Cura personalis has always been the cornerstone of Brittany, BSHS’06, OTD’06, and Adam Stryker's, BSBA’03, approach to pediatric orthopedics
Friendly images of rabbits, baby chicks and bright flowers adorn the walls of Orthopedic Motion, an orthotics practice owned and operated by Brittany, BSHS’06, OTD’06, and Adam Stryker, BSBA’03. The spring decorations are on display alongside hand-drawn childrens art and thank-you notes written in pencil and crayon.
Not only is the Las Vegas office a warm, welcoming place for families going through challenging times, it’s the No. 1 pediatric cranial remodeling practice in the country.
The Strykers didn’t envision Orthopedic Motion — which has grown to include multiple locations — in their future when they were students at Creighton. They credit their success to their education and unique partnership. Each focuses on what they do best; Brittany with patient-centered service, and Adam running business operations.
Together, they’ve crafted a model that sets the standard and creates lifelong impact for their patients.
About one in every four babies, says Brittany, is at risk of a flattening of one side of the head. Typically, it starts with a tightening of the neck muscles, which causes the baby to favor one side or the other. If not treated quickly, the child’s skull might not develop correctly.
“Research shows that if we don’t get to the baby between four and six months, then the treatment will go on longer and longer,” says Brittany. “The skulls develop fastest between months four and six, and we need to be there during that time.”
The Strykers have invested hours and hours into educating pediatric doctors on the urgency of identifying at-risk children.
In turn, more doctors are referring patients earlier, rather than taking a wait-and-see approach. During evaluation, Orthopedic Motion uses a 3D scanner to create a model of the patient’s head to track development progress and fit a cranial orthotic.
“You can see the before and after,” says Adam, “and it’s so inspiring to see how much improvement happens between visits. We’re seeing around 75 pediatric patients a month, so that’s a lot of families that are getting the help their child needs.”
Orthopedic Motion isn’t only a pediatric practice. They are a complete orthotic provider, helping people with everything from back braces to prosthetics. The Strykers have a 6,000-square-foot lab in downtown Las Vegas that fabricates most of their orthotics.
This all-in approach to the complete patient experience is one reason Orthopedic Motion was named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list. Since the Strykers took over the practice eight years ago, they’ve grown it exponentially, expanding to Reno, Nevada, and Omaha.
The Strykers hired a Creighton graduate to run the Omaha office, Adam said, and the practice regularly selects Creighton students for 3-6 month occupational therapy residencies.
“Creighton students come to us ready to rock,” says Brittany. “They hit the ground running, and their knowledge and professionalism is always a step above.”
The Creighton connection helps the Strykers lead their practice with the Jesuit values instilled during their time on campus. Their goal is to not only treat their patients physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. Their practitioners become part of the patient’s support team, surrounding them with person-centric care.
“We have made a lot of connections with therapists,” says Brittany, “and we understand their goals better than just filling a prescription. We do a lot more to make sure our patients feel welcomed and loved.”