When Al Philipp walked onto the pickleball court, he didn’t know the game would end in a serious injury. In the middle of a maneuver, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ankle, which led to a trip to Hillsdale Hospital. After an MRI, he learned from his doctor that he had a complete tear in his Achilles tendon and needed surgery before the healing process could begin. Al didn’t know what to expect, but the team at Hillsdale Hospital helped him feel at home.
“That’s one of the key things—to have the equipment in a rural hospital like Hillsdale, they can take care of testing you and then doing the procedure, all in one building through such a quality [facility],” said Al. “I fully trust the hospital. I would always go back because I’ve seen that they can take care of any injury. I’m so happy to have Hillsdale around.”
Going into surgery, the team made sure Al was prepared for the process by keeping him informed and comfortable.
“The staff was phenomenal,” Al said. “They went over every step—how they were going to prepare me and how they were going to take care of the pain. When I woke up from surgery, I didn’t have any pain because they gave me an epidural and a blocker from my knee down. Then they talked me through the time when I had to have zero weight on my leg for two weeks. They gave good advice on how to prepare for those days.”
As healing progressed, Al was able to begin putting weight on his foot again. He first needed the support of a boot, which allowed him to resume everyday tasks. Eventually, the foot was able to bear weight on its own.
When his leg became weight-bearing, Al began physical therapy. Initially, he was apprehensive, fearing the exercises would reinjure his tendon. Al’s concerns were relieved by the physical therapists as they walked him through therapy. They conducted comprehensive checks of his abilities and created a program to increase Al’s strength, weight and range of motion while allowing his Achilles to continue healing.
“I was very timid about doing anything with physical therapy because I thought it could reinjure my leg,” Al recalled. “The staff really helped me get over that fear. They showed me the limits of what I can and shouldn’t do. It’s been great! I’ve never come home from physical therapy in pain and I haven’t reinjured myself.”
It wasn’t long before Al was able to return to his athletic routine.
“Eight weeks after surgery, I played nine holes of golf,” Al said. “That was phenomenal—I did not expect that because I read all these horror stories online of how long it takes people, all the complications and the pain they go through. I don’t know how they managed to get me through it quickly and without a lot of pain!”
From the initial consultation to surgery, recovery and physical therapy, Al was grateful to his hospital team for going above and beyond to provide him with a high-quality care experience.
“I want to encourage everybody to use Hillsdale Hospital as much as possible,” said Al. “Their staff and the quality of doctors at Hillsdale is phenomenal.”
Learn more about surgical services at hillsdalehospital.com/surgery.
