Bone infection patient heals after rehab at Life Care Center of Osawatomie

On May 12, 2021, David Troxel came to Life Care Center of Osawatomie, Kansas, for help in overcoming weakness caused by a vertebral wound with osteomyelitis (a bone infection) and respiratory failure.

David arrived with 13 wounds all over his body and unable to walk or push himself in a wheelchair. He needed extensive assistance to stand up, bathe, get dressed or even roll over in bed, and he needed moderate assistance with daily hygiene tasks. He also had some difficulty swallowing.

Nursing and physical therapy addressed his wounds together and determined on proper positioning and dressing changes to address healing the wounds. PT also worked with David on strength, mobility, balance and activity tolerance.

In occupational therapy, David worked on strengthening, wheelchair positioning and retraining in his activities of daily living. Speech therapy helped him with safe swallowing strategies. Through it all, he found the emotional support as critical as the physical support.

“I would like to thank all of the people in the therapy department for encouraging me to walk, ride the bike, exercise more and be more sociable,” said David. “They are a great bunch of people, and I would recommend their services to the public, my family and friends.”

David completed his therapy on July 12 and returned home with his daughter. He is now independent in his walking, bed mobility, transfers, hygiene and dressing and at a supervision level for bathing and swallowing. He only has three wounds left, which are improved.