Physical Therapy: He said we could do it, and we did!

Deb working with Josh Hunt at Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Getting my neck muscles back into action has not been easy.  Six weeks of not moving much after the surgery meant a lot of retraining!  In Florida, the PT was not very effective.  But here in Maine I found the best: Josh Hunt at Orthopedic Physical Therapy.
Josh started me out very slowly, with the goal of being able to start kayaking in July.  And we did it!  I have started kayaking again, but I am only up to 10 miles so far, and on easy water.  It will still be some time before I can do the extreme kayaking necessary to finish up the Kayak for Safe Passage Kids Expedition.

Before I found Josh, I was beginning to get very discouraged, and wondered if I was destined for a life of chronic pain.   The thought of not being able to be active outdoors was so depressing.  Fortunately, Josh acted as a detective and figured out the exact problems by trying different approaches so that I could keep making forward progress.  I appreciated that he could send me to a password protected website where he assigned specific exercises for me.  He even crafted special exercises, specific to the kayaking motions I need.

Deb working on kayaking motions

I'm still not pain free, but the big difference is that I finally believe I can be pain free within a year.  And as Mirna, the mother from Safe Passage,  told me, "If you believe you can do it, you can do it."  Some people think that I am inspiring the children and the parents at Safe Passage by doing this expedition.   But we know that it is they who are inspiring me to continue on!