Scott's Story
Traumatic brain injury
“Rehabilitation has completely shifted my perspective and abilities.”
Coming from Scott Clark, a 39-year-old cinematographer from Austin, Texas, this statement sums up his experiences as he battles back from a traumatic brain injury.
His career choice was influenced by his parents, and he is proud to have worked on the 2019 Emmy Award-winning documentary “Dylan Reales: El Loco del Palo.” In his free time, Scott loved woodworking, biking and – not surprisingly – watching movies.
“I have a family who love and support me, like my parents Bob and Patsy Clark,” he said. “They are a big inspiration in my life and inspired my career choice of cinematography with their work in the film industry.”
One day, Scott was helping a friend work on a golf cart when he stood up and fell backward, hitting his head. He doesn’t remember what happened after that.
Emergency responders had rushed him to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, where he underwent a left-side craniectomy to relieve pressure on his brain. The trauma to the left side of his brain caused debilitating weakness on the right side of his body. The brain injury left him unable to walk, eat or communicate effectively.
Once he was medically stable, his physicians recommended a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program to help him regain mobility and independence. Scott transferred to Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation (BSWIR) - Lakeway to begin his journey of recovery.
At BSWIR-Lakeway, his physician-led team of therapists put a treatment plan in place. His plan required physical, occupational and speech therapy. Physical therapy activities aimed to strengthen his body and increase his endurance and activity tolerance. Occupational therapy focused on refining his fine motor skills and his speech therapists helped him strengthen the tongue and facial muscles. He was able to relearn how to walk, talk and eat soft foods. He discharged in just a little over two weeks, but Scott wanted to get to a deeper level of recovery.
A week later, he started a three-month program at BSWIR - Lakeway Day Neuro Program, a full-day rehabilitation program with an interdisciplinary approach to recovery. “I felt afraid but also cautiously excited about improving,” he recalled. At this point, Scott could walk, but had trouble with balance and endurance, was eating a special diet, and couldn’t use his right (dominant) hand functionally.
“Something as simple as holding a mug in my hand was hard,” said Scott. “I wanted to walk better and eventually run again,” he said. In addition, it was important to him to be able to eat normal food and speak clearer.
Physical therapy focused on Scott’s desire to walk better and further. He did exercises on the treadmill and went for walks outdoors to build endurance and confidence. His therapists incorporated exercises, such as squats and balance ball activities, to build strength, stability and coordination. By the time that he reached the end of the program, not only could Scott walk, but he could run short distances as well.
During daily occupational therapy sessions Scott regained the fine motor skills to write and type and use his right hand functionally. This meant resistance exercises for strength, light weights for range of motion, and equipment like a sling and athletic tape to support his right arm in a functional position.
“First off, I got my hand back, which is crazy,” said Scott. “I can write now! I was able to run again because of PT [physical therapy].”
Speech therapy addressed Scott’s challenges with communication and swallowing. He spent a lot of time working on conversational speech training for expressive language and action-observation treatment to boost speech and cognitive abilities. Swallowing exercises strengthened his throat muscles and improved his ability to voluntarily cough and clear his airway, important skills necessary to eat safely.
Scott recalled the feeling of passing a swallow study. “Getting those results back and knowing I could eat anything again was incredible.”
The activities in recreational therapy sessions also supported the physical and cognitive aspects of Scott’s recovery. For example, playing non-contact basketball increased his trunk control, range of motion, hand-eye coordination, balance and standing endurance.
The results were transformative. “Everything I wanted to do, I’ve done,” Scott said. Indeed, he could write, run, eat normal food and express complex thoughts.
Scott credits much of his success to the staff at BSWIR - Lakeway and the Day Neuro Program. “Their kindness, professionalism and care made all the difference in my recovery,” he said.
The support of his family and friends was also important. “They provided me with emotional support, transportation and just about everything else,” he said. “I also want to mention my friend Jarin, and dogs Cricket and Fozzy, who have helped me immensely throughout my rehabilitation journey.”
Though Scott acknowledges there is still progress to be made, he is excited about resuming his hobbies. He planned to return to the Day Neuro Program in the near future.
“I’m thinking faster and more clearly now – my mind feels sharper every day,” he observed. “It’s like a fog has been lifted, and I’m finally rediscovering myself and what I’m capable of.”