Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid - (Page 8)

Euclid Hospital 18901 Lake Shore Blvd. Euclid, OH 44119 NON-PROFIT ORG US Postage PAID HEALTH ESSENTIALS The Coach’s Coach As the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Sam Rutigliano knows the importance of physical therapy after surgery. “I believe therapy can be more important than the surgery,” he says. “I had a few guys who lost their careers because they didn’t follow through with the therapy.” But he has another example closer to home. His wife, Barbara, had surgery for a broken kneecap in 2007. She turned to Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy at Euclid Hospital for her recovery back to everyday life. “They were fabulous,” she says of her physical therapist Sue Ketz, and her assistants Amy Slaby and Jen Williams. “I really believed in their guidance, they were so inspiring!” When Rutigliano’s knee became too painful, he turned to his old friend, Dr. John A. Bergfeld, who had served for many years as team physician for the Browns and is the past director of sports health at Cleveland Clinic. The orthopaedic surgeon presented the options. Barbara and Sam Rutigliano “He said ‘we can treat it and I can give you some medication and we can give you some cortisone.’ Having been a coach all my life, I knew what that was all about. So I said ‘no, no, I want to be able to walk.’ For me, it was a quality-of-life operation,” Rutigliano says. “The single most important thing was to be able to continue our lifestyle – to walk, to exercise, to ride bikes on the beach down in South Carolina.” After Barbara’s experience at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy at Euclid Hospital, there was no doubt in Rutigliano’s mind about where he would go for physical therapy. “I saw how Barbara responded . . . and she was perfect.” Motivated by the desire to resume the active lifestyle he and Barbara enjoyed, he worked hard for a quick recovery. He was walking with the aid of a walker the day after the knee replacement surgery. The coach welcomed their coaching. “You could feel how you were able to do more and more things with a lot more comfort. I had it all back in two to three weeks,” he says, adding that he still walks two miles a day and does the therapeutic exercises. “They were absolutely great,” he says of his therapists at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy at Euclid Hospital. “They made you feel comfortable, they were very clear. You really wanted to do the exercises.” And that says a lot, coming from a very motivational NFL coach. Same-day appointments available. Call 216.692.8780. euclidhospital.org/outpatientrehab http://www.euclidhospital.org/outpatientrehab http://www.euclidhospital.org/outpatientrehab

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid

Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid
Contents
A message from the president
Wound healing therapy now available at Euclid
Doing it her way
All-day therapy can help with fuller recovery

Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid