Jacob Browning (far right), an aviation officer in the U.S. Army, is pictured with his family. Fifteen years ago, Jacob underwent emergency orthopedic surgery at Akron Children’s to repair a hip fracture and despite his previous injury, has been able to achieve his professional and personal goals.
Jacob Browning knew he wanted to be in the military from a young age. Jacob, who grew up in Hudson, Ohio, admired his grandfather and uncle, who had served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army, respectively. By the time Jacob entered high school in August, 2008 he had set his sights on attending an elite military academy. But a random mishap jeopardized his dream.
It started as the Labor Day holiday approached. Jacob, who ran cross country and trained all summer with the high school team, suddenly began having severe pain in his left hip.
“I felt a pop in my hip and, at first, my parents and I thought I had done something to a muscle to cause the pain,” said Jacob, who is now 29 years old.
When Jacob couldn’t move his left leg and bruises began appearing up and down his thigh, his parents took him to Akron Children’s Emergency Room. An MRI showed that Jacob had a hip fracture, a rare occurrence in children. Spontaneous fractures like what Jacob experienced can occur after an injury, such as a sports collision or falling from a tree, but that wasn’t the case for Jacob.
Undergoing emergency orthopedic surgery
Jacob’s hip fracture occurred at the femoral neck, which could potentially cut off the blood supply to his hip joint. He needed emergency orthopedic surgery to repair the fracture and was seen by Mark Adamczyk, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon and vice chair of Akron Children’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Jacob’s orthopedic surgery was scheduled the following day.
Jacob Browning (at right) recently competed in and finished an Ironman triathlon in Panama City, FL. The event included swimming 2.3 miles, bicycling 110 miles and running 26.2 miles. Jacob still uses the exercises he learned from Akron Children’s physical therapy to keep his hip limber.
“Whenever there is a fracture that affects the ball-and-socket joint of the hip, there is a chance the bone could die if it is not repaired quickly,” Dr. Adamczyk said. “If the bone dies and collapses, it could cause very early onset arthritis and the patient would need a total hip replacement at a very young age.”
The surgery done to repair Jacob’s hip fracture 15 years ago is the same procedure used today. Dr. Adamczyk and the orthopedic surgical team use real-time X-ray images during surgery to help guide the screws through the femur neck and anchor them to the hip socket at exactly the right position.
During his recovery, Jacob worked with Akron Children’s Pediatric Physical Therapy to rehabilitate his hip. He still uses the exercises and stretches he learned in 2008 in his current workout routine to maintain mobility and strength in his hip.
Achieving his professional and personal goals
After high school, Jacob attended the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, where he earned a chemical engineering degree. Jacob’s goal was to get into Army aviation.
“When I applied, the Army didn’t bat an eye about my earlier broken hip,” he said. “I was able to go into flight school.”
Jacob Browning crosses the finish line at the Ironman triathlon last fall, 2023. Jacob never had a problem with his hip during his training and throughout the event.
In 2016, Jacob trained at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, located at Fort Novosel, AL. After completing the program, he flew Apache helicopters in Afghanistan and Europe before being stationed in Montgomery, AL where he now works in Army recruitment.
Recently, Jacob competed in and finished an Ironman triathlon in Panama City, FL. The event included swimming 2.3 miles, bicycling 110 miles and running 26.2 miles. During his training and throughout the event, Jacob never had a problem with his hip.
“Thanks to Akron Children’s great work years ago, it set me up for everything I wanted to do later in life,” he said.
Dr. Adamczyk said he is glad to hear about Jacob’s outcome and credits Akron Children’s multidisciplinary team approach to helping athletes like Jacob return to the activities they love.
“My part in Jacob’s story is small,” Dr. Adamczyk said. “What is important is how Children’s teams, including Sports Medicine, physical therapy, radiology and Orthopedics, worked together to help Jacob return to good health. The point is, we dig in and find out what a patient needs to move forward with their lives.”
