It happened so suddenly – stabbing pain in Peter McCann’s back that shot down his right leg. Walking was excruciating. In a short time, he went from washing his own car to needing a walker just to navigate short distances.
“On a scale from 1 to 10, the pain was an 11,” said Peter, from Hillsdale. “I told my doctor to just cut my leg off, the pain was that bad.”
Peter learned he had spinal stenosis, a condition that occurs when the spaces narrow in the spine, creating pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. It can come on suddenly, like it did for him, or gradually over time.
Physical therapy is most often the first course of treatment, and Peter started at HNH Fitness in Oradell where Medical Director, Dr. J. Christopher Mendler, prescribed exercises that would help alleviate Peter’s symptoms. Dr. Mendler worked with Matthew Hoeppner, a certified physician assistant at HNH Fitness to create a workout program designed specifically for Peter.
“The exercises Dr. Mendler and Matt instituted were right on target,” Peter, 81, said. “Their program was perfect for me.”
They assured Peter if he followed the program the pain would diminish and he wouldn’t need the walker. To his surprise, they were right. Within a month, his pain had significantly decreased and soon he stopped using the walker.
“The best part of physical therapy is when it stops,” Pete said, while chuckling. But he wasn’t going to give up his workouts after seeing the difference exercising made. Once physical therapy was over, he has been continuing to work out at HNH Fitness. It’s been two years and counting.
“In addition to the staff being so knowledgeable and helpful, the place is immaculate,” Peter said. “Cleanliness is very important to me and HNH Fitness is as clean as my own house.”
Today, Peter is back to his daily activities – washing his car, going out to dinner, puttering around his home. He looks back on the time when he needed a walker as one of the most difficult and challenging periods of his life.
“This has opened a whole new door for me,” he said. “It’s like I lost the keys to my car and now I’ve found them and have my independence back again.”
