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About six months ago I came to Brandi with painful popping happening in my left ankle when I pointed my foot. It turns out I was experiencing ankle impingement. She immediately tackled the problem, not only giving me exercises to fix the alignment of my ankle, but also giving me exercises that addressed the underlying cause- my hips.

Brandi was dedicated to making sure I had a speedy recovery so that I could get back to enjoying what I do most- dancing! My ankle no longer pops and my hips are much stronger, which has helped me become a better and more body aware dancer! I recommend her to everyone I know, even people who are not injured, because she also does great performance training. Thanks Brandi!

I started going to Brandi when I was around eight years old for recurring wrist pain due to pommel horse. Little did I know that visiting her would soon become a cornerstone to my gymnastics success. As of the fall of 2020, I am now going into collegiate gymnastics with Stanford University, and this can be in large part due to Brandi’s appointments over the years. I have been a regular patient of Brandi’s for eleven years now with on-going maintenance to keep my body running at its peak performance or for the numerous inevitable “larger injuries” I have accrued through gymnastics. She also has played a role in fundamentally shifting the way I compete. As I moved into elite gymnastics, we worked on goal setting and connecting a clear mind to my body, elevating my performances, as well as making me a better individual. Without Brandi, I am sure that my body would not be able to withstand the brutality of elite gymnastics and I would not have been able to reach my full potential in the gym and in life.

I hurt my back doing gymnastics. I could barely perform because the pain was so bad. Brandi came to the gym to introduce a new wellness program to the parents. Shortly afterwards, my mom called her to set up an appointment. I went to see her at Sports Performance in Austin. She showed me exercises I did a lot every day.

I could move a lot better after just one session. Each session she showed me new exercises and progressed me towards getting back to gymnastics. Each session I could move better, hurt less, and do more. After about a month I start to get back into the sport I love. I am now back to doing gymnastics and am still doing my exercises. Brandi really helped me in my time of need!

I am a level 5 gymnast and I broke both bones in my arm doing tap swings on the high bar; after healing from that injury; but not doing physical therapy I went back to my normal workout. A few weeks later I was doing my round-off/backhandspring/back tuck and ended up breaking one of the bones in my arm again. My coaches referred me to Brandi for physical therapy.

Brandi worked with me every week on strengthening my arm and also taught me exercises that would help strengthen my core so my body didn’t have to rely on my bones as much. She would email my coaches every week with my progress and what I could now work on in the gym. After no time at all she released me to do full workout and I was able to compete the last 3 meets in our season. Brandi also helped me with my mental fears of getting back on the bars and out on the floor. She is amazing and I will always tell all my friends to go to her if they need help!!! Thanks for everything you’ve done Brandi!!!

During the summer of 2010, I was diagnosed with Osteochondritis dissecans, a disorder in which the cartilage comes loose from the bone, in my left elbow as a result of overuse of the joint. I was informed by my Doctor only 30% of all gymnasts who develop this injury return to the sport. The injury required surgery, which I had the following September at CHOP, the Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia. The micro-fracture surgery was successful but required a long recovery period and many hours of physical therapy.

During my two years out of the sport, I remained committed to my therapy with Brandi Smith-Young. Slowly my elbow began to heal. Brandi gave me many great exercises and stretches that strengthened my core, shoulder blades and arm, taught me to use the correct muscles in my body, and how to load my elbow correctly. I gradually began to work out with my team again and bear weight on my elbow, while continuing my therapy. I learned healthier body posture, correct arm positioning, proper stretches, and overall exercises that benefited my entire body. The following year I returned to gymnastics as a level 9 and qualified to J.O. Nationals. I am very grateful for all the wonderful professionals I worked with that helped me get through this recovery and especially Brandi for her expert guidance. Thanks to Brandi I am back to gymnastics.

A bit over a year ago, while getting ready for my level 9 season, I fell during my bar routine and broke 2 bones in my arm; radius and ulna. I needed surgery and metal plates with screws to fix my arm. After all of that I couldn’t even do normal activities like getting dressed, or picking up things.

With Brandi’s techniques and exercises I started recovering my range of motion, flexibility and strength. In fact, I was told by my doctor that my arm would never recover enough flexibility to perform an L grip giant; a skill on bars that requires great flexibility in the arms. I now work that skill and my arm is more than flexible enough. I don’t know if I’d be a level 10 gymnast if it haven’t been for Brandi. I recommend her to everyone!

I’m a competitive gymnast for the University of Texas at Austin (HOOK ‘EM). While training last year I severely rolled my ankle while doing a whip-back on floor. I stayed off of it for a whole summer in hopes that it would heal on its own, however, it didn’t. From that point forward I wasn’t able to do floor or vault and couldn’t dismount off any events. Brandi’s helpful exercises and amazing techniques allowed me to tumble and dismount before competition season began. Later on that season, I hurt my back on a landing on floor competing at a meet. Unfortunately, Collegiate Nationals was right around the corner.

Brandi got me in and came up with a new plan to fix my ailing body. By getting in as soon as the injury occurred, Brandi was able to address the problem faster and she got me better just in time for nationals . At that meet, I took 2nd all around and high bar, 4th on parallel bars, and 9th on floor and pommel horse. She is patient and very caring. I owe my whole season to Brandi and will forever recommend her to any and everyone.

I am a level 5 gymnast and I met Brandi after I got a stress fracture on my growth plate in my right wrist. I felt comfortable with her right away since she was also a gymnast. I felt like she really understood what I had to do everyday and how much it could hurt my wrist. She taught me great exercises and techniques that will help me for as long as I am in gymnastics. In addition, Brandi made sure that my coaches and parents understood what I could and couldn’t do.

I was excited to go visit her each week because she was always fun and had a great attitude. She always took time with me to make sure I understood and could do each exercise the right way. If I ever get injured again, she will be the first one I call. I have recommended her to some of my teammates as well.

I was a middle school cheerleader and experienced tumbler. In December of 2007 I started having some back pain. While everyone told me it was just my hamstring and not to worry about it, as time passed my back pain worsened. By the end of my seventh grade school year my pain had became really bad. Although we tried everything from physical therapy to steroids shots, nothing helped. By the end of the summer of 2008, we went to the doctor and decided that the only way I was ever going to get back in the sport I love was by having a partial discectomy. I had the surgery in August of 2008. All through recovery of the surgery and basic physical therapy, I held on to my goal of making the High School cheerleading squad. Tryouts were scheduled for March of 2009. At the beginning of the second semester of eighth grade, my doctor released me and I began sports therapy.

After telling my sports therapist my goal of trying out for the High School cheer squad in the spring, she connected me with Brandi. In January of 2009, with great anticipation and excitement, I began working with Brandi on my cheer and tumbling skills. My hope was that I could regain the skills that I had lost. She started with the basics of developing my core strength. As my muscles got stronger and I gained confidence, she would move me on to more advanced things. She encouraged me when I was scared and cautioned me when I was too eager and my body wasn’t ready. As a result of listening to her, acting on her advice, and being diligent in doing my “homework”, I went from doing cartwheels to round-off back handspring back tucks in just a few months. So what’s the bottom line of my experience? With Brandi’s help, I went from re-learning my cartwheel to making the High School cheerleading team in just three short months. Go Chaps!

My daughter Ally is 12 and a budding ballerina. Ally had very poor flexibility in her ankles. She also had other problems that we would not have known about if we did not see Brandi. She was well on her way to recovery and then mono hit. Unfortunately for Ally it attacked her joints and set her mobility backwards. Ally was preparing to be Clara in the Austin City Ballet’s Nutcracker, a role which she has dreamed about for a long time. In this version of the Nutcracker, Clara dances challenging choreography throughout the entire show including a pas de deux with a professional dancer.

Brandi helped her in so many ways. She helped her work through not only the physical limitations she now had but also the mental challenges that went along with it. Brandi worked with her to improve her mobility. She helped Ally understand what foods were going to help her make progress faster and which foods would set her back. This helped Ally decide she was going to do everything she could to still be Clara. She danced it and did a beautiful job!

I am 100% convinced that without Brandi working with Ally after her mono, she would not have been able to dance Clara in this year’s Nutcracker. Thank you to Brandi for taking such good care of Ally and helping her work to achieve her goals.

Competing as a level 9 gymnast, Lauren started experiencing hip and leg pain. After a visit to an Orthopedic Surgeon, she was diagnosed with Iliac Apophysitis. Lauren was in constant pain in her hip area. She felt like she had a “dead leg” and would throw out her leg when she walked. She had troubles with her take-offs, landings, and tumbling while doing gymnastics.

Once Lauren started therapy with Brandi, her pain became more manageable. Brandi worked on stretching and strengthening the muscles around the hip area. Then, flexibility and strength improved for Lauren. Lauren competed injured most of the season but with Brandi’s help, she was able to manage the pain before and after competitions. Lauren competed at the Westerns National Competition in Des Moines, Iowa and took 7th place All Around for her age group! Thanks for all of your help Brandi!

My daughter, Gabriella, fell while figure skating. She was in severe pain when we went in to see Brandi. I own a gym and one of my clients is a physical therapist. I asked who the best pediatric PT in Austin was and she instantly said, with no hesitation, that Brandi was by far the best. She said if anything happened to her children she’d be on the phone calling Brandi right away.

At first it was painful for Gabriella to be in physical therapy. Brandi was very gentle with her. It didn’t take but a few sessions before Gabriella was doing so much better. Within just a few months, she was back on the ice, skating better than she had before. There were probably some underlying issues that Brandi found that actually improved her balance and made her a better skater.

I think Brandi not only is a wonderful physical therapist, but also a kind, caring person who puts a young person at ease. Physical therapy can be uncomfortable. It is important the therapist be able to connect with the patient and that is a skill Brandi definitely has. I feel blessed that we were able to see Brandi.

In 2006, I developed an intense pain in my lower back while training gymnastics. The pain turned out to be 4 bulging discs. We were soon introduced to a new treatment called spinal decompression. After the 12th treatment, the pain came back. They told me I had to either quit gymnastics or I would have to have surgery at the age of 12. As a level 8 gymnast, I decided to end my career and rehab my back. Even after my time off, the pain was still there at a 10 on the pain scale. We went to deep tissue massages, chiropractors, physical therapy, and spinal decompression, yet my lower back was still just as bad as before I quit.

Until one of our past physical therapists introduced us to Brandi. She definitely guided us in the right direction. She had pinpointed exactly what was wrong, and gave me the news I had been waiting for, no surgery! I could even start tumbling again. I went to physical therapy twice a week at first. I now go less frequent. I’ve been going there for a few months now and have noticed a huge difference. My pain is now down to a 0 for the first time in two years! I’ve been doing competitive cheer for almost a year now and am now able to do it painfree. Our team made it to the World Competition at Disney World and I made the varsity cheer team at school. Brandi has truly changed my life and helped me get back to what I love.

I have a 12 year old daughter that competed level 7 last season. During the early summer, she sustained a low back injury that was extremely painful for her. For 6 weeks she rested, stretched, massaged, did exercises, but nothing seemed to help. She was concerned about her gymnastics future. I was concerned about a future filled with chronic back problems. I started looking for a physical therapist that had experience working with kids and working with gymnasts.

I found Brandi. We had to travel a ways to see her. At first we were skeptical that the travel would be worth it, but ultimately decided it would give our daughter the best opportunity to return to the sport she loved. Brandi was great! She provided a detailed progression that had my daughter pain free and back in the gym much more quickly than we could have imagined. Brandi also worked on her underlying posture and form issues to decrease the chances of another injury. We are extremely grateful for Brandi and her expertise!

I returned to working with Brandi the following session via Skype when my wrist started hurting a few weeks before competition season. Since we live out of town, we decided to use Skype. During the sessions, Brandi showed me several exercises to help my wrist. After three sessions using Skype, my wrist was pain free and I was able to compete this season. Thank you so much Brandi!!!!

My daughter, Juliet, hurt her foot in the fall of 2010. At first everyone thought it was tendonitis. She tried staying off her foot, applying ice, etc., but there was little improvement. Our doctor recommended physical therapy. When I called to schedule an appointment, I asked if there was a physical therapist that specialized in treating dancers. What a blessing to have Brandi as our therapist!

While asking Juliet questions and examining her foot, Brandi immediately told us Juliet’s problem was posterior process (bone rubbing on bone, an injury common in ballet dancers), and that it could be treated. Brandi also discovered another problem Juliet was having and addressed it as well. Brandi began working with Juliet and gave her several exercises to do at home. She inspired Juliet to do her “homework” everyday! In two months time, Juliet started back to her jazz class, and then gradually added tap and ballet. Within four more weeks, she was back on pointe!

Juliet left Brandi’s care better prepared for physical activities than we ever thought possible. In addition to Brandi being an outstanding physical therapist, her kind encouraging spirit made us feel as if we were being cared for by a knowledgeable friend. Thank you, Brandi, for sharing your physical therapy expertise with us! What a difference you have made in Juliet’s dance future! You score a PERFECT 10.0 for your compassion and ability to help others!!!

Jacob is still young, only 12, but has experienced quite a lot about what success can mean. Within a year’s time, Jacob progressed from getting no bonuses and struggling mightily with Level 5 skills (with scores that had the highest of maybe a 13 or 14 at the end of the season) to now achieving the accomplishment of being 2nd in state (Texas) just a year later with a score of 88.2 and all 14’s and 15’s. Jacob has been a gymnast since 2005 and a competitive USAG gymnast for 2 years.

When he first started competing, he was having pain and difficulty with some skills (several areas such as his heel and wrists). I knew Brandi as she was working with my daughter, who is also a competitive gymnast, and her team already. After speaking with Brandi, I made our appointment for the consultation, and Jacob started seeing Brandi for his issues. After a few months of treatments and Jacob being very serious about following the exercise plan set by Brandi, Jacob was pain free and making some of the skills that had been utterly impossible beforehand.

I know that his work with Brandi is key to his success. Brandi not only was able to determine the cause of the issues with very noninvasive techniques but also was also so encouraging to Jacob. She made sure he understood the importance of his daily exercises with such care and concern. Jacob vigorously followed through with all that Brandi gave him as he was able to understand the importance of it all due to Brandi’s excellent instruction and direction. I personally recommend Brandi and Perfect 10.0 to any competitive gymnast. Brandi is extremely knowledgeable and keeps up with all the latest techniques. She explains by not only words but by hands on examples so the gymnast (and parent) can understand the how and why.

Thank you, Brandi, for all that you have done to help Jacob pursue his passion!

I have had three injuries; the most recent being back pain. Brandi has helped me through each injury and enabled me to come out of each therapy session feeling better.

When Brandi first started working with me, I immediately felt comfortable with her. She was a gymnast and knows what I am talking about every time. Also, Brandi has a great attitude, is very encouraging, and always knows what is best for my body.

My first memories of working with Brandi begin when I was a 10 year old level 5 gymnast. I believe we worked through fixing my super tight achilles and mild tendonitis, but honestly she has done so many fixes for me since then, I could be very wrong! Brandi was the first physical therapist I saw as a gymnast, and I’ve never looked back. Her incredible treatments and positivity have continuously kept me coming back again and again. Brandi has always been eager to assist with even the smallest of issues I’ve had because, as I’ve learned, even a small complication can affect the whole body and mind. 

Most recently, Brandi has been helping me to come back from a major knee surgery I had in March, a week before everything began to shut down due to COVID. I was nervous that making the transition back would be difficult, especially due to the fact that gyms were closed, and I wouldn’t be able to have any in person visitations with Brandi. I have definitely been proven wrong, though, because the entire process has been extremely fluid. Brandi worked with what equipment I had at home, and through zoom calls, has been able to get me back to tumbling and almost 100 percent strength in a mere few months! Just seeing Brandi’s familiar face and being able to talk to someone and get some human interaction in was so nice, especially during the early days of quarantine where we really couldn’t go anywhere or do anything! It was also really helpful to have motivation to workout during quarantine because I definitely would have struggled with that if I did not have an injury to be coming back from!

As I leave for college, looking back on my almost 10 years with Brandi, there are so many takeaways for me. She has helped me physically, yes, but also mentally. I have grown so much more confident in myself and have learned through our many talks the importance of speaking up, knowing my body, and I’ve learned how confidence and mental strength directly correlate to performance. Brandi has helped me connect mental health to physical health, improving my body entirely. I could probably fill an entire notebook with exercises she has given me through the years! Thank you so much, Brandi, I appreciate it to no end.