In the past two years, Michael has had back surgery for a ruptured disc, shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff, and foot surgery for a torn Achilles tendon. Prior to that, he also had knee surgery for a torn meniscus as well as surgery to repair the rotator cuff on his other shoulder.
At 65, Michael is active and enjoys physical fitness. When he first came to KCP Physical Therapy, he was frustrated that he had not been able to achieve the lifestyle and level of fitness that he had enjoyed prior to the last three surgeries.
“There’s Nothing Else I Can Do”
After his rotator cuff surgery, Michael went to the physical therapy clinic associated with his surgeon. Initially, they worked on range of motion exercises. He was pleased to see his range return quickly and was eager to begin strengthening exercises. He was cleared to do so after three months, but then had trouble getting back on the PT schedule there.
He finally returned to to begin strengthening. After only two sessions, however, he was dismissed. The therapist told him, “There’s nothing else I can do.”
Michael did not yet have full strength in his shoulder and wanted further help. He expressed his disappointment to his doctor who told him that he could go anywhere he wanted for his physical therapy.
At the time, his wife was a client at KCP Physical Therapy. Friends of hers had “raved” about the practice, and she was making progress getting mobility back in her frozen shoulder.
Michael decided to try KCP as well.
Treating the Whole Person
During his initial assessment at KCP, Michael shared his medical history with physical therapist Joy Pfuhl. He thought that he was there for “just” shoulder rehab, but he found that Joy took an interest in him as a total person. As they began to work together, Joy and Michael also addressed the other lingering issues that were preventing him from progressing to his previous level of fitness.
As a result of the back surgery, Michael says that he suffered from nerve pain down the left leg, coming from his lower back. He also had numbness in his left knee.
Joy says, “Michael had an excellent result from his rotator cuff repair and just needed some final strengthening. We were able to advance him to working on lower extremity strength and balance, which he had lost due to ongoing deficits from his Achilles tendon repair. We also worked on core strength for his back and advanced to weight training and plyometrics for his shoulder.”
“I’ve never had someone like that before,” Michael says. “She took my whole history into account, and instead of just focusing on my shoulder, she helped with everything – my leg, my shoulder, my core, and my balance.”
“The results were amazing,” he says. “Treating the whole body and addressing all my issues – it was amazing.”
Getting the Green Light to Golf Again
Michael says he has “graduated” from the rehab program. His shoulder strength has returned, and he’s gotten the green light to ‘go for it’ with one of his main goals: golfing with his 30-year-old son. “I haven’t done it yet but getting the green light to do it made me feel good,” he says.
In addition to golfing, he’ll also continue to garden, run on the treadmill, walk the greenways, and work out in his home gym. He says that he “appreciates KCP’s functional fitness / lifetime fitness approach” as it aligns with his own overall personal health philosophy.
“I’m psyched for the next six months,” he says. “Everything just keeps getting better.”
Joy says, “It was super fun to work with Michael to bring all the pieces together and get him back to feeling strong and fit! Motivation was never an issue; he just needed someone to guide him safely and treat him as the whole person that he is!”
