When David Scott says his workouts in Regional One Health’s Post-Rehab Wellness Program are the most effective and intense he’s experienced, he’s worth listening to.
David is a former college football player, a U.S. Navy veteran who oversaw base training, and a coach in football, baseball, basketball and volleyball before retiring from Whitehaven High School. In other words, he knows a thing or two about whipping people into shape.
David Scott gets ready to work out at the Center for Rehabilitative Medicine, where the Post-Rehab Wellness program has helped him regain strength and confidence after cancer treatment.
But David has one more title to his name, and it’s the one that inspired him to try the Post-Rehab Wellness Program: two-time cancer survivor.
The Post-Rehab Wellness Program is an innovative service at Regional One Health’s East Campus Center for Rehabilitative Medicine that was developed to combine the skills of physical therapists and a certified personal trainer to help patients get stronger and healthier safely.
It can benefit anyone, from young athletes looking to improve their speed and agility to patients like David who are rebuilding their strength after a serious illness or injury.
For David, it has been just want the doctor ordered – literally. “After my cancer treatment, my doctor recommended I start a physical fitness regime as part of the healing process. It plays a big role in your wellbeing and getting your system back to operating at an optimal level,” he said.
David’s daughter, Ambrosia Scott, Regional One Health outpatient therapy manager, introduced him to Kenneth Robinson, the certified personal trainer who manages the Post-Rehab Wellness Program. David was sold after he invited Robinson to speak to one of his human anatomy classes at Whitehaven High: “That got me motivated,” he said. “Listening to how he interacted with my student athletes, I thought, ‘This guy knows what he’s doing.’”
Certified Personal Trainer Kenneth Robinson designs workout plans that help clients get stronger without re-injury.
He started working with Robinson in June and has found the benefits to be not just physical but emotional. His blood pressure is down; he has more flexibility and strength in his shoulders, chest and legs; and his stamina is better. What’s more, “It has really pushed me pretty good, and that’s helped me rebuild my confidence,” Scott said.
Robinson aims to create an environment where every patient can thrive no matter what their goals and needs. “We offer both basic strength and conditioning, and we also work on specific skills the patient wants to improve,” he said. “It’s very individualized. Each patient is different, so I evaluate them and create a program designed specifically for what they want to do.”
With athletes, he works on explosiveness, quickness, mobility, etc. to give them an edge on the field. For patients who are rehabbing after an illness or injury, he focuses on strengthening the problem area as well as the rest of their body in order to prevent imbalances.
Robinson creates exercise plans that are not only effective but safe, and patients work out under his watchful eye as well as those of the Center for Rehabilitative Medicine’s team of physical therapists. That helps patients avoid re-injury and new injuries while working through the normal muscle soreness that occurs when someone first starts an exercise program.
“It’s the continual loop we had hoped for,” said Ambrosia Scott, DPT, LAT, CCI, noting she’s been impressed by the strides her father has made.
“This is the ideal place to get healthy,” David said. “Here, I’m surrounded by knowledgegable people.”
“We transfer patients from the physical therapists to Ken, and then if they have any issues he transfers them back to us.
The good thing about this setting rather than a gym is that all you have to do is let Ken know what’s going on, and a therapist will see them at their next visit. It’s the whole continuum of rehab and healthy living.”
For David, “This is the ideal place to get healthy. My doctor told me it’s best not to try to do it on my own, and he was correct. Here, I’m surrounded by knowledgeable people.”
And by people who motivate him. “Ken reminds me of my college coach,” David said. “He demands you put forth your best effort. When I was coaching, I was the same way – that mix of sternness and humor.”
David said he’d recommend the program to anyone, from cancer survivors like himself to young athletes seeking an edge. “He challenges you from the very beginning, and he gets results,” he said. “You owe it to yourself to give it a try.”