[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/08\/ricks-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/08\/ricks-story\/","headline":"Rick\u2019s Story: Back on the Trails After Knee Surgery","name":"Rick\u2019s Story: Back on the Trails After Knee Surgery","description":"

Physical therapy at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute in Allison Park helped Rick recover after knee replacement surgery.<\/p>","datePublished":"2024-08-22","dateModified":"2024-08-22","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","name":"UPMC Rehabilitation Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc-rehabilitation-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1669664846.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1669664846.jpg","height":867,"width":1996},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/08\/ricks-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Rehabilitation"],"wordCount":1010,"articleBody":"Rick has been active all his life. He served in the United States Marine Corps for several years. Then he worked in construction and at a manufacturing plant on the maintenance crew for decades.In his free time, he enjoys long walks through the woods with his wife, friend, and dog.When his knee pain started to slow him down, and various treatments failed to work, Rick opted for a total knee replacement. He consulted UPMC orthopaedic surgeon Craig Mauro, MD.\u201cHe had done my shoulder surgery, and then I started seeing him for my knee,\u201d says Rick, 61. \u201cI got injections for many years, but the knee kept getting worse.\u201dRecovering from SurgeryRick underwent a total knee replacement in February 2024. Shortly after surgery, he marveled at how easy it was to get up and walk.\u201cIt was very easy, low pain,\u201d he says. \u201cI woke up in the recovery room and was able to walk.\u00a0I walked to the desk and walked around and down the hallway.\u201dRick and his wife are familiar with physical therapy and recovering from surgery. Rick had rotator cuff surgery and has suffered neck and back pain for years since his time in the service.His wife has undergone several knee surgeries, including replacements and revisions, on both knees. Each time they require physical therapy to aid healing, pain, and mobility, they visit physical therapist Brian S. Caricato PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, PSP. Brian is also the facility director at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute: Allison Park.\u201cI knew exactly where to go. It\u2019s right up the street,\u201d Rick says. \u201cAt this place, they make you actually want to go to PT. They are all very friendly and make you feel welcome as soon as you walk in the door.\u201dRick says the office runs like a well-oiled machine. Everyone is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and works together to ensure every patient gets the most out of each visit.\u201cBrian, with his character and personality and the people he has working with him, all click as a big team unit,\u201d Rick says. \u201cThey are all a good, well-working team together. If Brian was unavailable, other members of the team jumped in and were just as helpful.\u201dPersonalized TreatmentWhen Rick began working with Brian again, this time for his knee, he had three specific goals. First, he wanted to return to long morning walks.He also wanted to become more active throughout the day to shed extra pounds that had accumulated over the years. Lastly, he wanted to have good mobility to bend his knee.\u201cI walked right up to the day of surgery and would be dragging my knee behind me,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, when I went in, I told Brian I wanted to be able to get back to my walks. I wanted to be able to take the dog, hook up with my buddy, and walk in the woods, up and down hills. That was my goal.\u201dBrian says that when he’s treating patients after knee replacement surgery, the focus is reducing initial swelling, improving the range of motion, and enhancing strength. Then, they work on functional mobility, like comfortably and safely walking up stairs, squatting, hiking, and rebuilding a patient\u2019s endurance.When developing personalized treatment plans, they also consider each patient\u2019s unique needs, lifestyle, goals, and activities they enjoy.\u201cDuring our first visit, we ask the patient what their goals are and what they want to get out of it,\u201d Brian says. \u201cWe try to align our treatments to that. It\u2019s all about them. It\u2019s driven by the patient.\u201dPartners in CareThe team regularly measured how much Rick could bend his knee before and after therapy to track his progress. Brian and the Allison Park team ensured he safely pushed his body\u2019s limits, and Rick used these measurements as motivation.\u201cEvery time, I always wanted to try and beat my old number,\u201d Rick says. \u201cAnd I did; Brian was impressed.\u201dBrian says Rick\u2019s motivation and drive were critical to his successful recovery.\u201cIt\u2019s like\u00a0a partnership in care,” he says. “We can only guide them and show them what to do, encourage them, and try to motivate them,\u201d Brian says. \u201cBut ultimately, it is up to the patient. We help and guide, and they perform. I credit [Rick] for all his success. He had the\u00a0drive and motivation and knew where he wanted to go.\u201dRick says the team\u2019s encouragement made all the difference.\u201cThey worked with you and asked a bunch of questions. You felt like they were your friends. There wasn’t a person in that place who seemed upset about anything. Everyone did whatever they could, and it was always a laughing, happy environment,\u201d he says. \u201cThey didn\u2019t push you but encouraged you to do things, and even if it hurt, they encouraged you to keep going.\u201dEvery time Rick left the office after his session, he would say the same thing to Brian.\u201cI would tell him, ‘I feel better walking out than I did walking in the door,’\u201d he laughed.Back on the TrailsNow, thanks to Dr. Mauro, Brian, and the therapy team at Allison Park, Rick is back on the walking trails most mornings. He says that his wife often joins him, thanks to the work she did at PT.If Rick requires more physical therapy in the future for his troubled neck and back, he says he knows exactly where he\u2019s going.\u201cAll the goals that I set out to do\u00a0\u2014 to get the knee replaced and make it feel good and get back to walking and back to some sort of normal life instead of sitting back in a chair all day, I have accomplished,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m walking, I’m doing things; I got my bend, everything feels good. And it\u2019s all because of them.\u201dSourcesRick Zimmerman, patient.Brian\u00a0S. Caricato PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, PSP, physical therapy, and director at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at Allison Park. 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