Redcord Therapy Allows Motorcyclist to Ride Again

For most of us, brushing our teeth is a daily activity we do without much effort. But for Joe Jackson, 24, of Sterling Heights, it was nearly impossible after a motorcycle accident.

“I broke my left elbow and I could not lift my arm,” says Jackson. 

Joe Jackson of Sterling Heights

Jackson was riding his motorcycle on a sunny day in September 2008, when a vehicle ignored a red traffic light. Jackson said the driver was shouting to him from the car while driving past him.

“He was apologizing for not paying attention. The driver said he was on his cell phone and didn’t see the red light,” he recalls.

Before Jackson had time to respond, he heard the loud sound of screeching brakes and realized it was too late for him to slow down. Jackson’s motorcycle crashed into another vehicle at approximately 40 mph. He was launched from his motorcycle over a car and landed on the road.

Jackson was transported by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital, Troy. He spent the next few months in and out of the hospital for treatment while attending physical therapy sessions at Beaumont Medical Center, Macomb Township.

Jackson’s physical therapist, Susan Leidlein, M.P.T., says she introduced him to a new type of sling exercise physical therapy used to treat neuromuscular disorders, called Redcord.

“We began therapy because Joe sustained a fracture to his elbow and had subsequent surgeries, manipulations and relocations of the nerve,” says Leidlein. “When he first started therapy he was in a lot of pain and couldn’t move his arm.”

Redcord therapy uses body weight and elastic slings and ropes. They isolate a joint for strengthening and stability in combination with other physical therapy techniques for people experiencing pain or motion restriction. It is also used for a person who requires a high level of assistance to strengthen inactive muscles.

Patients begin Redcord therapy exercises in a sitting, kneeling or reclining position. Depending on functional strength, some advanced techniques, like the exercises Jackson was able to do, allow the removal of the bungee that supports the torso for full body suspension.

Redcord can be customized to each patient’s level of ability and adjusted as they regain strength and motion. Often after the first treatment, patients will notice less pain, increased movement and improved posture.

“Redcord works the adjacent joints and muscle groups that other types of exercise treatments do not incorporate,” says Leidlein. “It allows the patients to work within their available range of motion while varying the resistance that is applied with the ropes. Exercises with Redcord helped rehabilitate Joe’s primary injury, and also helped a great deal with his overall core strength.”

Prior to starting physical therapy Jackson did not have the strength to lift his arm. After 14 months of physical therapy he has full range of motion, is back to riding his motorcycle and feels stronger than ever.

“I feel good, I feel real good,” he says . “I can do everything I did before the accident.”

 Jackson says he is looking forward to this summer when he will spend time wakeboarding.

Joe Talks about his Experience with Beaumont Physical Therapy & Redcord