Prepared for the Unexpected: Stroke Rehabilitation at Covenant Therapy Center - West Knoxville

A stroke can happen to anyone, anywhere at any age. Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville provides comprehensive stroke rehabilitation when a brain attack tries to steal stroke survivors’ quality of life.

Stroke Forces a Time-Out

In April 2023, a team assembled on a Knoxville soccer field, gearing up for tournament play. Suddenly the team members realized someone was missing. 

“Where’s Rene?” the athletes asked. Meanwhile, Rene Peña, 43, was sitting in his car, trying to recover from sudden dizziness.

“Sometimes you feel dizzy, but you sit down, and then you’re OK,” Peña explains. “This time, it didn’t go away.”

As he sat there quietly, he began losing the ability to function on his right side. He couldn’t pick up his keys and he couldn’t feel the phone in his hand as he tried to text. Soon, a teammate found him and asked if he was OK.

“She was talking to me in English, but I was responding back in Spanish,” Peña recalls. “She doesn’t speak Spanish.” In his stroke-affected mind, Peña, who is bilingual, believed they were communicating in the same language.

Surrounded by athletes who knew more about athletic medical conditions and sports injuries, stroke wasn’t something that immediately came to Peña’s mind as a possibility. It was particularly shocking for a healthy, active person with no family history of strokes and no prior symptoms.

After being hospitalized, Peña was transferred to Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital for inpatient care.

“My whole right side was numb, and I guess I was mad because nobody understood what I was saying,” Peña remembers.

By the time he arrived at Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville, Peña could use a wheelchair, but he couldn’t walk or communicate verbally. Today, he shares his story to let others know that effective rehabilitation can restore quality of life for stroke survivors.

“I never imagined myself being in this situation, so when it happened, I had no clue what was going to follow,” Peña says. “I was just hoping for the best – to get better.”

Understanding Stroke and Its Impact in Tennessee

A stroke is a life-altering event affecting nearly 800,000 Americans each year. In Tennessee, the impact is particularly pronounced, and stroke rates exceed the national average. As the fifth leading cause of death in the state, strokes present significant health challenges, with many survivors facing long-term physical, cognitive and emotional effects.

“I grew up playing soccer my entire life – tournaments in North Carolina, South Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville – all over the place,” Peña says. “You’re in a wheelchair in a heartbeat, in a second. That’s hard.”

When a stroke happens, blood flow to the brain is interrupted, either by a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). While some patients recover quickly, others may experience paralysis, speech difficulties, vision problems, memory loss and cognitive challenges.

That’s when Covenant Health Therapy Centers step in, offering a team of experts to support stroke survivors.

At Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville, patients benefit from an integrated approach that includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Each of these therapies played a vital role in helping Peña regain his independence and enhance his quality of life.

Physical Therapy for Stroke Patients: A Path to Recovery

Peña recalls his first appointment with physical therapist Madison Ledbetter, DPT, as he was wheeled into Covenant Health Therapy Center. Physical therapy focuses on the physical aspects of recovery, helping stroke survivors regain strength, mobility and balance.

“I was in a wheelchair, and she told me to get up. She wanted to see me move like this and move like that,” Peña says. When the physical therapist told him he would likely take his first steps within a few days he was skeptical.

“I thought, ‘That’s not possible,’” Peña recalls. “But a few days later, maybe a week, I started taking steps in front of the wheelchair. By the fifth week, I was walking.”

Ledbetter says she used task-specific activities tailored to each patient’s interests.

“For Rene, his love for soccer made physical therapy both challenging and exciting,” Ledbetter says. Her treatment aimed to improve neuromotor control, balance, muscle strength and endurance.

“This was achieved by prescribing activities that mimicked those encountered on the soccer field – running, cutting, turning, and dribbling. These activities translated into his daily life, enhancing his overall quality of life.”

By personalizing exercises to align with patients’ interests and needs, therapists at Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville help restore the ability to move, walk, and participate in physical activities they enjoyed before their stroke. Whether simulating soccer drills or practicing walking in various environments, physical therapy helps stroke survivors regain the physical capabilities necessary for an independent and active life.

Stroke Recovery and Occupational Therapy: Regaining Independence

Loss of motor function and vision impairments can be especially challenging for stroke patients. Occupational therapy empowers patients to regain independence in daily tasks.

“These tasks include dressing, grooming, self-feeding, meal prep, taking medications, using their affected arm to reach into a cabinet, holding the steering wheel, writing, or typing again – and the list goes on,” says occupational therapist Bethany Edmond.

Peña’s therapy included exercises like picking up small objects and placing them in specific spaces. Although it was difficult initially, with time and patience, he regained the use of his hand.

Edmond also specializes in treating patients whose vision is affected by stroke. She helped Peña see to navigate his environment, read and complete daily tasks.

“Through a combination of specialized exercises and compensatory strategies, patients like Rene can significantly improve their coordination, balance and ability to return to activities like work or driving,” Edmond explains.

Giving Stroke Patients a Voice with Speech Therapy

Just the simple act of talking about his stroke and rehabilitation is an accomplishment for Peña. It’s a conversation he couldn’t have had six months ago.

One-word answers were typical at the start of his speech therapy – his best effort at the time. But that soon changed.

Speech therapy focuses on helping patients regain their ability to communicate. It also addressing cognitive impairments and swallowing difficulties, which are common after a stroke. Ashley Bisby, a speech therapist at Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville, emphasizes that treatment is tailored to each patient’s specific needs.

“We work on exercises, activities, and compensatory strategies to rebuild language expression and comprehension, memory, attention, problem-solving, and swallowing,” Bisby explains. “This can be done in various ways, including worksheets, games, storytelling, conversation, and structured exchanges.”

Peña’s speech therapy began with flash cards to identify objects by name, followed by conversations with Ashley about their meanings.

Bisby notes that Peña put in the necessary effort during their sessions and diligently practiced the assigned exercises at home. The result was a boost in confidence that translated into improved speech over time.

Stroke Rehabilitation: A Holistic Approach to Recovery

Today, Peña is back enjoying time with his wife and their two dogs, Harley and Ivy, at their home in Lenoir City. Once unable to walk, he can now jog through the therapy center, embracing a future full of promise.

“Everything they did here took me from a wheelchair to walking,” Peña says. “That’s huge. I can grab my phone and text. I can handle anything at home, including talking, because I was here.”

The collaborative approach at Covenant Health Therapy Center – West Knoxville ensures that each stroke patient receives comprehensive care addressing every aspect of recovery. Stroke recovery is a gradual process, but with the right support survivors can regain independence, return to work and lead active, fulfilling lives for the win.