Capital Region | Capital Health | Summer 2020

crmc.org 5 was just daunting with our schedules,” Sarah recalls. “So, I quickly went on a fact-finding mission to determine if there was a care option for him closer to home [Jefferson City]. That’s when I called Capital Region and was referred to Shari Kicker, MPT, at Healthplex West.” Getting treatment Joey began his treatment at Capital Region Healthplex West on Jan. 20, 2020. The Rembeckis were immediately impressed with Kicker, who is a certified vestibular rehabilitation specialist. In his initial evaluation, she noticed right away what no one else had—Joey had convergence insufficiency, which means his eyes were not tracking correctly, specifically when objects were brought closer to him. This seemed to really explain many of his struggles at school. After his initial evaluation, Joey and Kicker worked together through a customized therapy plan specific to his needs. He worked through aerobic conditioning, vision exercises, sports-specific multitasking and neck treatments. Kicker would also assign at-home Shari Kicker, MPT exercises to boost his progress. In addition to their therapy sessions, Kicker also worked with the school nurse to help Joey integrate back into his classroom routine. “One of our biggest challenges was that it didn’t look like there was anything wrong with him, so people didn’t really understand how much he was still struggling. Shari was our biggest advocate for getting the appropriate accommodations for him at school,” Sarah notes. On to recovery After 11 weeks of hard work in post-concussion rehabilitation, Joey is “back to baseline” and doing the things he loves. As his senior year begins, Joey is focused on getting safely back on the basketball court and enjoying his final year of high school. Sarah says they couldn’t be happier with the treatment Joey received. “We put all of our trust in Shari, and she was wonderful. [The staff] was always so upbeat that even if Joey was having a bad day, it was hard to leave therapy in a bad mood. Shari was really a lifesaver. That therapy changed his life.” “For the number of treatments he was going to need, the frequent 30-minute drive to Columbia was just daunting withour schedules. So, I quickly went on a fact-finding mission to determine if therewas a care option for him closer to home [Jefferson City]. That’s when I called Capital Region and was referred to Shari Kicker, MPT, at Heal thplex West .” —Sarah Rembecki Questions about our post-concussion rehab program? Contact Shari Kicker, MPT, certified vestibular rehabilitation specialist, at 573-638-3400 .