How baking bobby Launa beat her wrist injury

When police constable Launa Rowley took a tumble on her much-loved motorcycle it meant she was off the beat on two counts!

For besides having to take several weeks off work, 28-year-old Launa found she couldn’t carry on with her part-time business baking birthday cakes and buns.

Launa quickly recovered from the broken toe, fractured ribs and lots of bumps and bruises she suffered in the accident but an injury to her wrist just didn’t seem to be getting any better.

That meant the biker turned baker couldn’t beat the mixtures that were earning her a growing reputation in the cake world and the hobby-turned-business had to be put on hold.

“It was very worrying,” she explained. “Everything else healed well but my wrist continued to cause me a lot of pain. X-rays and an MRI scan didn’t reveal any major damage and it seemed it was going to be a case of ‘wait and see’”.

But a meeting with consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Michael Craigen at BMI Priory Hospital in Birmingham meant that it wasn’t long before Launa was back to the wooden spoon and mixing bowl.

It was discovered that Launa had torn her wrist ligaments and, in May last year, underwent major surgery as hand and wrist expert Mr Craigen repaired and reconstructed the damaged.

Now back on full duties as part of the Winson Green Neighbourhood Team Launa, of Selly Oak, is driving a police car at work and is back on the motorbike in her spare time.

And, of course she is mixing it up in the kitchen where she produced a special for Mr Craigen

She said: “It’s just something to say thank you. Mr Craigen spotted what others missed and, thanks to him, I am pain free, back at work and back to my baking.”

Launa used her membership of the Police Healthcare Scheme (PHS) to pay for her treatment.