Polio patient recovers from hip surgery at Life Care of Banner Elk

While polio has mostly disappeared from this country, for Opal Lee, the disease is a daily reality.

Lee, 78, has lived with polio since she was a child. In November 2017, she had to have a hip replacement revision to repair her hip prosthesis. She came to Life Care Center of Banner Elk, North Carolina, on Dec. 1 for therapy.

When she arrived, she needed moderate assistance with most of her mobility and self-care, from walking to getting dressed to standing up and sitting down. She also had some difficulty swallowing, which speech therapy was able to eliminate in two weeks.

Lee took part in the facility's Ready… Set… Go! program, which is designed to help patients be ready quickly for a safe return to the community.

She also did physical therapy seven days a week, working on gait, balance and leg strength with the help of the Omnicycle^™ and NuStep^® exercise machines. She participated in occupational therapy five days a week, retraining in her activities of daily living and working on skills such as standing tolerance and dressing techniques.

"Therapy helped my walking, my muscles, my strength and my balance," said Lee. "The staff has all been helpful in my recovery."

Lee was able to regain full independence and go to an assisted living facility, a lower level of care, on Jan. 13, 2018.