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Finding a Therapy Team That Went Above and Beyond: Ben’s Success Story

February 13, 2024 | Patient Success Stories
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By, Allison R. Weder

“I had absolutely no doubt that he was in the best hands possible. This could have been a very different outcome, or a much longer road had we gone somewhere else.” – Ashley, Phoenix Patient, Ben Aaron’s Mom

It was a typical January day for 16-year-old Benjamin Aaron. He attended classes and went to wrestling practice. Then, something went terribly wrong. “We were doing a drill and I felt snapping and popping and I fell. It hurt really bad. We went to the doctor right away. I couldn’t move my knee at all.” After an MRI, the doctor told Ben he had some bad bone bruising, but everything within his knee seemed to be intact. He suggested Ben wait for it to heal and try physical therapy to facilitate the process.

Ashley, Ben’s Mom, knew right where to go for PT. Her friend Karen Guth, PT, DPT worked at Phoenix Physical Therapy in Clarion. Ashley remembers Ben’s first few weeks of therapy. “He saw Karen for the first bit, but he wasn’t improving the way we wanted. Then, Karen and John said something isn’t right; there was too much play in his knee.” John Curreri, Jr., PT, DPT is the Clinic Director at the Clarion clinic. He and Karen suggested Ben get a second opinion after he was not able to progress to higher level tasks during his therapy sessions. They suspected considerable damage had been done to Ben’s knee.

Ashley took Ben for a second opinion, but that doctor did not see anything on the first MRI either. After carefully evaluating Ben’s mobility and pain levels once again, John and Karen still suspected something else was wrong. They pushed Ashley to get a second MRI. Ashley trusted John and Karen and was desperate for answers. After a second MRI and consultation with Dr. Matthew Varacallo, Ben learned he had a torn PCL. Nearly five months after the initial injury, Dr. Varacallo performed surgery on Ben. John explains the procedure done on Ben’s knee. “Dr. Varacallo is part of a small group of surgeons pioneering a groundbreaking procedure called the “Fertilized ACL” which expedites recovery and return to sports times. He opted to use this procedure with Ben’s PCL. Time was running down for Ben to recover with a standard procedure before the coming school year.”

Ben was back at the Phoenix PT-Clarion clinic the day after his PCL repair surgery. Ben looks back on that day. “(John) took the brace off and the wraps. He looked at my knee and moved my knee around a little bit. That was it. I had a nerve block still, so I couldn’t really feel anything yet.” Soon, the sessions became tougher. “We did leg raises and stuff like that. We moved my knee around, bending and extending it. We were trying to get my mobility and my strength back. After the first week or two, I was standing and doing other stuff. The pain wasn’t too bad. Bending my knee and extending it was the only really painful part. The doctor told me they wanted (John) to be aggressive with me. That was the best way to do it with the Fertilized PCL (procedure).”

It did not take long before Ben noticed the progress he was making. “It only took a few weeks before I saw some improvement. The first few weeks, it was new to me to be on crutches. But it didn’t take long, and I was off them.” Ashley was pleased with Ben’s progress and how the Clarion team helped make things easier on her. “They did an excellent job building a relationship with him and me. There are three other kids (in our family) beside Ben. If I was quickly picking him up and didn’t come in, John would come out to the car and fill me in. They took so much time and effort and care with his rehab.”

Ben worked with John three days a week for four months. He became comfortable walking into the clinic and considers John a friend who he trusts. “I like him a lot. He was very careful working with me. It was rough at the start, but it gets a lot easier. You just have to keep going and putting in the work. One of the goals we had was to get my knee to bend 90 degrees, and that happened in like three to four weeks. That was the first goal. Then after that, I worked on getting my range back. Then after that it was building strength.”

After his time with the Clarion team, Ben was cleared to play sports again. “I felt really good about it. I am happy now because I can go back to doing what I was doing before. I can run again. For the most part, I can do everything without pain. I feel good.” John was impressed with Ben’s determination to get better. “Ben is a great kid and very motivated athlete! He worked extremely hard throughout his course of physical therapy, starting prior to his surgery and again afterwards until his discharge. It was super fun working with him and watching him push every week to be better and return to his normal capacity as quickly and safely as possible. Ben brought a fun and determined energy into the clinic each session.”

Ashley is grateful for Karen, John, and the whole Clarion team. “They really went above and beyond. I guess because a lot of times, no matter what area of life you are dealing with, people don’t actually care or take that time like they did. They really know what they’re doing. They said, ‘hey, something’s not right,’ and pushed us. I had absolutely no doubt that he was in the best hands possible. This could have been a very different outcome, or a much longer road had we gone somewhere else.”

The entire Phoenix Physical Therapy Team is committed to providing our patients with quality physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy in a safe and healthy clinic environment. We continue to follow the guidance provided by the CDC, WHO and public health officials to update you as new information becomes available. Let’s work together to keep each other safe and healthy.

The safety of our patients, communities and team members remains our top priority. We know you have a choice in your care providers and appreciate your commitment to Phoenix and our qualified clinicians.

Here are the actions we have taken to keep our patients, communities and team healthy & safe:

  • Flexible scheduling allows for social distancing
  • Regular cleaning and sanitation of all clinic surfaces
  • Facemasks must be worn by all Phoenix staff and are recommended for all patients
  • Screening questionnaire and temperature checks prior to entering clinics
  • 6 feet of social distancing throughout the clinics

Keeping Our Clinics Safe

Here are some tips on how we can keep each other safe:

  • Handwashing is your best self-defense against the spread of germs. When soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Please stay home if you are not feeling well, especially if you have a fever, are coughing or sneezing, or are experiencing shortness of breath. If a patient shows up with symptoms, the clinic team will work with them to reschedule.
  • Be vigilant. If you have traveled to any of the countries where there are outbreaks of the virus, please follow guidance from the CDC website and our Travel Guidelines.

Here are actions we are taking to keep our clinics clean and safe:

  • Equipment will be wiped down after EVERY use with antibacterial wipes/sprays
  • All surfaces that patients or staff may touch including door handles, countertops, seating, pens at sign-in, bathroom and all other common areas will be disinfected regularly
  • Treatment tables will be 6 feet apart
  • Team members will wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezin
  • Clinics will have hand sanitizer available at the front desk and in the treatment areas
  • Any Phoenix team members who are ill will be asked to stay home
  • We will maintain social distancing between patients in the clinic
  • Caregivers that are bringing a patient to the clinic should wait in their car or come back when the appointment has ended unless necessary (i.e. minor requiring a guardian or for assistance needs)
  • When possible, we will treat patients in private rooms to increase social distancing
  • Any patients that have underlying health issues (i.e. diabetes, respiratory problems, etc.) will be given the option to be seen during special clinic hours or can opt to be treated in a private room away from other clinicians and patients
  • All patients should be self-screening before entering the clinic. Our PCCs will perform a secondary screening during the check-in process and before patients enter the clinic including a screening questionnaire and temperature check.
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