Frank, 51, is a consultant who typically works from his desk for 12 hours a day, where he sells online and teaches other people how to sell items online. His hobbies include travelling – particularly train travel – reading and bicycling. His unhealthy lifestyle – all work and no exercise – had some drastic effects on his health, and he needed Robbin’s Rehabilitation to restore his fitness and well-being.
This is Frank’s story
A typical day for me would with starting work at my computer at home, almost immediately after getting up. I would keep my headset on all day, communicating with clients, and I rarely stood up to take a break or even just stretch when necessary. I’d generally work until 10 pm and then go straight to bed.
So, of course, health problems started accumulating. I was slightly overweight, because I wasn’t eating healthily and I wasn’t active enough. Also, I was constantly stressed. Then I tore both my left and right meniscus (knee cartilage), so I had to start physical therapy.
The wake-up call
For me, the wake-up call was the first session of physical therapy when it really hit home to me how I’d let myself go through my unhealthy lifestyle, and that it was going to be a long haul to repair all the damage again.
First steps to recovery
When I first came to Robbins Rehabilitation, my one goal was to get my knee better. But the team at Robbins convinced me to look at the knee damage as a symptom of the overall problem, and I needed to look after myself as a whole.
I started with some simple exercises such as stretches and strengthening techniques to help me regain my mobility, and the Robbins team also gave me some tips to modify my lifestyle so I could regain my health again.
Overcoming concerns
I wasn’t keen on the idea of physical therapy because I’d previously had a negative experience with another facility who treated me like a number, so the treatment was very impersonal. However, my experience with Robbins has been completely different. Your experience here will be enjoyable and valuable, and you will see results!
How has your quality of life improved?
I could track my progress my monitoring my increased mobility. Within six weeks, I would say I was 70% better. Now my knee has fully recovered, and I can ride my bike without any pain at all. I’m annoyed at myself that I didn’t look after my body more carefully in previous years, but I love having my quality of life back, so I want to stick to what I’ve learned at Robbins and stay healthy, active and pain-free.
Frank’s advice to anyone about to start physical therapy at Robbins Rehab?
This is the place to go if you want to get results. Best of all, they treat you as if you are their only patient, providing you with a lot of encouragement, empowerment, and improvement. You won’t just heal your injury, you’ll also improve your overall health and well-being. Do it!
