Tami Ramirez Credits Takoma’s OP Rehab

 For Getting Her Moving Again – And Again

If it wasn’t for Takoma Regional Hospital’s Center for Outpatient Rehabilitation, Tami Ramirez said she probably would still be lying on her couch.

“They got me up and moving again,” Ramirez, who lives in Mohawk, said. “The transformation has been amazing. I’m very mobile now.”

Ramirez, operations manager for R&J Express in Morristown, said her first experience with Takoma was in late August, 2008, when she lost her balance and fell. “I tore the rotator cuff in my right shoulder,” she said. “It was bad timing because I was getting ready for total knee replacement surgery on my left knee at the time.”

Dr. John Franklin, a surgeon with Regional Orthopaedic Trauma Associates in the Takoma Medical Office Building, came to the rescue. “He is an excellent surgeon,” Ramirez said. “He did a wonderful job repairing my shoulder.”

Takoma’s Outpatient Rehabilitation helped with the recovery period. “I was in rehab for more than five months, and I can’t say enough good things about how they helped me,” she said.

Then, on Oct. 21, 2009, Ramirez sought out knee specialist Dr. Jon Minter at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport for her second surgery. “The service was exceptional,” Ramirez said.

And, again, she returned to Takoma’s Rehab for restorative help. “They worked with me on strengthening and relearning balance,” she said. “When I started rehab, I couldn’t stand on one foot for a half second or go up any incline. Now, I can climb steps and have great mobility. Everyone is super nice and very easy to work with. I can’t thank therapists’ Anthony Tullock and Craig Shelton enough. They worked hard to bring out the highest level of recovery for me. I wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.”

Ramirez is slated for her second total knee reconstruction on her right knee in February, again with Dr. Minter. And, again, she plans to return to Takoma’s Outpatient Rehab.