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He Never Heard of Physiatry, But Now Calls His Post-Surgery Rehab ‘Remarkable’

December 04, 2020

“Clearly, something is not right.”

That was Allen Schwartz’s thought as he developed problems with his gait and other motor functions following back surgery several years ago. His difficulties persisted to the point he had trouble walking and frequent falls.

His road to recovery began earlier this year when he started physical therapy with David Brown, the site supervisor at Hartford HealthCare Rehabilitation Network’s outpatient clinic in Cheshire. After several therapy sessions, Brown recommended Schwartz see a physiatrist from Hartford HealthCare’s Rehabilitation Medicine team to determine the root of his problems.

“I had no idea what physiatry was, but it seemed like a very intriguing concept of looking at the whole body to try and figure out what the heck was going on,” said Schwartz, shown above, at right, working with Dr. Subramani Seetharama, and Brown at the Hartford HealthCare Rehabilitation Network outpatient clinic in Cheshire. “At that point, I was definitely ready to try something new.”

Working with Dr. Seetharama, Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine, Schwartz underwent a full evaluation, including a physical exam, X-Ray imaging and a review of his lab work. It wasn’t long before Seetharama determined Schwartz’s ailments were related to the vertebrae in his cervical spine. Consulting with Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a neurosurgeon with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, Seetharama recommended surgery.

“I never imagined that I would need surgery again,” said Schwartz, “but this ended up being the right solution for me, but I never would have gotten there had it not been for the rehab medicine team and their approach of looking at me with a comprehensive view of the body. I was so impressed with how seamlessly they worked with the other resources in the hospital network to get me to where I needed to go.”

Following surgery, Schwartz was admitted to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Hartford Hospital, where he spent close to two weeks working closely with the team of physical and occupational therapists to regain normal function of his gait and motor skills.  From there, he transitioned back home, where he continued working with an occupational therapist through services provided by Hartford HealthCare at Home.

A follow-up visit with Dr. Seetharama and the Rehabilitation Medicine team determined that Schwartz was ready to return to outpatient physical therapy with Brown and his team in Cheshire.

“I really can’t say enough about the care I received at every stop along my journey,” said Schwartz, who is now again working with the Rehab Medicine team to receive medical acupuncture.  “The treatment I had from the doctors, therapists, nurses and aides from when I started until now has been simply remarkable and I feel blessed to have been in their care.”