Getting Back on the Horse

 

                                                                                                     

                              

A typical physical therapy appointment lasts 45 to 60 minutes. The therapist reviews your progress, checks your range of motion and strength, and guides you through exercises designed to improve flexibility, balance, and walking. Hands-on techniques may also be used to reduce pain and stiffness. Before you leave, you will receive instructions for exercises to continue at home between appointments.

 

Chances are good that many of my blog readers have experienced physical therapy at some point in their lives. While people of all ages receive therapy, the typical outpatient patient is between 55 and 70 years old. Many are recovering from orthopedic problems such as knee or hip replacement, arthritis, fractures, or chronic back pain. Total knee replacement patients are often in their 60s and 70s, making seniors one of the largest groups receiving physical therapy. At nearly 80 years old, I was at the upper end of the age spectrum—at least that's what I like to tell myself. That and the fact that my implant was a No.7 and the range stops at 8. Size matters.

 

At the end of a recent therapy session, my therapist, Shawn, smiled and said, "Now we're going to try something different."

 

Those words are enough to make any patient a little nervous. Then he added, "We're going into a special room."

 

My imagination immediately shifted into overdrive. What medieval torture device awaited me behind that door?

 

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. Shawn led me into a huge room about the size of a three-car garage with twenty-foot ceilings. Tucked into one corner was a stationary bicycle. Shawn showed me how to mount the bike and adjusted the tension. Nearby, however,  were wheelbarrows, utility carts, tall ladders, lengths of pipe, lumber, heavy tools, a rolled-up two-inch fire hose, and enough industrial and construction equipment to convince me I had wandered into the hospital's maintenance department with the exception perhaps of the gravel pit and shovel.

 

Seeing the puzzled look on my face, Shawn laughed.

 

"This isn't Maintenance," he explained. "This is our Industrial Rehabilitation Room."

 

He went on to explain that physical therapy patients come from every walk of life. While many return to office jobs, others must go back to physically demanding occupations that require lifting, climbing, carrying, pushing, and pulling. Their rehabilitation is tailored to the work they do, using equipment and activities that simulate real job conditions.

 

"You might say," Shawn said with a grin, "We help them get back on the horse."

 

As I climbed onto the stationary bicycle, I couldn't help but smile. Compared to those workers, my biggest challenge was getting back to mowing my lawn. But then I realized that recovery isn't measured by the size of the job waiting for you—it's measured by your determination to reclaim the life you had before surgery.

 

Whether your goal is climbing a ladder, carrying lumber, chasing grandchildren, or simply mowing the lawn, physical therapists like Shawn help people get back on their own horse. They provide guidance and encouragement, but the patient supplies the determination. Thanks to Shawn and the countless therapists who quietly help people rebuild their lives one exercise at a time