After two shoulder surgeries, James McFarland found lifting hot tubs required serious physical therapy...
It’s that “pop” and piercing pain that brought entrepreneur James McFarland to the realization that his right shoulder had had enough abuse lifting 800-pound hot tubs. Arthroscopic surgery repaired the torn ligaments and muscle, and shaved a small piece of the shoulder joint that was rubbing on bone. A few weeks of physical therapy, and McFarland thought he’d be back at full throttle.
His left shoulder decided it had had enough abuse, and the pain was excruciating. Back to the orthopedic surgeon. Even a cortisone shot hardly touched the pain. It was looking pretty certain Mr. McFarland was headed back to the operating table for arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder.
This time McFarland insisted on an aggressive physical therapy program. He found himself at Frandor Physical Therapy in a medical exercise therapy program designed to re-build muscle strength, flexibility, and range-of-motion. He never thought he’d be there several days a week for nearly five months.
Because healing of torn tissues and muscle is a gradual process, McFarland was sure he wasn’t progressing fast enough. His therapists showed him his baseline assessment and how far he’d come. They reminded him that they were gradually adding weights to the total gym pulleys he was using to recoup the physical strength he’d lost.
The very next week he started noticing how his range-of-motion improving, the pain subsiding during and after exercise, and the total pulley weight his shoulder muscles were tolerating.
“I wasn’t used to therapy that lasted longer than two weeks. I was impatient. Now, I see it’s a gradual process, and you don’t go from surgery to a full exercise program in a month or so.
“Besides my business, I walk and run, do yoga, Feldenkrais, use a Boflex system for exercise, and I like aerobatic flying. I’ve learned I better not be lifting 800-pound hot tubs by myself anymore. I think physical therapy has helped me understand body mechanics better and my own limitations. It really is amazing how far I’ve come, and all because they convinced me to stick with it. Believe me, I have a whole new respect for the physical therapy program at Frandor.”
It’s that “pop” and piercing pain that brought entrepreneur James McFarland to the realization that his right shoulder had had enough abuse lifting 800-pound hot tubs. Arthroscopic surgery repaired the torn ligaments and muscle, and shaved a small piece of the shoulder joint that was rubbing on bone. A few weeks of physical therapy, and McFarland thought he’d be back at full throttle.
