Maryann’s Journey · Part 3 of 6
After a fall and wrist fracture, Maryann adapted her therapy and kept moving forward.
How One Oceanside Senior Kept Moving Forward After a Fall and Wrist Fracture
Recovery can feel exciting when you’re getting stronger, walking farther, and becoming more independent.
Then something happens.
A fall. An illness. An injury. A bad week.
Suddenly, it can feel as though all the progress you’ve worked so hard to make is disappearing.
Maryann knows that feeling.
After working hard in physical therapy and becoming stronger following a serious hospitalization, Maryann experienced a setback she hadn’t planned for:
She fell and fractured her wrist.
For a while, the fall affected more than her wrist.
It shook her confidence.
But Maryann’s recovery didn’t end with that fall.
Instead, her physical therapy changed with her—and she kept moving forward.
If you’re new to Maryann’s story, start with Part 1 of Maryann’s Journey: “I Thought I’d Lost the Life I Had Before.”
A Fall That Shook Her Confidence
Maryann had already come a long way.
When she first began outpatient physical therapy at home, she was extremely weak, struggled to walk safely, and relied on a walker and wheelchair.
Over time, she became stronger and more active.
As we shared in Part 2 of Maryann’s Journey, “Getting Stronger Happens Between Physical Therapy Visits”, Maryann’s commitment to her personalized home exercise program became an important part of that progress.
Then, in February, Maryann went outside for a walk.
As she turned, she moved her upper body without fully repositioning her feet. She lost her balance, fell onto the concrete, and fractured her wrist.
Physically, the injury hurt.
Emotionally, it was difficult too.
Maryann remembers feeling discouraged and upset.
After working so hard to regain her independence, the fall made her question her progress and affected her confidence in her balance.
For many older adults, that fear can become almost as limiting as the injury itself.
A Setback Didn’t Mean Starting Over
One of the most important parts of Maryann’s recovery was what happened next.
Heather didn’t stop Maryann’s physical therapy because she had a cast on her wrist. She adapted it.
Heather modified Maryann’s exercises so she could continue working safely while her wrist healed.
Instead of focusing only on the injury, they also looked at what may have contributed to the fall.
They worked on turning more safely.
They practiced balance.
They focused on body awareness—understanding where her body and feet were in space as she moved.
They also paid attention to how Maryann walked and how she placed her feet.
The goal wasn’t simply to recover from the wrist fracture.
It was to help Maryann feel safer and more confident moving again.
Occupational Therapy Helped Her Get Her Wrist Back
Maryann also worked with occupational therapy after her fracture.
As her wrist healed, she gradually regained the ability to use it during her normal activities.
Today, Maryann reports that her wrist is doing very well. She can hold her resistance bands and weights and participate in her regular exercises again.
She may still use a wrist brace for extra support during heavier activities, but the fracture no longer defines what she can do.
What once felt like a major interruption in her recovery became something she worked through.
Sometimes the Hardest Part Is Trusting Yourself Again
After a fall, healing the injury is only one piece of recovery.
For some seniors, the bigger challenge is rebuilding confidence.
You may start wondering:
What if I fall again?
You may walk more cautiously, avoid certain activities, or stop doing things you previously enjoyed.
In fact, fear of falling can affect balance, confidence, and activity levels, sometimes creating a cycle in which fear leads to less movement and less movement contributes to further weakness.
Maryann didn’t want fear to decide what she could do.
She continued practicing the things that were difficult, including balance activities that still challenge her today.
She hasn’t stopped because something is hard.
She’s continuing to work on it.
Physical Therapy Should Change When Life Changes
Maryann’s experience illustrates something important about personalized physical therapy:
Your treatment plan shouldn’t stay exactly the same when your circumstances change.
A new injury, illness, change in balance, increase in pain, or loss of confidence may require your therapist to modify the plan.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve failed.
And it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re back at the beginning.
Sometimes recovery means adapting, reassessing, and finding a different way forward.
That’s one of the benefits of outpatient physical therapy in the comfort of home. Your therapist can see how you’re moving in the environment where you actually live and help address the real-life challenges affecting your safety and independence.
Recovery Isn’t About Being Perfect
Maryann’s journey hasn’t been a perfectly straight path.
She became stronger.
She fell.
She fractured her wrist.
She became discouraged.
And then she kept going.
Today, she’s back to her exercises, continuing to work on her balance, walking, spending time with her family, and building the confidence to do more.
The setback became part of her story.
It didn’t become the ending.
There Is Hope
A fall or injury during recovery can be frightening—especially when you’ve already worked hard to regain strength and independence.
It can feel like you’re losing everything you’ve accomplished.
But a setback doesn’t always mean starting over.
With the right support, a treatment plan that adapts to your changing needs, and the willingness to keep working toward your goals, meaningful progress may still be possible.
Maryann’s story reminds us that recovery isn’t about never having a difficult day.
It’s about finding a way to keep moving forward when you do.
There is hope.
Keep Moving Forward With Mobile PT
At Mobile PT, we provide personalized, one-on-one outpatient physical therapy in the comfort of home throughout North County San Diego.
When something changes—a fall, injury, hospitalization, illness, or change in mobility—our therapists can reassess what’s happening and adapt treatment to help seniors continue working toward greater strength, safer mobility, reduced fall risk, and independence.
Because sometimes the path forward changes. The goal of getting back to the life you love doesn’t have to.
📞 Call Mobile PT today at (760) 536-2377 to schedule an evaluation and learn how personalized outpatient physical therapy at home may help you or someone you love improve mobility, reduce fall risk, and continue working toward greater independence.