Kim Malone works with Tidewater Physical Therapy therapists at the Salisbury, Md. clinic to manage injuries to her left hand and arm.
On May 18, 2013, Kim Malone experienced what she describes as the best and worst day of her life. She had just finished the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure in Easton, Maryland. A diabetic herself, Malone was proud to have completed the bike ride to help with the fight against diabetes.
Around 2 p.m., as she was traveling back to Salisbury after the Tour de Cure, Malone was hit by a DUI driver. She was injured severely and does not remember much from the accident. Among her resulting injuries were a hemorrhaging spleen, damaged ribs, traumatic brain injuries, and hand and arm trauma that resulted in Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD). Malone has dealt with chronic pain since the accident.
“I basically did the shuffle for months,” -she said.
Malone started going to the Salisbury, Maryland Tidewater Physical Therapy clinic after the accident as part of her recovery process. Her hand was “completely frozen” when she started physical therapy, and she was unable to move her left arm above her head because her rib injuries were so severe. Physical therapy, however, prevented permanent immobilization.
A nurse herself, Malone wanted to make sure she received care she could trust. “Without Jenn [Hamilton], I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Malone said. “I could talk to her and she was honest. The things she told me, I could trust.”
Malone’s goal was to complete the same Tour de Cure bike ride exactly one year later. Although she was far from a full recovery, she completed the May 2014 Tour de Cure on a three-wheeled bike with the support of her friends and family. Tidewater Physical Therapy is honored to have supported Malone with a donation to her Tour de Cure bike ride.
Malone continues to attend physical therapy sessions at the Tidewater Physical Therapy Salisbury clinic, and she is on her way to a more complete recovery.
“Patients come in, and you see the pain on their faces when they’re sitting in that reading room,” Malone said. “When they start moving, you would think it would hurt more, but they’re smiling. It’s like a total transformation. That, to me, is what Tidewater Physical Therapy is all about.”