Sixty-three-year-old Dean T. came to The Recovery Project less than a month after suffering from a left sided stroke, causing a right sided deficit. He was having trouble walking and using his right arm as a result of the stroke. Through his therapy with The Recovery Project, Dean sought to return to his prior level of function, including driving again, walking without any assisted devices and being able to run around with his granddaughter.
Dean’s therapists immediately set to work to help him reach his goals. Using the FES 300, Dean was able to reestablish functionality and mobility on his right side while also gaining back muscle strength. His therapists also relied on the LiteGait—a body-weight supported treadmill that helped Dean walk without the fear of falling. Not only did this help improve balance and stability, but it worked to restore Dean’s confidence in his walking abilities as well.
When Dean first came into The Recovery Project, he was able to walk 884 feet in six minutes, had a Berg Balance score of 42/56 and was able to do 11 sit-to-stands in 30 seconds. In three months of physical therapy with The Recovery Project, Dean made remarkable progress and can now walk 1,187 feet in six minutes, has maxed out on the Berg Balance scale and can now do 20 sit-to-stands in 30 seconds.
Dean has far exceeded his initial goals and no longer requires assisted devices for walking and he’s also able to drive and run around with his granddaughter again. In an interesting twist of fate, it is believed that Dean’s dog, CJ, suffered a stroke around the same time he did. Since then, the two have continued rehabbing together, growing stronger by the day, and Dean would argue they are in better physical shape now than before the strokes.
