I’m very grateful to work with Caitlin and the Children’s Specialized Hospital team,” emphasized Meghan.
When Meghan was 12 years old, she broke her arm in four places due to a trampoline accident. She suffered from nerve damage and had consistent pain as the break was not healing properly. Time passed and the pain continued. Meghan was then diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome. To help learn strategies to manage the pain, she started the Chronic Pain Management Program at Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH). This four-week inpatient program focused on regaining function and using one’s body in a normal way.
Meghan made great strides following the program, but years later had a relapse in symptoms due to a fall. “My arm became stuck in a bent position,” noted Meghan. “I had minimal movement and needed to begin occupational therapy to try to regain function.”
Outpatient Occupational Therapy
Meghan works closely with occupational therapist, Caitlin Finnegan in the upper extremity rehabilitation program at CSH’s outpatient facility in Union, New Jersey. “We’ve been focusing on figuring out how to maximize what I can do since I felt like I couldn’t do a lot of things because of the nerve pain,” stated Meghan.
“Meghan has made good progress with use of her hand and active range in her shoulder for slight shoulder flexion/rotation, however, is still limited with her elbow mobility, which is what we continue to work on,” added Caitlin. “In outpatient therapy, she has participated in casting/splinting, Neuromuscular and Muscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and manual techniques for pain relief and improved positioning.”
“When I was younger, I felt hopeless and didn’t like going to medical related appointments because I felt like no one was able to help me or knew how to help. Caitlin has been extremely helpful and has shown me how I can get better. When I started an internship at Disney World and I couldn’t do therapy at CSH, Caitlin helped me find someone in Florida and showed me what I can do on my own time to make my days easier. She always has some sort of solution to help me,” highlighted Meghan.
Looking Ahead
Now at 22 years old, Meghan graduated college with a degree in forensic psychology and is looking forward to starting a graduate school program.
For others going through similar situations, Meghan encourages you to find someone or a group of people who are really driven to help you get better and listen to your concerns. “When I was younger it was harder to voice my feelings, and I had to learn to be my own advocate. I’m very grateful to work with Caitlin and the Children’s Specialized Hospital team,” emphasized Meghan.
Learn more about occupational therapy at Children's Specialized Hospital.
