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Elissa Menendez

 

"I'm Now Back to Playing Music"

As a cruise-ship musician, Elissa Menendez’s livelihood is in her hands. One day during practice her hand began to hurt more than normal. She knew something was wrong. The ship’s physician diagnosed her with carpal tunnel.

Elissa recalled feeling scared and anxious about not being able to play music again. She consulted some of her musician friends who had also suffered a similar injury, and determined that she definitely needed to take care of herself.

Once she was back on shore, Elissa was referred to Broward Health North’s Rehabilitation Institute where she spent eight weeks in occupational and physical therapy sessions. Elissa was diligent about completing all the exercises her therapists recommended, and as her rehabilitation journey progressed she felt more in control of the healing process. After two months of therapy, Elissa was able to return to work and to her passion. She now approaches her craft with more care.

“I used to play six or seven hours a day nonstop,” said Elissa. “Now, I know to take breaks to rest my hands. The team at Broward Health North’s Rehabilitation Institute really helped me bounce back.”

Broward Health's Rehabilitation Institute