Patient of the Month – Susan Parmetier
Susan Parmetier presented to our office and was evaluated by Jason Ulisse, PT on March 31st, 2020 following left total knee replacement performed by Dr. Anthony Schena at New England Baptist Hospital on March 7th. When Susan walked into our office, she still had significant pain (as high as 8/10) and was really struggling to bend her knee more than 60 degrees. She also had typical swelling and weakness in all the muscles in her left thigh and hip. Functionally she struggled to walk normally and stairs were next to impossible. People in Susan’s situation, as the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting our global economy down, are one of the primary reasons why we chose to keep the doors at SOPT open on a limited basis rather than fully shutting down.
In the weeks to come, Susan would religiously come and see Jason twice per week to work on bending her knee and strengthening the muscles in her thigh and hip. This was accomplished through Susan’s attention to detail and hard work at home doing exercises recommended by Jason as well as the hard work Jason would put in working on her scar tissue and stiffness with a combination of manual treatment techniques such as scar mobilization, joint mobilization, and deep tissue mobilization. Susan and Jason’s combined efforts and team work started to pay dividends as Susan’s motion gradually improved, swelling decreased, and strength started to return. Susan’s program was progressed to include more advanced strengthening exercises so she could make a smooth transition back to a local fitness center where she could continue to work out on her own.
Here is what she had to say about her experience at SOPT:
“Specialized Orthopedics Physical Therapy will customize your treatment plan through knowledge and guidance helping patients gain strength and mobility to get back to the things you love. Thank You SOPT”
– Susan Parmentier
We are happy to report that Susan was recently discharged from SOPT with very little pain to speak of and has been cleared to return to her occupation in retail without restrictions! She is able to walk normally, climb stairs, squat, and jog without any pain or discomfort! She was truly an inspiration to us all as she successfully rehabbed her left knee during the most trying of times locally, nationally, and globally while battling the emotional fears of the unknown of the COVID-19 pandemic! We could not think of anyone more deserving of this recognition as the Warwick Office Patient of the Month!
