Escanaba resident recovering from serious injury
Credits outpatient rehab department at Doctors Park in Escanaba for their ‘wonderful
job’
Tom Jaeger of Escanaba loves to work with his hands. An admitted carpentry buff, he devotes much of his spare time to home renovations.
Doctors Park Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) physical therapist
Greg Stalboerger, left, works with Tom Jaeger of Escanaba at an outpatient
rehab session. Jaeger is recovering from a serious injury sustained
from a roofing accident. With the help of the Doctors Park Rehab Team,
Jaeger
has resumed doing most of the activities he enjoyed prior to the accident.
(MGH photo)
Looking back, Jaeger, 48, never thought his favorite hobby could
conceivably turn so deadly.
“
I lost my footing while working on my house and, quite simply, fell off
the roof,” Jaeger said. “My left ankle broke into six to
eight pieces, my right ankle shattered beyond counting, and there was
extensive damage to my lower back.”
Unable to move and in crippling pain, Jaeger was rushed to OSF St.
Francis Hospital in Escanaba. After being seen by the OSF emergency
department,
he was quickly transferred by ambulance to Marquette General Hospital
where he underwent eight hours of reparative surgery performed by orthopaedic
surgeons Drs. Matthew
Songer and Jay
Eppinga.
After several weeks in recovery, Jaeger began inpatient rehabilitation
through the Upper Michigan
Rehabilitation Center at Marquette General.
“
The goal of inpatient rehab was basically to teach me how to live as
normal a life as possible once I got home,” Jaeger said. “They
taught me how to use a wheelchair, how to shower, and how to use the
bathroom.”
Though he was in inpatient rehab for less than a week, the experience
was invaluable.
“
Obviously, that time was a very difficult one for me,” Jaeger said. “But
the rehab staff set goals for me and then made reaching those goals a
positive and rewarding experience. It was exactly what I needed.”
The Upper Michigan Rehab Center caters to inpatients and outpatients
who have experienced injuries or debilitating illnesses. It offers
outpatient therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. Sports rehab,
neurological
rehab, hand therapy, personal training, massage therapy, and orthotic
and prosthetic services are also available.
After just six days of inpatient rehab, Jaeger was able to return home.
There, he began outpatient rehab with physical therapist Greg Stalboerger
at Doctors Park Rehabilitation
Services (DPRS) in Escanaba. Doctors
Park is a service of Marquette General Health System.
Stalboerger still remembers his initial meeting with Jaeger.
“
When he first came in, Tom was transitioning from the wheelchair to crutches,” Stalboerger
said. “He was in pretty rough shape.”
While Jaeger’s physical therapy experiences haven’t always
been easy, they have certainly proven to be very beneficial.
“
Greg puts me through a tremendous regimen, including upper and lower
body strengthening and aerobic exercises” Jaeger said.
Stalboerger adds: “We’ve done a bit with electrical stimulation
and ultrasound, but for the most part, I stick to strengthening exercises
with Tom — they’re the most important for his condition.”
As part of the rehabilitation plan created by Stalboerger, Jaeger also
does an at-home strengthening regimen on his off-days.
Following months of doing both his clinic and home programs, Jaeger
is now walking without crutches, has returned to work unrestricted,
and
is performing most of the activities he enjoyed prior to the accident.
“
A five-month transition from being wheelchair-bound to walking normally
is a pretty remarkable achievement,” Stalboerger said.
An achievement, Jaeger says, that wouldn’t have been possible without
the excellent care provided by Stalboerger and the rest of the Doctors
Park Rehab team.
“
My experiences couldn’t have been better,” Jaeger said. “They
did a wonderful job of putting me back together. The therapists are so
positive — I will always be thankful to them. They know when to
be compassionate and when to be tough. We get along fabulously.”
Now that he’s feeling better, Jaeger is ready to get back to his
favorite hobbies.
“
I’m the typical Yooper, so of course I like to do Yooper activities,” Jaeger
said. “I love to hunt and fish, garden, and take long walks in
the woods. This is a beautiful part of the country — why not get
out and enjoy it?”
For more information about MGHS inpatient rehabilitation services,
call 906-225-3190 or 800-562-9753 ext. 3190. To learn about outpatient
services
at Doctors Park, call 906-789-2639, or visit www.mgh.org/rehab/park.html.
Marquette General Hospital, 420 W. Magnetic Street, Marquette MI 49855