Orthopedic Patient Stories
Back in Motion
Mattoon woman overcomes pain and limitations with a reverse shoulder replacement and physical therapy.
A June getaway to Wisconsin took a turn for the worse when Mattoon resident Marcia Parker tripped and fell, destroying her rotator cuff. Thanks to the orthopedics and rehabilitation teams at Sarah Bush Lincoln, within three months Marcia had fully recovered from reverse shoulder replacement surgery.
On the evening of the accident, Marcia sought emergency care in Wisconsin. Marciaʼs husband, Steve, drove to Wisconsin that night to pick her up, and the next day they returned home. Since Marcia had previously had a hip replacement with SBL Orthopedic Surgeon Eric Brewer, DO, she called SBL Orthopedics and Sports Medicine on the drive back. Certified Medical Assistant Emily Parker got Marcia an appointment to see Quinn Camfield, PA-C.
“Iʼve always thought highly of Dr. Brewer, and he did an excellent job with my shoulder replacement,” Marcia said. “I am appreciative of Emily for helping me get in right away, and Iʼm also very grateful for Quinnʼs help before and after the surgery.”
The rotator cuff keeps the ball of the upper arm bone in the shoulder blade socket. A tear to that group of muscles and tendons makes it difficult (even impossible, depending on the severity of the injury) to raise the arm and move it away from the body. Marciaʼs tear was so severe that Dr. Brewer performed a reverse shoulder replacement. With it, the surgeon places the ball on the socket side of the joint. In a standard replacement, the metal ball attaches to the upper part of the humerus itself.
Step one of fixing Marciaʼs shoulder was complete. Step two was ahead: regaining her range of motion, and that was a job for SBL Physical Therapy.
“Nothing was broken, but I knew something was wrong. I knew that I wanted to get back to Mattoon to get my shoulder taken care of.”
Following the replacement, doing simple things around her house became more difficult because of the limitations of Marciaʼs left arm. Because Marcia could not lift her arm very high, she could not use it to reach for dishes, to retrieve items from her linen closet or even to style her hair.
“My husband had to help me do a lot of things because I was limited to my one arm,” Marcia said. “Not being able to use my left arm became a real inconvenience.”
Approximately three weeks after surgery, Marcia started physical therapy. SBL Rehabilitation Services Director Sarah Hopkins evaluated Marcia, and Marcia soon began sessions with Physical Therapist Assistant Jennifer Nave.
Rehabilitation helped Marcia adjust to the replacement, extend her arm and reach overhead. “When I started, Sarah and Jennifer massaged my arm and shoulder in the right spots, and it made my muscles feel loose and feel so much better,” Marcia said.
Marcia performed various exercises during three months of physical therapy, including lifting light weights to build her arm strength and lifting light cones to improve her range of motion. She finished her treatment in October.
“Everything they had me do was very beneficial, and they were very kind, very professional and very attentive to my needs,” she said.
Marcia can now use her arm to do the seemingly simple— yet crucial— tasks that were challenging for her only a few months ago. “Iʼm relieved to have completed this journey,” she said. “This summer was not great because of the limitations I faced, so it is nice to feel a sense of normalcy again.”
To make an appointment or for more information about SBL Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Mattoon, call 217 238-3435. For the SBL Bonutti Clinic Orthopedics in Effingham, call 217 342-3400. You can call SBL Physical and Occupational Therapy at 217 258-2530.