Penn Therapy & Fitness Aids Amputee Patient to Recovery

In the late summer, David Lynch noticed a nagging pain in his left knee that wouldn’t go away. He continued to ignore it until two months later when his knee split open, and he was unable to walk. David called 911 and was taken to a local hospital where doctors told him he had Necrotizing Fasciitis and his only option was to have his left leg amputated from the pelvis down.

After his leg was amputated, the decision was made to transfer David to The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). Once he arrived, the doctors were able to contain the infection caused by the Necrotizing Fasciitis. David planned to go home for Thanksgiving, but the infection returned. David remained in the hospital while slipping in and out of consciousness for a month. Countless surgeries and a few more months in the hospital, David was ready for the next step in his recovery. David began physical therapy at HUP with the Penn Therapy & Fitness team. The care was so amazing, David says, that when exploring inpatient rehabilitation options, he knew he would pick Penn Medicine Rehabilitation which is managed by Good Shepherd Penn Partners.

“They gave me the option of three different inpatient rehabilitation facilities and as soon as they said Penn Medicine Rehabilitation, I told them to stop because I was going there,” says David.

Inpatient Amputee Rehabilitation

David was transferred to Penn Medicine Rehabilitation at Rittenhouse a few days later. He progressed from being unable to move at all to sitting up without assistance, playing board games and feeding himself with the help of his therapy team.

During these therapy sessions, I thought, ‘Yes I can finally do something for myself again,’” says David.

The therapists at Penn Medicine Rehabilitation stood David up during his sessions to remind him of that feeling, which motivated him to work even harder to stand up on his own. The team also incorporated some of David’s favorite interests into his therapy, such as practicing how to hold a fishing rod and painting toy trains.

David was sent home a few months later after completing his inpatient therapy. He returned shortly after for an intensive two-week therapy stay to be fitted for his prosthetic leg and learn how to walk on it properly.

Outpatient Amputee Rehabilitation

David now comes to Penn Therapy & Fitness twice a week for outpatient therapy, where he walks more than 100 feet each time. He is determined to increase that distance and push himself to get back to where he was before.

For more information about how Penn Therapy & Fitness can help with your amputation recovery, call 877-969-7342 or request an appointment online.

Listen to David Lynch’s full story.