Michael's "Get There" Story
For one local Department of Homeland Security employee, a few weeks of physical therapy following his shoulder surgery simply wasn’t enough. His job is a tough one, and after months of being out of work, he needed to rehab more than just his shoulder to get back to protecting our country.
That’s why this federal agent spent weeks completing F.I.R.S.T., a full-body conditioning and strengthening program, at one of our East Coast clinics.
Although our patient has a pretty top secret job, he was pretty open about his injury, recovery, and rehabilitation.
Michael's Story
Michael, a former Marine Corps member, injured his left shoulder while unloading heavy materials from a cargo plane. After heading to his doctor, he found out he needed a S.L.A.P. repair, underwent surgery, and then chose ATI for his physical therapy. He admits that he tried to push it during his initial recovery period, but our team at ATI kept him in line.
“With a soft tissue injury, you’re just supposed to let it rest,” Michael says. “I knew that, but I definitely pushed it. I had a running joke with [my therapists at ATI] that I was going to reinjure my shoulder just because I couldn’t help but use it, but they were good at helping to keep me inactive.”
Work conditioning program gets agent back to work
After three months of acute rehabilitation, which included a lot of range of motion exercises, Michael entered F.I.R.S.T., attending the program for four weeks for four to five hours each weekday.
“I have a physically demanding job, and I have an eight-man team relying on me,” Michael says. “I had to get in shape and hit the ground running; I couldn’t let them down.”
Because the F.I.R.S.T. program is tailored to each individual, Michael’s therapist, Greg Olkowski, had to get creative to create simulations that mirrored Michael’s everyday work. Greg found a vacant area near the clinic where the two would go to help Michael rehab. Greg put Michael in his typical uniform, boots, and weighted vest (which can weigh up to fifty pounds!), gave him a weighted bar to simulate a rifle, and had him perform tactical maneuvers, from a simple foot chase to a fireman’s carry.
“This program went above and beyond,” Michael says. “Greg really adapted the program to fit the demands of my job, and it really exceeded by expectations. I’m actually in better endurance shape now than I was before my injury.”
A parting gift
Michael says that he had such a great experience that he wanted to give Greg a parting gift – a successful completion of Marine Corps Combat Fitness Training. (The CFT helps keeps Marines ready for the physical demands of combat operations and consists of a 880 yard sprint, 30-pound ammunition lift overhead for two minutes, and an obstacle course – all while wearing full military uniforms.)
“Greg got up with me on a Saturday morning, and we drove out, set up this course, and even had a little fan club watching us,” Michael says with a laugh. “But, none of them were brave enough to do it with us!”
And, don’t worry – both passed the CFT with “excellent” scores and are hoping to run it again in a few months.
“Honestly, I don’t know of any other program like this,” Michael says, who has now returned to work. “I think I’m actually going to continue with some of it because it’s a good supplement to Crossfit and the other training I do. Greg gets a lot of credit for all he’s done for me.”
To learn more about our F.I.R.S.T. program, visit our work conditioning page.