Aloma Figueroa was out of town visiting her sister when a fluke fall led to a severely broken wrist. “I was walking and then all of a sudden I wasn’t,” said Figueroa. “I went down hard.”
Her sister took her to the closest emergency room, but Figueroa wanted to be close to home for treatment and recovery. After doing their best to straighten out her fractured bones and cast her, physicians advised Figueroa to see an upper extremity surgeon as soon as possible.
While the break was certainly unfortunate, Figueroa feels lucky that her recovery was super smooth and successful, starting with her first meeting with Endeavor Health orthopaedic surgeon James Dieterich, MD, just days after the fall.
“Dr. Dieterich made me feel comfortable right away,” said Figueroa. “Everybody has some talents, but they don’t all have people skills; he has the best demeanor and I could see that everyone around him responded to that and worked together to make things happen.”
Advanced surgery uses minimally invasive technique
Figueroa needed two surgeries to fix her shattered wrist — an advanced technique to put a plate in her wrist to hold the tiny bones in alignment, and another less complex procedure to remove the plate a few months later.
“This was a very significant break, the kind of thing we see following a traumatic car accident,” said Dr. Dieterich.
Both her ulna and radius bones were broken in several places, but thanks to Dr. Dieterich’s expertise and Figueroa’s diligence with physical therapy, she healed exceptionally well.
To place the bridge plate in the wrist, Dr. Dieterich used a minimally invasive technique with smaller incisions than the more traditional repair method.
Figueroa remembers talking with Dr. Dieterich after her surgery and his team immediately scheduling physical therapy appointments for her at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, where the therapists could continue to interact with the surgeon and update him on her progress.
“If this was a movie, I would be followed around by a ray of sunshine even on a cloudy day,” said Figueroa, who recalled a neighbor who also had a broken wrist in an out of state fall, but had a very different experience and a not so easy process.
Collaborative team creates smooth experience
Dr. Dieterich acknowledged the critical role of the physical therapy team in optimal recovery where patients like Figueroa regain full strength and mobility.
“One of the nice things about having physical therapy embedded in our clinics is that I can talk to the therapists directly and monitor progress,” he said. “And Aloma had a great attitude, she was focused on her recovery and diligent in her exercises.”
Endeavor Health occupational therapist Vivian Bernal, OT/L, CTL, was particularly important to Figueroa’s swift and successful recovery.
“I felt like I was being treated with five-star concierge service. I felt pampered and the entire physical therapy team were really lovely, each one of them imparting me with useful tools and treating me with respect,” Figueroa said.
Remarkable recovery
Figueroa was told that it might take a year or two to regain full use of her hand, and that some people never reach 100 percent. In less than a year, the 78-year-old Chicagoan was back to her baseline strength in her hand and thrilled with her rapid recovery.
“Physical therapists kept telling me I was progressing ahead of the curve and I loved showing off my progress to Dr. Dieterich, who is such a gem,” said Figueroa.
“I had such confidence in the skill of my doctor and the skills of the whole team that support him. I can’t say thank you enough to all the people there who helped me.”
Related Articles
