Tony had his first physical therapy appointment on Thursday at Ivy Rehab in Medford. The physical therapist came highly recommended by Virtua sports medicine’s Dr. Eric Requa. Tony and I met with Patricia (Patti) Baylis, who works strictly with patients recovering from concussion.

We met with Patti for close to one hour. She was thorough, compassionate, funny, and helped Tony and I understand everything he is going through and what his goals will be at physical therapy with ease.

Patti also reassured us that everything Tony has endured is completely normal. No two concussions are the same. No two concussion patients have the same symptoms. And, no two concussion patients have the same number of good days, bad days, or so-so days during their recoveries.

It was such an in-depth appointment that Patti even sent us home with a packet of information in the event we had questions about what was discussed, concerns to allay, and so that Mom could read about everything that was discussed. Patti knows how stressful concussion recovery is for more than just the patient, which is why she provides the family with a packet of information in the hopes that it will alleviate stress and worry as much as possible.

Tony underwent additional tests while at his first physical therapy appointment. Patti put what looked like drunk goggles on his face and turned the lights off in the room. The goggles enlarged Tony’s eyes for us to examine. She made him move just his eyes back and forth and up and down. He then had to move his head in multiple directions.

Patti noticed that one of Tony’s eyes takes longer to move in the direction the head moved. She said that he has nystagmus right now, which is a side effect of a concussion. She said that physical therapy will help reduce his eye flutter caused by the concussion, but it will take time.

Tony then had to stand in the corner of the room, close his eyes, and stand on one leg. Patti wanted to obtain a baseline of Tony’s balance, which is quite low. She had to catch him twice so he didn’t fall. He also struggled with standing on both legs with his eyes closed and arms outstretched.

Physical therapy will occur twice per week for one hour at each appointment. Tony heads to the office again on Tuesday. Patti is going to put him on a treadmill for an easy walk. However, with every minute that passes she is going to raise the incline of the treadmill. She wants to evaluate how his brain regulates his heart rate.

As with any brain injury, the messages being sent to the rest of the body are mixed at this point. It is time to retrain the brain so that it knows what is happening right now in the body is not normal. To begin that process Patti said no more sitting in dark rooms, go for a walk outside for at least 20 minutes daily, try not to wear sunglasses while outside for as long as possible, and resume watching TV and using electronic devices in 15-minute clips with one-hour breaks.

Tony was assigned homework too. He has to perform eye exercises five times per day. He has to put a sticky note with a “B” on it on the wall. He then has to sit or stand in front of it for two, 30-second intervals. The first 30 seconds he has to slowly move his head back and forth while attempting to keep the “B” in focus. The second 30 seconds he has to slowly move his head up and down while trying to keep the “B” in focus. He takes a one-minute break in between the two exercises. Patti said this will make him dizzy even if sitting down.

Tony still has a long road to haul, but we are making strides in getting him back to normal. He has been outside more often these past few days, has begun watching TV in short clips again, and is wearing sunglasses less and less while outdoors.

Tony’s goals with physical therapy are as follows:

• Regain his balance
• Remove the nystagmus from his eyes
• Reduce his light and noise sensitivity
• Return to school full-time (being in the building and being able to take tests again)
• Return to physical education class and taking part in activities at recess
• Return to full sports participation

As of right now, Tony will be back in school starting Monday, April 17.

Both Tony and I were very happy with Patti and all she taught us on Thursday. We are excited to get started Tuesday at Tony’s first full physical therapy appointment. Mom is going to take him so she has the opportunity to meet Patti and see why Tony and I were so happy with her.