Carefree Resident “Feels Great!” After Shoulder Replacement with Dr. Gruber
California native and Scottsdale resident Peggy Channing is pretty active. Her activities include competing in obstacle courses with mud runs!
Peggy was born in Northern California and lived in SoCal before moving to Palm Springs and eventually, Arizona. “I moved from one desert to another,” she jokes.
Life was carefree for several years before Peggy’s left shoulder began to ache. She couldn’t sleep on her left side or hike. Forget about participating in an obstacle course.
Injection Treatment Followed By Total Shoulder Replacement
After examining her shoulder, Dr. Gruber recommended injection therapy, which worked well for about a year and a half. When the shoulder started shedding bone chips, they both agreed it was time for shoulder replacement. Dr. Gruber performed total anatomic shoulder replacement in April 2019.
The surgery went so well Peggy elected to return home the same day. Initial recuperation included walking to get the blood flowing. “My loyal Chihuahua, Mojito, was happy to escort me around the neighborhood,” shared Peggy.
Dr. Gruber and “Miracle” PT Team “Gave Me My Life Back”
Peggy gives Integrated Orthopedics’ physical therapy team the same high marks she has for Dr. Gruber. They all “do miracles,” she says, adding that recovery requires hard work and long hours. It no doubt helped that she was the perfect patient!
“I was careful to follow all of Dr. Gruber’s post-op instructions and never missed a PT session,” said Peggy.
She began her PT sessions one week after surgery, with three sessions per week. After several months, the team reduced sessions to twice a week. Eventually, it dropped to just once a week, and then every two weeks until she had completed six months’ worth of PT.
“It was like leaving family,” Peggy recalls about her last PT session.
Full recovery from shoulder replacement takes about a year. At six months post-op, the scar is minimal. Peggy experiences some soreness as her muscles knit themselves back together and getting dressed is still a little bit difficult. Was it worth it?
“Absolutely,” she says. “I’m so pleased with the results. Between the knee and my shoulder I have my life back.”
Telling Friends About Dr. Gruber
Peggy’s experience with Dr. Gruber and the PT team was so positive, she’s begun referring friends to the practice. One friend has already scheduled knee replacement surgery with him.
And if her right shoulder keeps aching (the opposite one she had surgery on), she won’t hesitate to return to Integrated Orthopedics for a consultation with Dr. Gruber and the team.