Byam – from better to best

An ankle injury that persisted for six months was the catalyst that caused Denis Byam to make the decision to become a physiotherapist.

As he explained it, sometime in the late 1990s, he received a contract to play cricket in England around the same time of the ankle injury, which remained more than an irritant, until a physiotherapist in England helped him regain full functionality of the injured ankle.

“After about three weeks of therapy, an injury that I was carrying around for like six months, I was able to get some assistance from a physiotherapist there and I decided that when I finished my cricket career that was going to be my field of study.”

Byam, however, did not wait until his cricket career ended to pursue studies in his chosen field in Cuba at the University of Havana, and the University of Del Rio.

Returning home in 2010, he found employment with the Government and wasted no time in setting up his own physiotherapy facility in the AVESCO club house at Arnos Vale.

That’s where we caught up with him, as he and his assistant applied their skills to help clients regain functionality.

In his seven short years of practice, Byam has worked with patients experiencing a variety of physical mobility challenges – “back pains, ankle pains, neurological conditions, name it, once there is pain and there is lack of mobility, I work with them.”

He has found himself working with a growing number of stroke patients; a condition he concluded is on the rise.

Byam has also noticed an increase in the number of people who suffer from inflammation in the foot (plantar fasciitis), and teens who have curvature of the spine – a condition known as scoliosis.

On this latter score, Byam would like to see an early screening programme instituted at the pre-primary level to be able to help such youngsters “deal with deficiencies in their muscular system, [because] when they reach a certain age as a teenager, there’s not much you can do physically to correct that deficiency.”

At this year’s inaugural Best of SVG Awards, Byam was voted “Best Physiotherapist”.

Having overcome his shock at having been nominated, Byam commended the SEARCHLIGHT newspaper for reaching out to persons “who are trying in their field to assist persons [to] make St Vincent and the Grenadines a better place.”

At the end of the day, the nominees and eventual winners “can have some joy that someone has recognized their contribution,” added Byam, who is currently pursuing studies leading to a PHD in physiotherapy.

Byam, remains actively engaged in sports, both as a player and administrator. He’s 2nd vice-president of the local Cricket Association and a player with Victors One.

He credits his engagement in sports for the discipline in his life.

Byam is also pleased that there are more practitioners in the discipline of physiotherapy, and with his own progress in this field.

“I could remember when I got that injury…I had some intervention locally, but struggled for six months to find help…,” the service just was not available at that time.

That was then; he is “able now to assist these young Vincentian sportsmen and women to recover from their injuries and rejoin their sports even stronger than how they were before.”