CentraState - Healthy Directions

Every Step of the Way with Physical Therapy in Jackson F ive years ago while a college freshman, Lauren Sweitzer, now 24, discovered a cyst on the Achilles tendon of her right foot. For several years, she regularly visited a podiatrist to have it drained but the cyst worsened, leaving the Jackson resident unable to stand for long periods without significant pain. Despite surgery at an Ocean County facility earlier this year to remove the cyst, Lauren still couldn't return to her usual active lifestyle, which includes playing with kids at an after-school program in Jackson where she works. "For a month following the surgery, I could not put any weight on my foot," Lauren says. "I was in a brace and walking around on crutches. I was frustrated and didn't know what to do." CHANCE ENCOUNTER While driving to a local shopping center, Lauren's mother noticed that CentraState Medical Center offers rehabilitation services at its Medical Office at Jackson on South Hope Chapel Road and urged her daughter to make an appointment, which Lauren did after getting a referral from her podiatrist. "I had undergone physical therapy in 2001, after having knee surgery at another hospital," Lauren says. "Compared to my first rehab experience, the care I received through CentraState was much more thorough and hands-on." Last March, Lauren began working one-on-one with CentraState physical therapist Patti Guttormsen, DPT, at the Jackson location. They met two to three days a week for more than a month to correct Lauren's walking pattern (gait), which was off balance due to weakness and pain from the surgery and subsequent immobility, and to strengthen her right ankle and leg. "During each 45-minute session, we utilized soft-tissue mobilization, joint mobilization of the ankle joint, and supervised therapeutic exercises to increase Lauren's ankle mobility, the strength of her affected limb, and her overall functional mobility," Guttormsen says. "Lauren worked hard to normalize her gait pattern and her ability to traverse stairs, as well as improve her overall balance in order to transition back to her active lifestyle." THE BUMPY ROAD TO RECOVERY Thanks to physical therapy, Lauren made significant progress in correcting her walking pattern and strengthening her ankle and leg. But following the surgery, she had experienced periodic infections on the Achilles tendon at the original site of the cyst, and just around the time that her physical therapy was scheduled to end, she developed an abscess. "Patti called my doctor right away when she noticed it was getting worse," Lauren says. Guttormsen decided not to clear Lauren while she was still having A Wealth of Rehabilitation Services CentraState Medical Center offers comprehensive rehabilitation services through its OceanFirst Rehabilitation Center at the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus in Freehold, as well as select services at three other locations including the CentraState Medical Office in Jackson (21 South Hope Chapel Road), the CentraState Medical Office in Monroe (312 Applegarth Road), and Monroe Sports Center (4 Farrington Boulevard). Services include: • Audiology • Cancer rehabilitation • Cardiac rehabilitation 14 September/October 2011 • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy • Occupational therapy • Pediatric rehabilitation • Physical therapy • Pulmonary rehabilitation • Speech-language pathology. For more information about Rehabilitation Services at CentraState, visit www.centrastate.com/rehab or call (732) 294-2700. Healthy Directions Lauren Sweitzer is back to living an active life after successfully rehabilitating from an Achilles tendon procedure with Rehabilitation Services at CentraState's Medical Office in Monroe. complications and worked with Lauren's insurance to extend her rehabilitation sessions. "Patti stood beside me during each session and was aware of every issue that arose," Lauren says. "She was so invested in my rehabilitation that she told me to stop by anytime with questions. Everyone there went above and beyond my expectations." For more information about Rehabilitation Services at CentraState, visit www.centrastate.com/rehab or call (732) 294-2700. To schedule an appointment at CentraState Physical Therapy in Jackson, call (732) 363-4614. HD

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