St. David’s Rehabilitation

Mother daughter bonding never seemed so painful.
In an ultimate nod to maternal codependence and karmic unity, mom and I both seriously damaged our rotator cuffs on the left shoulder recently. Hugging has been extremely awkward.
Ever lose a limb? Life as you know it pretty much stops.
After surgery, I chose St. David’s Rehab because they have a warm pool. I love water. Once a week in water and once on land… Sounded like a good plan to me. Being in a pool made it possible to lift my arm and actually strengthen muscles that had not been used in a very long time.
I had originally started at another physical therapy place, but i found their facilities disappointing and their therapists abysmal, always overlapping scheduling so i would basically get 15 mins with the therapist and then they sent me to another room to do my exercises. I thought it was normal as they would begin working with the next patient halfway through my appointment. Lots of PT places do this… Beware!*
Christy led me through a series of exercises and stretches and I had 1 on 1 attention for the FULL time. She would touch my shoulder or back and make sure the right muscles were doing the work. She was encouraging but never cheerleadery.
Her positive attitude and awesome sense of humor helped me work through the weakness in my arm and shoulder. With her professional guidance, I saw clearly the difference between my weakness and my pain.
This office NEVER overlaps patients. Christy was prepared for every session and would take notes, recording changes in my strength and flexibility.
When I need to distract myself, like when I went to get a Brazilian for the first time, I tend to talk and talk and talk. Get going on a good subject and I stop thinking about the excruciating pain when lifting an arm that hasn’t been lifted in a year. Christy has a magical way to just flow with any conversation… She makes you feel comfortable whether you are a talker or just had a stroke. She can see into your humanity and she has compassion for you, but she never let me wimp out. Oh, and I tried.
Last week she told me she was done, there is nothing more she can do for me and this Friday is my final therapy for this phase of rehab. I was not happy. She said rehabilitation of the injury is done and I can do my exercises without her. I respect someone who sees when their job is complete. She is not a personal trainer and doesn’t want to waste my time or money. I am just feeling needy and really appreciating the attention.
Jessica at the front desk was always welcoming and wonderful, making sure I had appointments scheduled. Amazing what a beautiful smile and some thoughtful words can do for someone who has suddenly become disabled. I could have only liked her more had she liked the Trans Siberian Orchestra less. ;)
The other St. David’s therapists seem equally as great as Christy and I am sure that each has their specialty. I am partial, however, and once you start with someone it is so so nice to not get shuffled around between 5 overworked therapists.* Sorry, i digress — that happened at the last place and is another cautionary tale.
I had rockstar parking but that may have been due to choosing the 8am appointments. If you want to skip the horrid late afternoon parking lot called Bee Caves Road, sign up for the early morning time slots.
I am committed to doing my exercises every day and improving my arm to the point that I am back in a month to begin strengthening my arm for swimming freestyle and playing tennis. I would even like to begin training for my second triathlon.
There are many things that I can now do with my left arm. Waving goodbye to St. David’s is not one of them.
*Here is what I learned in the past 6 months about physical therapy clinics…
There are several components to success: great therapists, great equipment, specific equipment for your injury, organized billing procedures, clear communication with health insurance, receiving 1 – 1 attention, therapist preparation, clarity of exercises, and patient actually doing their exercises on their own. Christy at St. David’s far exceeded my expectations in all but this final component. ;)