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In August 2018 I slipped and fell on a muddy hill and broke my shoulder in three places. I elected to not have surgery and started PT in early September. I could barely straighten my arm and was in considerable pain. With Andrew’s guidance and encouragement, I’ve regained use of my arm and shoulder and am able to do almost everything I was able to do before my accident. I’ve started golfing again with no problems! Thank you to Andrew and all of the other wonderful staff at Peak Performance for helping me on my journey back! ~ Pamela "Pam" Narsisian May 24, 2019

Luckily for me, I was referred by a friend to Karen right at the start, after a fall. I could not move my arm and shoulder without pain. Also, numbness and tingling occurred in the arm, reaching my hand and fingers. Thanks to Karen, I am now pain free and tingle free! Karen also helped with balance and a foot problem. Her caring and explanations are so helpful, and I definitely would user her services again. Helen S.

At least eight of our former U.S. Presidents have suffered from injuries similar to many of our patients here at Peak Performance Physical Therapy. To celebrate this President's Day, we wanted to share with you information that we found about the Injuries sustained by these former US Presidents. Thomas Jefferson In late June 1781, Jefferson (apparently) broke his arm after being thrown from his horse. Jefferson later broke his wrist in Paris in summer 1785. This seemingly minor event was to cause him grief the remainder of his life. There are three versions of the incident: (1) He was trying to jump a fence while touring Paris with a married woman, (2) He was trying to jump over a kettle, and (3) He fell while walking with an (unidentified) friend. One account described the fracture as compound and poorly treated by the Parisian doctors. The wrist remained swollen, painful, and useless for weeks. Despite taking the waters at Aix-en-Provence, it remained deformed and bothered him the rest of his life. After performing extensive manual labor at Monticello (his estate) in late summer 1794, Jefferson became almost totally disabled by a back condition for two and a half months. The nature of the problem is not fully known. Repeated bouts of back pain assailed Jefferson after this initial episode, e.g. in 1797. Jefferson fell from a broken step at his home in 1821 (age 75), fracturing his left arm and wrist. Now both wrists were significantly impaired. Because of this he wrote less, even into 1822. President Jefferson could definitely have benefited from modern Physical Therapy! Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt took his defeat by Woodrow Wilson in good grace and looked for other outlets for the overflowing energy that could not be contained in a life of leisure. This in spite of chronic rheumatoid arthritis from which he had been suffering for years. At the age of 54, it crippled him a good deal, and often prevented him from doing his daily stint of exercises. As a consequence, he became too fat around his waistline but was not Spartan enough to control his gargantuan appetite. William Taft Taft had gout attacks in both feet. His first attack may have been after shaking hands with thousands of people in Pocatello, Idaho in September 1909 (age 53). Taft wrote that he "developed a pain in the joint of the big toe due I suppose to standing so long when shaking hands in one position. Doctor suspects a little gout, but this [is] too aristocratic for me." At Peak Performance Physical Therapy we have helped numerous patients overcome their pains and discomforts associated with gout. Dwight D. Eisenhower One day a White House visitor noticed the President was wearing leather bandages on his left wrist. When Ike explained that he had a mild arthritic condition there, the visitor said he was glad it wasn't serious. "I should say it is serious!" exclaimed Ike indignantly. "It means that I can't play golf!" Sounds like many of our patients who didn't seek treatment until it affected their golf game! You don't have to wait until you can't swing your club to get evaluated and treated for that pesky wrist or shoulder pain you may have…just call Peak Performance! John F. Kennedy JFK had allergies, poor hearing, a sensitive stomach, and an old knee injury that occasionally caused him to limp. Back problems started in 1938. From 1941 they were "a constant source of difficulty". Doctors have suggested that steroid treatments, "which apparently began in 1937," may have been causative. He wore a back brace. For example, on the day he was shot, he wore a brace that consisted of a canvas brace with metal stays, together with an Ace bandage with extra padding. Ronald Reagan Former President Reagan fell while at home on 1/12/2001. He was brought to the emergency department at nearby St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, CA. Mr. Reagan was diagnosed with a hip fracture that would require surgical treatment. Mr. Reagan was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, a condition that affects memory, and can contribute to injuries such as falls. The Surgery: On 1/14/2001, two days after sustaining the hip fracture, Mr. Reagan underwent surgery. The surgery involved the placement of a metal plate and screws into the thigh bone (femur). Not all hip fractures are treated the same--some types require repair, and others require a partial hip replacement. Determining the best treatment of a hip fracture depends on the location of the injury. Bill Clinton President Clinton had suffered from a left knee ligament strain in 1984. At the home of golfer Greg Norman in March 1997, Clinton caught his heel on a step and tore 50% of his right quadriceps tendon. (The tendon connects the kneecap to the quadriceps muscle of the thigh.) Clinton heard the tear as a "very loud pop." He underwent a two-hour operation under regional anesthesia to repair the tendon, followed by weeks with a knee brace and crutches. Had the operation required general anesthesia, Clinton had planned to transfer Presidential authority to Vice President Gore under terms of the 25th Amendment. Clinton was awake during the entire operation and "was alert most of the time." George W. Bush At some point, Bush has had surgery for sports-related back injuries. Time Magazine reported Bush had to curtail his workout routine in November 2003 "thanks to a torn meniscus in his knee," but did not say which knee or how it happened. X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging in December 2004 found damage in both knees; cross-training was recommended. Because of his knee problems, Bush took up bicycling for fitness. On May 22, 2004, he fell from his mountain bike during the 16th mile of a 17-mile course. (One report says he "sailed over the handlebars.") Aids said Bush was going fast over topsoil that had been loosened by rain. He was wearing a helmet and mouth guard. Bush suffered "scrapes and scratches on his chin, upper lip, nose, right hand and both knees." On July 7, 2005 Bush was bicycling fast in Scotland, about 45 minutes into his usual one-hour ride, when his mountain bike skidded out from under him on slick pavement. Bush (and/or the bicycle) hit a member of the local security detail. Bush was wearing a helmet. He suffered minor scrapes and bruises of the left hand and arm. Dr. Richard Tubb, the President's physician, bandaged the hand, and was sent to look after the Scottish officer. Your Injuries: Many of the lifelong pains and discomforts that were associated with the injuries of our early US Presidents can now be reduced or even prevented using modern Physical Therapy treatments that you are lucky enough to now have access to. Your injuries can be properly evaluated and treated in a timely manner by our highly skilled staff here at Peak Performance Physical Therapy. You may not be a former President of The United States, but you can receive the same great care that our current President would and even better care than our Presidents of yester-year had access to! Give us a call if you are hurt or having difficulty enjoying your daily routines! Happy President's Day! The Peak Performance Team If you would like to read more about the injuries and ailments of our US Presidents you can find all of the information we show here and more HERE