Coaching Knee Surgery Patients to Success
by Tricia Lahmann, From the Coach’s “Bench”
A cheerleader who needs no mini skirt, no pom poms, or Friday night lights, no shouts from a crowd. Hey, those things are great for some, but I play a much quieter game. I’m behind the scenes, gently encouraging, nudging, empowering, in some cases verbally “pushing”, all while witnessing miracles big and small. It’s a sweet life! I’m an X10 Recovery Coach, and I truly love what I do, because the focus is on all the wonderful people on the other phone. It’s all about their unique stories, their happiness, their health, their total recovery — head to toe. I coach and cheer them on every day.
We work on knee recovery, and along the way, there’s a heart connection, sincere caring, a friend made, a renewed sense of living life to the fullest. Pain subsides, movement gets easier, healing happens, the brain-body connection strengthens, and happiness returns! Within weeks for many.
Our clients could be a few miles away, or several hundred miles away. Near or far, they share similar stories and situations. A once healthy knee, gone rogue. In pain. Maybe it’s both of them at once. They’ve exhausted all the options and have decided to go forward with knee replacement. And our coaching team here at X10, we are all privileged enough to support these great folks so they can get their lives back.
Mr. Slightly Exhausted: “I’ve GOT to get this knee moving again…”
Me: “You sure will! Glad to hear how motivated you already are.”
Mr. Kinda Unsure: “So… I guess you’re going to explain how this all works, right?”
Me: “You bet. You’re going to do just fine — let’s go!”
Ms. Very Excited: “I saw a lady using this machine in a video… I would love to have HER recovery!”
Me: “That’s fantastic! Let’s focus on YOU. You’ll have your own unique journey and story. If you’re inspired and motivated.. GREAT! That can help. And I’m here to cheer you on in each daily victory. Let’s get you started!”
A sincere love of people and the pure joy and excitement of watching them quickly improve leaps and bounds is what lights me up each day. They may have no idea how much they inspire ME! They’re fantastic.
So how does this all work, especially for those in more remote locations? As I mentioned, our phones connect us, and we occasionally use FaceTime or Skype if needed, to point out certain features and tweak any tiny adjustments. This is often not necessary, because the X10 is so user-friendly. With touch-screens and simple arrows to guide you to improve, most of our clients are off to the races straight away. Oftentimes, it’s the next day home from the hospital. We arrange a call for that first session, and we run it through, play by play. My clients’ comfort is very important to me, as well as their progress. We try our best to make knee replacement recoveries as low-pain as we possibly can.
Coaching Knee Surgery Recovery
Coaches serve as a guide on the side, in case you need assistance, and definitely to encourage you. We could all use more of that in life! We also check in as needed for accountability, to make sure people are doing their sessions faithfully, and consistently making forward progress in their range of motion. The amount of time spent with a client can vary on the needs, goals, abilities. Some people are more autonomous than others. Need your coach? A quick text or phone call, and arrange an “appointment.”
We highly value everyone’s time here, and know you’re busy with other doctor’s visits and ongoing care.
Sometimes it’s just a quick “check-in” call, maybe 5 minutes. Other times it’s learning to incorporate a new technique or program, or getting extra encouragement. Pep talks too, sure! Whatever it takes. We make time for our clients. That’s definitely a big part of therapy, the personal touch. Truly caring.
When we both feel you’re ready to progress further, we can add more strengthening to your home X10 program. An X10 Recovery Coach can also reach out to physical therapists to provide any information about our program and how it works. The X10 Home Recovery System is a newer technology, and is still unknown to many therapists. We’re here to fill them in on what it does, and take the mystery out of it. What X10 really does is make THEIR jobs easier, actually. As clients who use the X10 gain range of motion back rather quickly, they are more able to perform all the exercises that the therapists want them to do.
Another marvelous little thing, small yet powerful, is the act of keeping “score.” When an X10 is delivered to someone’s home (or hotel room, if traveling), the device comes with a handy dandy Log Book AND nifty X10 pen, to track all of your amazing progress, so you can see it for your own eyes each day. When your Coach comes a-calling, have that baby ready to go, and share all your numbers. This becomes a really exciting part of the whole journey. The following short story is actually very typical… and has not been changed much from what was actually said:
Ms. Doing Great: “I really can’t believe how WELL I’m doing, how great I feel.. how much easier I can walk now and so soon. My doctor is so impressed, and the whole staff keeps calling me Wonder Woman every time I come in (*joyful laughter).”
Me: “Pretty cool, isn’t it? I always knew you were going to do this well. Awesome job, sweet pea!! Keep up the great work. You’ve got plenty of fun things to look forward to now, don’t you..?”
Yes, indeed… they all sure do. Knee’d to get back to YOUR life after knee surgery? This is the way to go. Maybe I’ll catch you on a Coaching call someday. I look forward to helping you get there.
“Rah rah RAH!! That’s the ticket, now you got it!” 🙂
The X10 Meta-Blog
We call it a “Meta-Blog” because we step back and give you a broad perspective on all aspects of knee health, surgery and recovery.
In this one-of-a-kind blog we gather together great thinkers, doers, writers related to Knee Surgery, Recovery, Preparation, Care, Success and Failure. Meet physical therapists, coaches, surgeons, patients, and as many smart people as we can gather to create useful articles for you. Whether you have a surgery upcoming, in the rear-view mirror, or just want to take care of your knees to avoid surgery, you should find some value here. Executive Editor: PJ Ewing (info@x10therapy.com)
Sign me up! Tricia any of our patients are lucky to have you by their side as they explore and discover the possibilities in knee recovery with the X10. Great story about the caring support our team offers. Well done my friend!
X10 Coach
Lisa