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success is earned one patient at a time!
| Will and Perseverance |
Stepping back into the job after a disabling foot injury |
A Close Call |
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Ellen
T . |
Denise
L . |
Ray
F . |
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The memory of that fateful day is forever seared in her memory. Desperately Ellen T. swerved her car, trying to avoid the car that had pulled out in front of her. The pain was agonizing. Her left wrist was shattered in nine places, her right wrist broken in one place, and her left elbow and shoulder were trapped behind the steering wheel from the impact. There was so much swelling and damage from the trauma, that surgery to rebuild Ellen’s left wrist had to wait two weeks after the accident. With her right wrist also in a cast and unable to do the simplest daily activities, Ellen stayed with her daughter for over a month. Eight weeks later on a Friday, the cast on her left wrist was removed. Ellen began physical and occupational therapies at Santé the following Monday. Her left biceps had atrophied from lack of use and her neck had knots and spasms from the whiplash. During her initial visit, she cried because the pain was so intense. Not only was Ellen working to regain the use of her left wrist, elbow and shoulder, she was dealing with the flares from multiple sclerosis. “Before I started therapy, I did my homework and asked friends for their recommendations. I am a realistic and a fighter, said Ellen. During my assessment appointment, the therapist was very gentle yet told me I would need to work at home if I wanted to regain my maximum movement. That fact helped me push myself to do my homework assignments daily. I did not begin my healing process with false expectations.” Because of the severity of her wrist injury, Ellen will never regain the full use of her left wrist, elbow and shoulder. After six months of physical and occupational therapies, she is picking up the pieces of her shattered life. Ellen can now drive, pick up a piece of paper and handle lightweight objects. “My life has been forever changed, said Ellen. I lost my job as a management trainer because I can not longer type, travel, or lift the books I sold. Throughout my rehab, the therapists at Santé gave me hope and treated me like an individual person...they didn’t just do their job. They always pushed me in a positive way and did not let me slide or use excuses.” |
Two
years ago a foot injury at work left Denise L. in constant pain and unable
to return to her job. Even the hobbies she enjoyed like bowling and fishing
were pushed aside. Denise had surgery to remove a bone spur from her foot that developed after her injury. Still the pain did not subside. After she was sent to a physical therapist at a Santé Rehabilitation Center, her physician recommended that she begin the Santé Pain Management Program. “Santé was like a family to me. It was wonderful to grow with other patients and become stronger together. I knew the medical staff really cared and wanted me to recover.” Although she hadn’t worked for eight months, Denise drove herself to the Santé Center three days a week for the next six weeks. At 8:30 am classes began with physical therapy, followed by group sessions, nutrition counseling or breathing classes. “Every day was different. You either start out with warm-up exercises or you talk to the counselor. We joined group activities in the afternoon.” Denise's doctor was able to modify her pain medication. The biofeedback training she was doing at Santé helped her control the onset of pain without strong painkillers. Now Denise takes some medicine for her foot, but she is able to work full time. After completing the Santé Pain Management Program, Denise participated in weekly aftercare meetings for 10 additional weeks. “The meetings gave me time to reflect on how I was using what I had learned from Santé in my daily life. I also enjoyed the support of those who had been in the program with me.” Denise has learned to rely on her new skills in biofeedback. “The biofeedback sessions helped me cope with my foot pain, but also with pain in general. If I get a backache, I practice my breathing techniques and the pain subsides.” When Denise is not at work, she and her husband are spending more time fishing together. “My husband and I like to goa small lake nearby,” Denise says. “And, thanks to the Santé Pain Management Program, fishing has never been more relaxing or more fun.” |
Since
a door was not available at the loading dock, Ray F. decided to improvise.
He parked his semi-trailer in the parking lot, and manually started to pull
the skid to the rear of the truck. When the skid broke, the force threw
Ray out of the trailer with such impact that his body bounced in the air
and flipped him over face down on the pavement. Ray remembers regaining
consciousness… the pain in his shoulder and neck was excruciating
and his left leg was awkwardly extended.
Several hours later, Ray was released from the emergency room with a soft neck collar. After the physician at his company’s clinic reviewed the X-ray report, Ray returned to light duty at work and went to physical therapy at Santé. Five weeks later, the clinic physician was ready to release him to full duty. When Ray mentioned his left thumb and little finger were tingling, a MRI was ordered. The MRI scan and subsequent X-rays showed that the vertebrae were dislocated and pushed into the spinal cord. An emergency cervical fusion was performed. It was a close call… if Ray’s spinal column had been narrower, it would have been severed and he could have been paralyzed from the waist down. Following surgery, Ray started light physical therapy three times a week at Santé. After four months of therapy, he transitioned to the Work Conditioning Program. Ray completed the program early and was back to full duty six months after his injury. “Thanks to Santé’s Work Conditioning Program I’m in better physical shape than before my injury. The therapists were extremely competent, professional, and very knowledgeable. They worked very closely with me to ensure I did not re-injure myself.” In his free time, Ray is back building and repairing computers. “This injury has taught me to listen to my body. I never realized how much I use my neck muscles while driving the semi-trailer or sitting in front of the computer. Even though my physician has discharged me, I’m still going to Santé to keep myself in condition. I lost over 40 pounds and want to keep it off, said Ray.” |
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