Case Study: Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing (February 2021)

Patient’s Age: 69-years-old
Date of Admission: 01/06/21
Admitted From: Centennial Medical Center
Discharge Date: 03/01/21
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 55 days
Reason for stay: Rehabilitation following Above Knee Amputation


Details of experience:
Mr. Lucas arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on January 6, 2021, following an inpatient stay at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee. Mr. Lucas had initially been admitted to the hospital for a TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty), following a gunshot wound to his left knee. Mr. Lucas developed a severe infection in the surrounding tissue, which precipitated the need for an AKA (Above Knee Amputation). Due to severe pain and loss of functional mobility, Trevecca Center Rehabilitation was determined to be the best community to assist him in regaining his strength, healing, functional mobility, and independence.

Mr. Lucas was evaluated by a dedicated medical team that included Jessica Meurer, his Physical Therapist, and Sara Garner, his Occupational Therapist. His first and second week of therapy focused primarily on decreasing his pain, due to the staples that were still in place following the surgery. Additionally, exercises were implemented to increase his sense of balance when Mr. Lucas would rise to a standing position from sitting on the edge of his bed.

Following the removal of his staples, Mr. Lucas saw remarkable improvement in his mobility, balance and the execution of essential activities in daily living. Initially, Mr. Lucas required full contact assistance when toileting, bathing, lower extremity dressing and transfers from the bed to his wheelchair. Mr. Lucas recognized tremendous success in all areas of daily living by mid-February. He advanced to executing tasks in Trevecca’s first-class therapy gym, where he practiced higher level balancing activities, such as changing bed linens, placing items in lower level compartments, meal preparation, proper techniques when entering and exiting the bathtub, fall recovery skills, dressing his lower extremity with a theraband, and balance skills allowing him to observe any skin breakdown on the residual portion of his limb prior to applying his shrinker and prosthetic.

On March 1, 2021 Mr. Lucas was able to discharge from Trevecca and return home. He will receive in-home fitting for his personal prosthesis and continue therapy to gain full stability. Mr. Lucas shared that the team at Trevecca were “really amazing and taught me how to do skills following my amputation that I could never accomplish on my own”. He further stated that “if you will do as the therapist advised and come with a determined spirit, you will be successful!”

The team wishes Mr. Lucas the very best of health and well-being on his continuing life journey.