Left winger TJ Dargan was streaking down the ice with the puck, eyeing the goal, when a defenseman checked him into the boards… hard.
“I knew right away my knee was injured,” said Dargan, 15, a sophomore at Pascack Valley High School in Westwood, New Jersey.
“When I got injured, I couldn’t do anything physical,” said Dargan, who has played hockey since he learned to skate. “I could barely walk through the school halls without limping.”
Dargan consulted with one doctor who examined him and diagnosed him with two injuries, including a torn meniscus, and recommended surgery to repair the meniscus.
Before agreeing to surgery, Dargan and his mother attended an open house at Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center, along with the rest of the hockey team.
The Dargans were impressed with the team, especially physical therapists Michael Polizzano, PT, and Ashley Solow, PT, DPT. After they learned more about Pascack Valley Medical Center’s physical therapy (PT) services, Dargan and his mother decided to postpone surgery and allow physical therapy to heal his injuries.
“The presentation at Pascack Valley helped me realize that this could be the solution to my injuries,” said Dargan.
Physical therapy sessions
While Dargan was nervous before his first physical therapy session, he was greeted warmly.
“I had never done anything like this,” said Dargan, “but Ashley and Mike welcomed me like I’ve known them my entire life.”
Dargan described what a typical workout entailed.
“We strengthened the muscles around my knee, did stretches to work on flexibility, and even did Plyometric exercises, which use speed and the force of different movements to build muscle mass.”
In addition to the PT sessions, Dargan was given exercises and stretches to do at home. “I could adjust the exercises if I was in pain, but afterward I felt great,” he added. “I became more flexible after the sessions. Before the stretches, I couldn’t touch my toes and now I can do more than I ever thought I’d be able to.”
Dargan had another “therapist” by his side – Keltie the therapy dog.
“Keltie made me feel so welcomed,” said Dargan. “I’d do exercises with her, and she made it fun and exciting. Sometimes I would throw a ball and she would fetch it and bring it back. She was well-behaved and she made me feel calm. Such a cute dog and so gentle.”
Dargan improved so quickly that he returned to playing lacrosse before his physical therapy sessions ended. This fall he is looking forward to playing hockey again with two good knees.
“Without good knees, you can’t skate well,” explained Dargan. “You need to make sharp turns, cuts, starts and stops. Without strong and powerful knees, you really can’t really play hockey well.”
By the end of six weeks, Dargan said his knee felt like it had never been injured.
“I think Pascack Valley is the best place that you can go to for physical therapy,” he said. “The sessions helped me get back to what I’ve been doing. I am now back in the gym lifting weights and have been able to play lacrosse and hockey as before.”
Read more about Pascack Valley Medical Center’s therapy and rehabilitation services on our website.