Featured Customer Story: LMH Health
“The extent of Irma’s injury didn’t allow for her to do any weight-bearing activities because of the post-operative instructions. Our HydroWorx pool was the perfect solution…”
– Dan Lorenz, sports medicine director at LMH Health Therapy Services
The excerpt below is from the original story, “Hydrotherapy helps personal trainer get back on her feet” posted by LMH Health:
Irma was in for a long road of rehabilitation – one predicted to take up to 18 months – but she couldn’t just hit the ground running. Patients with injuries where weight-bearing activities are limited, such as stress fractures, or those with post-operative weight limitations, as in Irma’s case, may be good candidates for hydrotherapy. And for that, she turned to Dan Lorenz, sports medicine director at LMH Health Therapy Services, for help.
“The extent of Irma’s injury didn’t allow for her to do any weight-bearing activities because of the post-operative instructions. Our HydroWorx pool was the perfect solution,” Dan explained. “The water is far less compressive on the joint in terms of shear force. Having that environment meant we could still be mindful of the healing process and help improve her function through earlier weight-bearing activities.”
LMH Health Therapy Services at the West Campus is the only location in Lawrence to offer treatment using the HydroWorx 2000. As Irma had weight-bearing limitations, the warm water, adjustable depth, jets, and treadmill allowed her to perform exercises in the water that she couldn’t on land. They began her therapy as soon as her incision closed.
“I jumped in and we started with walking. Having my patella realigned during the surgery really changed my gait. I also discovered that I had pronation, as well as tight and underactive muscles I didn’t know about,” Irma shared. “Using the pool helped me gain confidence. I became comfortable walking and got back to that heel-toe movement.”
“Using the pool helped me gain confidence. I became comfortable walking and got back to that heel-toe movement.”
– Irma, patient
After a bit of walking, Irma began strength training with exercises such as lunges and squats in the pool. She progressed to running, kicking, and swimming. And when the time was right, the team turned on the jets, which provided more resistance while kicking. After about 12 weeks in the water, Irma was ready to get back to work on land.
“Dan and his team made the call when it was time for me to get back on land and into the gym setting,” she said. “I continued to work in a pool on my own with the knowledge that they provided. It built confidence and was reassuring for me to be able to jump in on my own and continue my rehab.”
Read the full story on LMH’s website.