Tinley Park Man Gets an Assist from Silver Cross Occupational Therapist to Achieve His Goal

Jonathan Ryan was used to a certain amount of pain in his right arm. Not only has he played hockey for 30 years, his job involves a lot of heavy lifting of supplies and equipment like lawnmowers. 

Then he got hurt playing hockey as an opposing player caught his arm and bent it “in a way it’s not supposed to.” Ryan figured he would just push through the pain again, and it would go away. 

“But this time, it didn’t,” said Ryan, of Tinley Park. “I’m not one to go to a doctor, but since I’m 41, I promised my wife, Jessica, I would start taking better care of myself for her and the kids.” 

He had another goal, literally. His local team – the Wig Splitters – was scheduled to play in the annual USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships February 10-12 in Eagle River, Wisc. 

“We’ve been going up there for at least 10 years. You get 300 teams at all levels from all across the United States. It’s a great event and a fun guy’s weekend.” 

But to reach his goal this time, he would need an assist from one of the Occupational Therapists at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. 

“My GP took X-rays and determined there was no damage but looked like tennis elbow. She referred me to Shirley Ryan, only 10 minutes from my house.” 

Ryan was assigned to Occupational Therapist Kelly Fleming, herself a former high school athlete. She decided to go into OT after sustaining a serious injury to her wrist, taking her out of commission for playing softball and volleyball. 

“A couple weeks after surgery, I went to OT. I never thought I would play sports again,” she explained. “The OT worked with me and helped me return to sports with no problems or pain in my wrist. I thought it was incredible, and I knew I wanted to help people do that, too.” 

A Passion for Helping

“Being an Occupational Therapist and Certified Occupational Therapy assistant is more than just a profession to us – it’s a passion, and helping others in a way they never knew was possible,” said Ashlie Broadhurst, MOTR/L, Clinical Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross Hospital. 

“We help each individual by taking the full picture into account, concentrating on what matters most to them.” 

In addition to physical and speech therapies, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross Hospital offers skilled occupational therapy for patients recovering from varied illnesses and traumas such as, but not limited to: 

• Cardiac/pulmonary conditions
• Deconditioning from surgery, hospitalization or injury
• Neurological disorders (i.e., Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Guillain-Barre, Brain Tumor)
• Orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions, injuries and surgeries
• Sensory changes and peripheral neuropathy
• Stroke
• Visual deficits
• Work-related injuries 

Although the outpatient AbilityLab is on the first floor of Pavilion A, inpatient rehab is on the fifth floor and acute OT care can be found throughout the hospital, Broadhurst said the excellent communication and teamwork among the different settings ensures inpatients are receiving the best care to enhance their ability to engage in their daily tasks. 

“We help the patients maintain or rebuild their independence, and function at their highest possible level in order to achieve their goals, whether it’s related to self-cares, home management, driving, functional transfers, leisure or work.” 

Back to the Ice

For Ryan, that meant working with Fleming at his OT visits to make sure he could not only play at the Pond Hockey Nationals with his mates but continuing to work too. 

When he first came in for OT in December, Fleming said Ryan’s grip strength was only 30 pounds with his right hand, leading to a pain score of 9 out of 10. By comparison, his grip strength was 164 pounds with his left hand with no pain. 

After only three weeks of a couple weekly 45-minute therapy sessions, Ryan’s grip strength improved to 124 pounds with his right hand with no pain.

Therapy included heat, ice, massage, stretching and strengthening exercises, activity modifications and, much to Ryan’s dismay, using Kinesio Tape as he went back for a few practices toward the end of his 15 sessions. 

“Oh, yes, he told me,” Fleming said. “He said one of his hockey teammates covers himself in it and told him repeatedly he should, too. I said, ‘Guess what? You’re going back to practice with the tape on now.’ But when the tape is applied correctly, it can significantly decrease or even eliminate the pain experienced from tennis elbow throughout the course of therapy.” 

Ryan said he wished he had gone for therapy sooner. 

“Kelly was awesome, and the atmosphere at Silver Cross was great. You really shouldn’t wait when you’re hurting. You could be making it worse.” 

“Jonathan got to play in the tournament and did well,” Fleming said. “He sent me a photo and told me how great his arm was feeling, which made me very happy. 

“That’s why I do this. I like helping people get back to doing what is meaningful in their lives.” 

For more information or to schedule an appointment with a physician’s order, call (815) 300-7110.