When first-attempt treatment options—including icing and stretching—failed to correct the issue, a family friend and local pediatrician recommended that Owen see Jeffery Taylor-Haas, PT, DPT, at Cincinnati Children’s. 

A specialist in running gait analysis, Taylor-Haas is a doctor of physical therapy who oversees the Runner’s Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s. The clinic focuses on the evaluation and treatment of young runners. Taylor-Haas met Owen, diagnosed him with a hip flexor strain impacting his growth plate and began seeing him regularly.  

Twice a week for 10 weeks during the fall of 2022, Owen worked with Taylor-Haas on a specialized treatment plan. Icing and stretching were complemented with an innovative physical therapy (PT) called blood flow restriction (BFR) training. 

“BFR uses an FDA-approved device to measure and safely occlude 80% of the blood flow in the injured leg while the patient performs low resistance strength training exercises,” said Taylor-Haas. “This unique physical therapy technique allows us to work out his injured leg to a high degree while placing low strains through the injury site.”

BFR was combined with an individualized home exercise program to meet Owen’s unique needs. He felt improvement almost immediately and started seeing positive results by the second week of training. 

“The improvement kept getting better and better,” said David. 

Looking back, Owen admits the idea of deliberately restricting his blood flow as a training technique initially sounded a bit scary, but the progress he made was undeniable.  

“I was a little nervous at first, but it was great. It was kind of tough. The exercises were difficult, but it helped.” said Owen. “Jeff is someone I can trust.”