As past president of the Valparaiso Family YMCA board of directors and a Y member, Joe Ubben has had many opportunities to keep physically fit and active. Believing in maintaining a healthy lifestyle through proper diet, exercise and stress management, he helped to initiate the creation of the Health Engagement Partnership, a collaborative program between the Y and St. Mary Medical Center. He didn’t know at the time that this important community partnership would have a lasting impact on his own health.
“I had arthritis in my shoulder,” Ubben says. “It got to the point where I could barely lift my arm above my waist. I had to do something and am glad I did. I had a really great outcome.”
Ubben underwent a shoulder reverse-replacement at St. Mary Medical Center with Community Care Network Orthopedic Surgeon Michael Knesek, MD. St. Mary Medical Center’s nurses, surgical team and support staff explained everything and put Ubben at ease. After surgery, he continued rehabilitation with outpatient physical therapy at the Valparaiso Family YMCA.
Certified Physical Therapist Brian Hoener says that Ubben came to him as a physically active individual who was determined to regain his healthy habits and lifestyle.
“Joe’s recovery was pretty phenomenal, in looking at his functional range of motion and what he is able to do,” Hoener says. “He has great stability at the shoulder and good strength.”
Because of the type of procedure he had, Ubben says he did not experience much pain during his six-week physical therapy regimen.
Hoener emphasized that the goal of physical therapy is to reduce and eliminate pain, not to cause it. Key to any successful physical therapy program however is the patient’s commitment to the program, he says.
“Physical therapy is a total educational process,” he says. “Therapists are constantly trying to educate you on your posture, your positioning and goal so that like Joe, you can take control of your therapy and your recovery.”
St. Mary Medical Center’s Physical Therapy Clinic at the Valparaiso Family YMCA, 1201 Cumberland Crossing, can help verify insurance coverage and referral requirements. For more information or to schedule an appointment call 219-286-3890.
