Occupational Therapist's Crippling Injury Heals With Help From JFK Johnson

Linda Hayes of Somerville, New Jersey, has been an occupational therapist for 27 years. So when her mother, Alice, was released from a rehabilitation facility and needed help standing up, Alice was happy to help. Transferring a person from a bed or chair to a commode was something Linda helped people with many times a day at work. But this time, as she helped her mother stand, she felt a very painful “pop” from her gastrocnemius muscle—the muscle that goes from above her knee to her heel in the back of her left calf.

Being a professional caregiver, Linda started treating her injury using ice packs, compression and elevating her leg, but it wasn’t enough. When she arrived at work on Monday, her colleagues saw how much pain she was experiencing and that the injury was preventing her from doing her job, so they convinced her to get help.

Physical Therapy for Healing

Fortunately, Linda was able to get an appointment with an orthopedist right away, and after a thorough examination showed there was no bone damage, she was referred to physical therapist Katelin Clancy, PT, DPT, at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy at Piscataway. “Linda could not walk properly, had pain with all weight-bearing activities, had significant difficulty going up and down stairs and could not perform her usual professional and daily personal activities,” Katelin says.

Katelin devised a therapeutic physical therapy program for Linda’s gastrocnemius strain, beginning with light exercises and stretching and progressing through exercises that incorporated calf strengthening. Katelin used manual therapy techniques, including using an Edge Mobility Tool to break up tissue adhesions and promote blood flow to the injured area.

Professional Collaboration

In some situations, having one rehabilitation professional working on another could be awkward, but Katelin and Linda built a collaborative relationship that was key to Linda’s fast recovery. “We talked like peers,” Linda recalls. “I work very closely with physical and speech therapists as well as physiatrists (rehabilitation physicians), so I understood what [Katelin] was saying and the rationale behind what we were doing.”

Katelin agrees, “At first, it was a little nerve-wracking as I knew Linda not only understood what I was doing but also why. Once we got to know each other a little, it was nice talking to her in medical terminology. She knew the importance of doing work on her own and was very compliant with her home exercise program.”

Only two weeks after beginning physical therapy, Linda returned to work. After eleven treatments over a little over a month, Linda was formally discharged.

Linda, an avid walker, says an unexpected benefit of the therapy is that she can now walk even faster than before her injury, shaving three minutes per mile off her walking speed. She has no lingering effects from the injury and now walks three miles several times every week.

For other patients undergoing physical therapy, Katelin has words of empowerment: “You, as a patient, truly drive your recovery process. If you are motivated and want to get better, you will as long as you put the work in.”

Next Steps & Resources

• To make an appointment with a rehabilitation specialist or physical therapist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
• Learn more about physical therapy at Hackensack Meridian Health.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.