Marion swimmer back in the water after care with UI Sports Medicine
Twelve-year-old Kennedee Gates, of Marion, Iowa, dove right into swimming when she started in 2023, practicing five or six days a week.
While Kennedee’s intentions were good, the result wasn’t. She was diagnosed with impingement syndrome, also called swimmer’s shoulder, in both shoulders—a condition in which a tendon or other connective tissue rubs against the shoulder blade. For Kennedee, it made swimming extremely painful.
Jena Gates, Kennedee’s mom, learned about expedited access for injured athletes at UI Sports Medicine clinics, and Kennedee was able to get right in. She met with Ashlee Enzinger, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, and then physical therapist Jason Willer, PT, MPT, a former University of Iowa swimmer, who was able to help Kennedee adjust her swimming technique to avoid the pain.
“She’s back in the water now, she can do it all,” Jena says of Kennedee. “She was going to have to quit swimming if the pain didn’t quit. Dr. Enzinger and Jason were both honest and worked with her from the emotional and physical sides of things.”
*Photos submitted by Chris Pose and Jena Gates
