoliosis

Physical Therapy Treatment for Scoliosis

by | Oct 29, 2019 | Therapy Services

Scoliosis is one of the most common pediatric conditions our experts treat and presents very differently depending on the patient. Our team is committed to providing the best possible care to each child, making sure that the treatment plan helps get them back to doing what they love.

Scoliosis specific exercise (SSE) is a treatment provided by a trained physical therapist. Several of our physical therapists have completed extensive training in one approach called the Schroth method. A child will be evaluated by one of our pediatric orthopedic spine specialists to diagnose the type and magnitude of their curve. For many patients, a physical therapist will teach proper form for the exercises and progress the movements over time. 

Like other SSE, the Scroth method lengthens muscles and ligaments to increase mobility, activates and strengthens muscles, improves resting posture and teaches how to perform daily movements in improved posture. Benefits of Schroth method include:

  • Improves pain
  • Prevent/limits curve progression
  • Improves lung capacity

Important information about the Schroth method:

  • Most effective for children who are still growing.
  • It can serve as a stand-alone treatment, but is also used in conjunction with other care, such as bracing.

Courtney Warren, a physical therapist at our Frisco campus, says that it is very rewarding to hear patients report that their work is paying off when dance instructors and coaches notice their ability to perform activities in a new posture.

Learn more about the care and treatment of scoliosis.