“Mark’s not one to sit around,” Renee Leonardi, PT, DPT, says, and she’s right. Mark Spaziani, local contractor, is still working and leading an active life at 70 years old. With 13 grandchildren and two great grandsons, he has his hands full.
So when Spaziani started having hip mobility issues, he wanted a solution that would allow him to continue hunting and being active with his family.
“[I was] diagnosed with a bone-on-bone condition caused by arthritis,” Spaziani says of his impacted hip mobility. He consulted with an orthopedic surgeon, who recommended a hip replacement. But Spaziani had another idea: from watching a documentary about how Joe Montana, famed San Francisco 49ers quarterback, used physical therapy as a means to avoid a back operation, Spaziani thought he might be able to use physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the hip joint, so he could walk and stand comfortably again.
Spaziani had already received physical therapy for lymphedema and speech therapy through Physical Therapy at St. Luke’s, so he knew where to go. He was able to connect with Physical Therapist Renee Leonardi via Direct Access, a law that allows people to see a Direct Access certified physical therapist right away without a prescription from a physician.
“Mark was working with a speech therapist, so she just came to me and said Renee, I’m wondering if you’re able to see somebody for me,” Leonardi says. She was able to see Spaziani right away for an evaluation, where she learned about his hip issues. “When he came in, we chatted about what he would like to achieve and what his goals were.”
Leonardi started Spaziani on a progressive plan customized to his needs. “With his hunting, he’s out in these woods walking on uneven terrain for long periods of time,” she says. “He also uses a bow and arrow, so we wanted to improve his range of motion and build up his arm strength.”
She developed a routine that included body weight exercises, to target quad and hip strength, and manual stretches, to improve hip flexibility. It got increasingly challenging based on what Spaziani could tolerate. He saw improvement immediately.
“Because of Renee, I don’t need a hip replacement yet,” he says. “The results she achieved were better than I expected and in a very short period… I was able to resume other basic daily routines which were also affected by my condition.”
From his first appointment, Spaziani also received a page of at-home exercises to bolster his progression. Leonardi tailored these supplemental exercises to the equipment Spaziani had at home, which included a cable machine.
“You can’t sit more than 20 minutes when there’s an arthritic joint– it needs to move,” Leonardi says. For the brief periods where Spaziani is keeping still, she developed exercises he could do while seated. “If you’re sitting for a longer period of time, that’s fine, but then do your leg extension exercise, pump your ankles, keep the muscles moving,” she says.
“Every patient of mine, when they come in, receive a home exercise program to get started with, based on the deficits seen during my evaluation,” Leonardi continues. “As the patient progresses in therapy, I add on that program.” These at-home exercises gave Spaziani the tools to continue getting stronger even after his therapy ended.
Spaziani’s physical therapy regimen might be over, but he’s still seeing the impact of his work with Leonardi.
“Five stars is not sufficient to rate [Renee],” Spaziani says. “She dedicated herself with purpose and focus on my problem.”
“He’s so happy with this therapy because he’s now able to do all these things he wanted to do, and avoid having a hip replacement, which is the path that he was going down,” Leonardi says. “He’s been a great patient. He’s done everything I have asked of him and extra.”
Leonardi was also able to learn about Spaziani’s diverse interests.
“He’s a wonderful, dynamic patient,” she says. “He writes poems, he writes music, he plays guitar, he’s very family oriented, has his own business… he’s just amazing.”
Thanks to physical therapy, Spaziani is equipped to continue pursuing his many passions.
“I have a lot of life in me,” he says. “And I have a lot left. And I can do it now, because of…” He gestures to Renee.
We look forward to seeing what Mark does next! If you think physical therapy could help you the way it helped Mark, schedule an appointment now. Like Mark, you can see a physical therapist without a referral, thanks to Direct Access.