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Does managed care get you running again?


When President Clinton tore a quadriceps tendon In human anatomy, the quadriceps tendon connects the quadriceps femoris muscles to the superior aspects of the patella on the anterior of the thigh.  and needed physical therapy, his physical therapist warned him that some patients take as long as a year to fully return to running. On top of that, she warned that runners who are suddenly injured in·jure  
tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures
1. To cause physical harm to; hurt.

2. To cause damage to; impair.

3.
, and forced to stay off their feet, typically gain 20 to 27 pounds. That's when the President's intensive VIP physical therapy kicked in.

The President went from wheelchair to crutches to cane to full rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy.  in a very short time. This was accomplished by two physical therapy sessions a day, one in the morning, another in the afternoon. The typical physical therapy session began with an examination of the President's knee, followed by stretches and range-of-motion exercises. Gradually, as the knee healed and strengthened, he progressed to more strenuous stren·u·ous  
adj.
1. Requiring great effort, energy, or exertion: a strenuous task.

2. Vigorously active; energetic or zealous.
 workouts, including weightlifting, and shorts stints on the stationary bicycle stationary bicycle
n.
See exercise bicycle.
, treadmill, and mechanical stairs. He then began a run-walk program and ultimately returned to non-stop running. Within four months after his surgery, the president played 18 holes of golf.

Since the President had access to an aggressive physical therapy program, he was not only able to walk again quickly, he was also able to run and golf. What most runners and other non-professional athletes have access to is not quite so "presidential." The physical therapy available to the rest of us is limited by managed care.

Managed care has caused coverage for health care to be rolled back from every corner. Both patients and health care providers have had to make compromises. Physical therapists must help patients extend their own care to at-home rehabilitation programs Noun 1. rehabilitation program - a program for restoring someone to good health
program, programme - a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need; "he proposed an elaborate program of public works"; "working mothers rely on the day care
 in which they try to manage their injury throughout their recovery time largely on their own. The therapist can help the patient establish both short and long term goals for rehabilitation using visits to teach exercises to use at home or at their gym.

In addition to dealing with the injury, a runner has other important rehabilitation issues to consider. Exercise is a top priority for a recovering patient in physical therapy. An aerobic conditioning Aerobic conditioning is a process whereby one trains the heart to pump blood more efficiently, allowing more oxygen to get to muscles and organs.

Aerobic conditioning is used to train people to perform better while doing something for a long period of time, running a mile
 program comprised of exercise to promote muscular endurance and to burn calories is of the utmost importance so that athletic individuals will not lose the fitness level while healing an injury.

Nutrition counseling is the next step to keep you from gaining weight during rehab. Runners are used to consuming large amounts of food to fuel their high-energy demands. An injury can leave you feeling hungry without the usual caloric caloric /ca·lo·ric/ (kah-lor´ik) pertaining to heat or to calories.

ca·lor·ic
adj.
1. Of or relating to calories.

2. Of or relating to heat.
 expenditure.

Runners should evaluate a health plan's physical therapy and rehabilitation benefits before choosing health insurance coverage. Also make sure your physical therapist can provide comprehensive care that maximizes your chance of full rehabilitation and return to your athletic lifestyle, so that if you're injured you can get running again, just like the President. (Bruce Wilk, P.T., O.C.S. is director of Orthopedic orthopedic /or·tho·pe·dic/ (-pe´dik) pertaining to the correction of deformities of the musculoskeletal system; pertaining to orthopedics.  Rehabilitation Specialists in Miami, FL)
COPYRIGHT 1999 American Running & Fitness Association
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1999, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:quality of physical therapy for running injuries
Publication:Running & FitNews
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Apr 1, 1999
Words:481
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