Jason Queen
After a catastrophic car accident, Jason Queen spent 39 days at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Twenty-nine of those days were spent in a drug-induced coma. His legs had to be reconstructed, his brain was bruised and his liver was lacerated. Once he was released from the hospital, Queen spent six months in a wheelchair, but over the course of a year, he learned to walk again.
"Since 2004, I have had a total of 28 surgeries," Queen explained. "After my second knee replacement, I became depressed and gained a lot of weight, which added to my pain. But I knew I had to keep going if I was ever going to improve."
After Queen completed his physical therapy at Cabell Huntington Hospital's SMART Center, he set a goal to lose weight and become healthier. He joined the Bridge program at the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute (MSMI) where he began a continual training and exercise regimen targeted to his specific goals. The Bridge program is offered to patients once discharged from physical therapy. The program is conducted and supervised by a certified athletic trainer who designs an exercise program to target each patient's specific needs for strengthening.
"I loved to run and never thought I would run again. With the help of the anti-gravity and underwater treadmills, I was able to build my strength and endurance," said Queen.
MSMI uses the AlterG® anti-gravity treadmill to reduce gravity's impact on lower extremity injuries while training. Air in a pressure-controlled chamber gently lifts the user, alleviating 20 – 80 percent of the user's body weight, allowing better range of motion and protecting healing tissue from added pressure.
"Water is a great to exercise in," said Tom Belmaggio, MS, ATC, CSC, program coordinator with the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute, about the Hydrotherapy Treadmill. "Running through water on the treadmill forces your muscles to work harder than running through air. The added benefit is that it also decreases stress on the joints."
After four weeks of conditioning, Queen's endurance has increased to the point that he now works out and runs on a daily basis with his 18-year-old son.
"I received so much encouragement and support from everyone at Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute," Queen said. "Choosing these programs was the best decision I ever made."
The Marshall Sports Medicine Institute encompasses all aspects of sports medicine, including orthopedics, primary care, physical therapy, nutritionists, aquatic therapy, performance enhancement, chiropractic care and sports psychology. For more information please call 304.691.1880.
