Consider an activity that do you every single day. Now imagine having an accident or health condition that prevented you from your daily activities.
When you sustain an injury to a bone or joint in your body, the things you take for granted can be temporarily disrupted and inhibit you from doing what you truly enjoy—until you restore your mobility with orthopedic care and rehabilitation, that is.
In the U.S., people of all ages are faced with limitations that affect their mobility and that require orthopedic intervention. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), one in four Americans suffers from an impairment that impacts their ability to move.
To inspire patients to fight for their mobility and promote the value of orthopedic care to others, the AAOS started the "A Nation In Motion," campaign. This initiative focuses on patients who have experienced a "Second First"—that is, the point in time when a patient, who had lost the ability to do something because of his or her orthopedic condition, can accomplish the task again. Patients who are looking for advice to help restore their daily lives can find a surgeon close to their location, research bone and joint health procedures and risks, read other patients' experiences and peruse pain management tips.
To help her patients develop realistic goals about their recovery, Dr. Elizabeth G. Matzkin, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and chief of Women's Sports Medicine, prefers to asses her patients' surgical recovery and rehabilitation expectations with in-depth interviews.
"Sometimes I tell people: 'I'm so glad you're not in any pain or that you're not uncomfortable, but you need to take it easy so this heals.' A lot of procedures take at least three months to heal," said Dr. Matzkin.
According to the AAOS, "All surgeries have a minimum recovery time during which the patient will not be able to participate in all of the activities he or she did before the surgery, injury or onset of their orthopedic condition."
"I have patients who say, 'I will work really hard, I'm a fast healer,' And I say, 'The recovery is still recovery," said Dr. Matzkin.
Visit ANationInMotion.org to learn more about how you can fight for your mobility or reach your Second First. Watch a new video about A Nation In Motion by clicking here .
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