HARTFORD -- A new bone and joint institute is making a difference in patient’s lives.
“I walked a lot at lunchtime every day and after work as well. I started getting a little limp and it started getting more progressed,” said Laurie Aparo, of New Britain.
It turned out Aparo had a stress fracture in her hip. Despite a surgical procedure, her gait hasn’t been the same since.
“It was very frustrating, not being able to walk properly, because you take that for granted,” said Aparo.
She was referred to the Center for Musculoskeletal Health at Hartford Healthcare’s Bone and Joint Institute which just opened in January.
“What we do here is very different from any other facility. We look at the patient as a whole, so when they come in, they get a full assessment where we can identify if they have any nutritional counseling needs, if they need integrative medicine. We can refer them to our partner for integrative medicine,” said Wendy Nichols, Area Director.
Aparo is building muscle strength - working on an anti-gravity treadmill - with physical therapist Matt Reynolds.
“When someone goes in there we can make them 75 percent of their body weight, 50 percent of their body weight, 25 percent of their body weight where they’re almost coming up on their tippy toes, for Laurie for example, if she can walk normal at 50 percent body weight, we’ll bump her up, bump her up, bump her up then maybe we can get to a place where she’s 100 percent and not showing impairment anymore,” said Reynolds.
He said this state-of-the-art facility has taken rehab to a new level.
After six weeks, Aparo’s condition is improving. She hopes her regular walks are right around the corner. “I feel confident with Matt’s expertise and the equipment here that I’ll be able to reach my goal.”