Congratulations to the East Central Athlete of the Month, Dexter Simmons! Dexter is a Senior at East Central high School in Mississippi. He is a multi-sport athlete who has played Varsity Football, Basketball, and Track for 3 years. He wears the jersey numbers 16 and 20. Dexter has a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend college to major in accounting, and minor in mathematics and coaching. He is the son of Stacy and Deidra Simmons.
Keep up the good work, Dexter!
Congratulations to the Hamilton Encore Athlete of the Month, Taten Palmer! Taten is a Junior, multi-sport athlete at Hamilton High School. He plays Basketball and Football for the Bulldogs and wears the jersey numbers 12 and 15. Taten has played varsity sports for 4 years now and has received the 2015 Defensive Player of the Week Award, the 2015 Iron Man Award, and the 2014 All County Basketball Award. He plans to attend Bevill State after graduation and later, transfer to a 4 year college to major in Engineering and Construction. Taten is the son of Jeff and Rolna Palmer.
Keep up the good work Taten!
From Feeding Tube to Eating by Mouth
Mr. Lee’s Success Story:
After jaw reconstruction in July of 2015, Mr. Lee experienced a paralyzed vocal fold and an immobile epiglottis, causing him to aspirate and need a PEG feeding tube for 100% of his nutrition. He was no longer able to eat or drink anything by mouth. He started outpatient therapy October 1, 2015, at the Neuroscience Center to regain his swallow. Mr. Lee went in for another swallow study soon after beginning outpatient therapy and although his epiglottis had begun to partially move, he was still at high risk for aspiration. He was given home swallowing exercises that he did several times a day and began small trials of water using the Frazier Free Water Protocol. As his swallow reflex became faster and he began to demonstrate better hyolaryngeal excursion, we advanced his intake to purees such as pudding with strict swallowing strategies.
Mr. Lee utilized a multi-step strategy to reduce his risk of aspiration which involved using 1) a left head turn to close off the paralyzed vocal fold, 2) a breath hold to help adduct his working vocal fold, 3) a very small bite of a pureed consistency, 4) use a quick and effortful swallow followed by an immediate cough and 5) another swallow and cough. It was a lot of steps, but it allowed him to eat something by mouth. Over the next several weeks Mr. Lee regained strength and his swallow function through continuous exercises, use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, manual therapy and therapeutic trials of purees and soft solids. Mr. Lee eventually began eating soft whole food and thin liquids with fewer swallowing strategies as he gained strength and function. Around mid-November, we eliminated swallowing strategies and allowed soft solids and thin liquids at home with use of aspiration precautions. Towards the end of November, he was able to meet nearly all nutritional needs by mouth. Once he was able to demonstrate a nutritive swallow without reports of pharyngeal residue, we began addressing his trismus (incomplete jaw opening) with the use of an OraStretch device.
His hours of home exercises and therapy paid off when he returned to Ochsner on January 18, 2016 to have his PEG tube removed! We are proud to report that Mr. Lee is now discharged from speech therapy and is enjoying meals with his family and friends at home and in restaurants.
Mr. Lee’s perspective:
What was eye opening to you about your experience with head and neck cancer and swallowing disorders?
“I was surprised at how long it took to get it all back. I thought I would be swallowing normally a month after my surgery in July of 2015 and that was not the case.”
What do you think helped you the most throughout your journey from being NPO to eating again?
“A combination of sound instruction and recommendations from great doctors, home health therapy, outpatient therapy and family encouragement.”
What would you consider your turning point?
“When I was able to eat Thanksgiving food with my family…in fact I ate three quarters of a pecan pie the week of Thanksgiving. Also, when I took my first bite of a steak. It was great!”
Congratulations to all of the athletes that received Alabama Elite Preview Invitations these past couple of weeks. The “AEP” will begin on March 5, 2016. It is a preview of 80 of the best high school basketball (2017, 2018, 2019) players in Alabama.
Here are the athletes who were invited that are affiliated with Encore Rehabilitation (through our Sports Medicine program in their school).
You can find out more at the website: http://hoopseen.com/index.php/2013-03-19-19-24-39/elite-preview
Congratulations to the Arab Encore Athlete of the Month, Emerald Rush! Emerald is a senior athlete at Brindlee Mountain High School. She has played on the Lady Lions Varsity Basketball team for 3 years now and wears the jersey #22. She has a 3.3 GPA and plans to attend Snead State and major in Physical Therapy. Emerald is the daughter of Yanti Moreland. Good luck during basketball season, Emerald!
We would like to congratulate Kimberly Green on being chosen as the Leakesville SportsFit Member of the Month! Kimberly lives in Leakesville and has been a member at SportsFit since last February. Her loyalty and dedication to exercising has been so amazing to watch! Her exercise motivation is to live a healthy, full life and meet great people along the way. When asked why she chose SportsFit as her gym she said,
“I wanted to live healthy and be all I can be. From the first visit to the gym, I have enjoyed Jamie McLeod and Kim Pierce beyond words. Both have such an impact on me as a person. I have had nothing but a wonderful experience!”
We are so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished, Kimberly!
Congratulations to the Long Beach Encore Athlete of the Month, Gerald Jones, Jr! Gerald is a multi-sport, sophomore, athlete at Pass Christian High School in Mississippi. He has been a member of the Varsity Pirates Football and Basketball teams for 2 years and wears jersey #1. Gerald’s sports awards consist of the Basketball Defensive Player, Football Most Valuable Offensive Player, and Most Valuable Player. He currently has a 3.6 GPA and plans to attend college to major in Sports Medicine and then go on to play in the NFL. Gerald is the son of Gerald Jones Sr. and Tiffany Spencer.
Good Luck during basketball season, Gerald! Keep up the good work!
Congratulations to the Fayette Encore Athlete of the Month, Sarah Ellison! Sarah is a Freshman athlete at Fayette County High School. She is a member of the Tigers Varsity Volleyball team and wears jersey #22. She currently has a 3.9 GPA and plans to attend the University of West Alabama and pursue a career in Athletic Training. Sara is the daughter of Danny and Tracy Ellison.
Keep up the good work, Sarah!
There are many people who struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Here is an excerpt from the article, “10 Simple Adjustments to Relieve RA Hand Pain”, that could help you resume your daily activities that RA was keeping you from.
How an Occupational Therapist Can Help –
“According to an analysis of numerous research studies published by the Cochrane Collaboration, there’s a lot of evidence that working with an occupational therapist when you have RA can help you use your hands for everyday tasks more efficiently and with less pain. The occupational therapist’s goal is to ensure that you can participate in any activity you want while still protecting your joints and getting hand pain relief.
For starters, an occupational therapist teaches people with RA about disease self-management, Dodge says – offering instruction on joint protection techniques, how to use assistive devices, how to conserve your energy, and exercises that will help you do activities with less pain. [They] may also explain how to use heat and cold as part of your pain management strategy.
The occupational therapist can also show you how to modify specific activities so you can still do them. For example, if you’re a woman who enjoys knitting, an occupational therapist can provide suggestions for adaptive equipment and offer techniques that allow you to enjoy your hobby more safely.”
10 Tips to Try Now
If you need hand pain relief from RA, use these suggestions from Dodge and Amini to modify activities to make them less painful:
- Build up handles on utensils and tools so that less force is needed to hold them while performing tasks. Pipe insulation is handy for enlarging handles.
- If you’re unable to lift a gallon of milk with one or both hands, buy half gallons or have someone pour half into a small pitcher.
- Rather than carrying bags in your hand, place straps over your forearm or shoulder. Rolling bags alleviate the need to lift and carry them.
- Use both hands when lifting objects, and keep your forearms close to your body.
- When possible, use your palms to grasp objects rather than your fingertips. Replace standard door knobs with door levers.
- Wear rubber gloves to enhance your grip when opening jars.
- Use electric appliances when possible.
- Use your entire body to move heavy objects rather than pushing with your hand, such as when opening a door.
- Use a rolling cart to move items around the house.
- Purchase pots and pans with two handles and slide them over surfaces instead of lifting them. Silicone sheets can be placed on delicate counter surfaces to protect them from hot pots.
**To read the entire article from Everyday Health, click here!
Encore Rehabilitation-Athens 256-232-1221
Encore Rehabilitation-Bay Minette 251-239-5395
Encore Rehabilitation-Bessemer West 205-481-7125
Encore Rehabilitation-Cullman 256-775-3737
Encore Rehabilitation-Decatur 256-350-6331
Encore Rehabilitation-Foley 251-270-2505
Encore Rehabilitation-Haleyville 205-486-2753
Encore Rehabilitation-Hartselle 256-773-0138
Encore Rehabilitation-Hoover 205-682-7650
Encore Rehabilitation-Inverness 205-408-4123
Encore Rehabilitation-Jackson 251-246-1214
Encore Rehabilitation-Mobile I65 251-459-8402
Encore Rehabilitation-Mobile Providence 251-634-2214
Encore Rehabilitation-Saraland 251-675-3933
Encore Rehabilitation-Spanish Fort 251-625-2170
Encore Rehabilitation-Vernon 205-695-0689
Encore Rehabilitation-Winfield 205-487-0540
Ocean Springs Neurological Vestibular Rehab 228-818-1207
If rehabilitation is in your future, choose Encore!
Part 3-Chinese Medical Professionals Tour Encore Facilities-Corporate Office Visit
MLB Bound! Jonathan Gettys-Athlete of the Month for Encore Rehabilitation-Dothan
“I Feel Like a New Person!”- Finding Headache Relief after several years of pain
In this video, Beth Johnson demonstrates how to perform a Lachman’s Test. Beth is one of our ATCs that works at Bayside Academy in Daphne, AL.
Encore Rehabilitation, Inc. 