Page 41 - Hoag Orthopedic Institute 2014 Outcomes Report

PATIENT TESTIMONIALS
Mission Microcosm
Empathetic Therapist
its fluid elegance and gymnastic-like lifts, drops and jumps. Those moves become impossible with neck pain, as Shoja knows all too well.
He blames “little injuries” through the years – a fall off a mountain bike and another playing ping- pong – for the compression, or rubbing, of four discs against his upper spine. An MRI ordered
by his doctor showed that Shoja’s spine was
not protected, and even a minor injury could be catastrophic. An epidural shot and painkillers provided pain relief, but Shoja’s dancing became much more conservative.
Shoja’s complex surgery at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in September 2013 was done in two stages: from the front and the back. After a five- day hospital stay, Shoja returned home. Just one month after his surgery, Shoja stepped back onto the dance floor, without pain. “I’m taking it slow, but my doctor claims I can eventually be back to dancing five nights a week,” says Shoja, with a lilt to his voice. “I’m so glad I took steps to enjoy my quality of life, for the rest of my life.”
Read Shoja’s full story online at
www.orthopedichospital.com/shoja
“I have almost 20 years of therapy experience and I’ve given the same spiel for years about the impact of anesthesia on endurance and energy conservation, yet I thought I could go back to work administratively two weeks after my surgery. Talk about unrealistic expectations,” says Jen.
Jen spent her first week in a cast before receiving a knee brace. After nine weeks in extension,
the knee brace was unlocked. By 12 weeks she managed 90-degree flexion and returned to work on a part time basis, without direct patient care. With continued physical therapy, at five months her knee flexion had increased to a satisfactory 142 degrees and she looked forward to returning soon to hands-on patient care.
“Life is a journey, and my orthopedic one continues,” says Jen. “I have a much greater understanding of what my patients go through. I know I’ll be a more empathetic therapist by understanding their journey a bit better.”
Read about Jen’s journey online at
www.orthopedichospital.com/jen
For the past decade, Irvine aerospace engineer Shoja Adel’s zest for life led him
to grace many dance floors as a tango enthusiast. Tango takes athleticism to master
While at a professional conference in San Diego last year, HOI Physical Therapy Supervisor
Jen Brandon, PT, MPT, fell and fractured her patella. Surgery at HOI followed.
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