Steph Fagin, Continues Here Education in Postural Restoration.

Hi there, Iʼm Steph Fagin, MSPT and the most recent addition to Alpine Sports Medicine since Feb., 2010. I graduated in 1986 from Washington University School of Physical Therapy in St. Louis, MO. Iʼve spent most of my 25 years working in the outpatient orthopedic/sports medicine environment with a few initial years working in acute care rehab.

Concussion? We Can Help with Your Recovery.

Concussions seem to be in the news a lot lately, especially here in Utah with the recent passing of House Bill 204.  This bill is all about education and awareness, concussions are a very real threat (especially second impact), and this bill should help educate student athletes.

Jason Morgan Works Strength & Conditioning with Park City Baseball Team

I had the distinct pleasure of growing up as a baseball player in the snowy town of Park City. Over the years I faced many challenges in pursuit of my athletic dreams, most of which involved the excessive amount of snow piled up on the baseball field during our season.

Mark Moeller: Early Summer Update on TKR Surgery Rehab

Hello everyone, It has been a quite a while since my last update. I was just discouraged with the lack of progress on my knees and therefore didn’t feel there was much positive info to share.

Meet Karen Procino, Physical Therapist

Karen is a physical therapist with 15 years experience.  She has worked in a variety of settings, giving her a diverse background and comprehensive understanding of the demands of a physical therapist.

Kinesio (KT) Taping with Janna Mann of Alpine Sports Medicine

 

 

Checking in With Mark Moeller > Total Knee Replacement

Well, it has been nearly three months since my knee replacement surgeries and I wish I could report that everything is going smoothly.

I am still struggling in choppy waters!  My knees are very stiff and tight with limited range of motion. This is still causing me difficulty with walking, negotiating stairs, and even sitting in a chair.  It has been very frustrating to be working my knees very consistently, yet not make any progress in the range of motion department.  After consulting with my surgeon, I underwent a bilateral manipulation under light general anesthesia nearly 4 weeks ago.  My surgeon was able to achieve 130 degrees of knee flexion bilaterally in the Operating Room with  manipulation.   immediately after, I went right to Alpine Sports Medicine to begin my Physical Therapy regimen. I utilized a CPM machine set at 0-120 degrees at home as much in the daytime as I could and at night while trying to sleep. The best I was able to get was 130 degrees on my better knee and 120 degrees on my worse knee.  Both my knees have since stiffened up  and I am currently in the 100 degree ball park with my better knee cold and 115 degrees warmed up and stretched out.  My worse knee is about 90 degrees cold and 100 degrees warmed up and stretched out.

I am still having a significant amount of pain and discomfort associated with my knees as well. I am still utilizing pain meds 2 x daily, otherwise I can hardly move my knees are so stiff and hurt so much.  My daily routine consists of waking up at 5:45 am and stationary cycling 1 hour daily, knee Range of Motion and  stretching exercises. I also jump back on the bike in the afternoon and evening for 10-15 minutes as well. I am performing resistance exercises 3 x weekly, but I feel that I can’t proceed full speed ahead with strength exercises while I am still having so much difficulty with my knee-joint ROM.

I am still not back at work yet treating patients. My original plan was to return to work after 6 weeks. I am now almost 12 weeks out and still feel as if I am not capable of returning to work in my usual capacity. If I only had a desk job, it would be no problem at all. But with all the up and down, running around, standing, kneeling and walking required with my job as a physical therapist, I still feel that I am not ready. I am very concerned that my knees will stiffen up even more!  I am returning for a consult with my surgeon in two weeks. There just might be another manipulation in my near future.

This has definitely been the most challenging recovery I have gone through in my career of 12 knee surgeries. I know it will all work out in the long-term and I am willing to make any short-term sacrifices necessary to achieve a good long-term result. My experiences throughout my own rehabilitation are serving as a good reminder of what many of my patients have to deal with on a daily basis. It really is a good example of how everyone’s body reacts differently.  I will try my best to keep chugging forward and hope I can return back to work soon! I will update you all again following my consult with my physician!

 

Robert Cervantez: Tour of Utah Volunteer

I would like to say that I had a great experience as a volunteer for the Tour of Utah. I would like to begin by saying thank you to Executive Director Karen Weiss, Volunteer Coordinator John Cotter and many others that helped organize and execute a great week of bicycle racing in the sate of Utah. This race would not be possible without the assistance of the thousands of cycling enthusiast that volunteered their time to help. GREAT JOB UTAH VOLUNTEERS. Give yourself a big hand.

I was a bit nervous about volunteering for an event on such a large-scale as course driver. I did not want to make a mistake (i.e. wrong turn and end up on ESPN Sports Center every hour- Thank god that did not happen). I believe I volunteered via the Tour of Utah web page in April stating the times and dates in would be available to help. I receive my first e-mail from John Cotter in early July describing my preliminary assignments, duties and important training dates, along with asking for more volunteer time if able. I went from 1 day to 3 days as a volunteer. Several dates were provided to attend training that accommodated my schedule. My initial training consisted of an introduction of the Tour organizers and there roles, safety education and breakout groups with the organizers to go over our roles in more specific detail. My second, meeting was the Race Director and Caravan Coordinator. It was mind-blowing all the information that was provided for the safety of the rides, community, course motorcycles and drivers. As a cycling enthusiast who has seen the Tour de France on TV many times I never knew how much behind the seen coordination must go on a daily basis to orchestrate a safe race. I now have a little richer appreciation of all the Grand Tour races.

An estimated 10,000 people came out to support an Epic bike race on Main Street. Park City fans are the BEST. It was great to see some of the local rides perform at such a high level. Rides like Brad Gehrig, Todd Hageman, Billy Demong, Burke Swindelhurst, Jeff Louder to name a few. The future is bright for the Tour of Utah. I only hope that big name racers like Leipheimer, Mancebo, Hincapie and others continue to come and support a great Utah race.

Mark Moeller: Another Check in on Mark’s TKR Rehab

Mark Continues to work hard on the rehabilitation processes associated with Total Knee Replacement surgery.  Here is another BLOG entry from Mark….

Just a quick update on my progress > I was able to get rid of the forearm crutches exactly 2 weeks after my surgery. I was  also able to begin stretching out the doses of pain medicine at 2 weeks as well, from every 4 hours to every 8 hours. At Post op week 3, I was able to cut down the pain meds to 2 x daily. It is still difficult to get comfortable while sleeping. I usually wake up every couple of hours and try to get comfortable again. I have not been too concerned about the restless sleep because I still have not had to go back to work yet. If I need a nap during the afternoon before the kids get home from school……I can!  My staples were removed 3 weeks following surgery and the incisions are  now fully closed and I am able to soak my knees in the tub. The heavy feeling in my thighs is gradually reducing and I am achieving better quadricep control. I am now 4 weeks out of surgery and walking fairly well. The biggest problem that I am faced with is limited Range of Motion and stiffness in my knee that was replaced. I would still describe my left knee as feeling like “cement.”  I am having a very difficult time getting my knee to bend…. even just to 90 degrees! I have been working my ROM daily and have been have been stuck around 95 degrees. My world record is now 101 degrees but that is completely MAXED OUT. My quadriceps muscle feels as if it is going to rip off my quad tendon. With all my prior knee surgeries, I  have usually been on the tighter side and have always had to work hard to get my ROM (“Range of Motion” for those of us not in the business) back. However, this time is definitely the tightest and stiffest my knee has ever been! I have had to rely on assistance from Janna and Andrea to lean on me a little bit just to make any progress! I have been able to ride the stationary bicycle daily , but I still haven’t been able to get rid of a hip-hike on my left side when I get to the top of the pedal stroke. It still hurts to do it, but I suppose it is a hurt so good type of pain, I know that I need to do it. I still do not have great standing endurance yet. The longer I am on my feet, the more my knees swell, get stiff and hurt. Overall, I feel I am doing well….. just having a ROM problem at this point. I will keep you posted on my progress.

 

Until next time…

 

Mark Moeller: The Quest Continues, Total Knee Replacement Rehabilitation

Mark Moeller continues on his road to recovery from Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery. This installment Marks shows some serious progress, remarkable to see the improvement in mobility…and don’t leave before you see the staples coming out!