William J. Claussen, MPT, decided to become a physical therapist after he ruptured his Achilles tendon playing soccer. At Shelbourne Knee Center, he takes care of patients’ knee problems with confidence and conducts research to help physical therapists in other practices improve care for their patients with knee injuries and problems.
After rupturing his Achilles tendon playing soccer, Claussen had to have surgery and physical therapy. “Going through rehab was really interesting. My physical therapist motivated me to pursue this as a career,” says Claussen. So Claussen went to Philadelphia to study physical therapy at Drexel University. After earning his master’s degree, he moved back to Indiana, to be closer to family.
Working in Orthopedics PT
In 2001, Claussen joined the physical therapy staff at Methodist Occupational Health Centers, Inc. in Indianapolis, rising to clinical rehab manager before he left in 2008. But he was frustrated because he couldn’t provide the specialized care that was best for patients. “When I was seeing patients with orthopedic problems with knees, hips, ankles, backs and necks, I couldn’t be the best at taking care of all of those different things,” he says.
Switching to a Narrower Focus
“My goal was to specialize so I could be the best at taking care of one thing within orthopedics, rather than trying to be really good at taking care of a lot of things,” says Claussen. Living in Indianapolis, Claussen had heard about Shelbourne Knee Center’s knee-only focus. In 2008, he joined the center as a physical therapist and director of rehab.
Claussen is one of seven physical therapists at Shelbourne Knee Center. “Our patients get a sense that they’re seeing someone who completely understands their specific problem. That’s comforting to them,” he says. This is especially true when patients come to Shelbourne Knee Center for a second opinion, and learn much more about their knee problem or injury than they were told before. By only working on knees, Claussen and other treatment staff have expertise in both rare and common injuries and problems.
Like all physical therapists at Shelbourne Knee Center, Claussen develops a customized, research-based rehab program for each of his patients. He acts as an educator and coach as he guides each patient through the healing process.
Conducting Research
Along with being able to provide the best knee care, Claussen also likes being part of Shelbourne Knee Center’s research program. He and the other physical therapists enroll patients in studies and collect research data. They also can work on their own studies.
Claussen presented the results of two of his studies at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting in January. “We share what we learn so other physical therapists who are also seeing the same problems can learn from us,” he says.
In the first study, Claussen and Scot Bauman, PT, DPT, found that 80 percent of school-age competitive athletes were able to get back to the same level of sport or higher after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction at Shelbourne Knee Center.(1) This was nearly double the 44 percent return-to-sport rate found in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.(2)
In another study, Claussen and Bauman found that patients at Shelbourne Knee Center routinely regain quadriceps strength after ACL reconstruction, facilitating return to sport and normal knee function.(3) Current studies include ACL reconstruction in adolescents and factors associated with a second ACL injury.
“I like being able to take care of knee problems with confidence and conduct research on what we do,” says Claussen. As director of rehab, he is also responsible for working with human resources on hiring new staff, some administrative work related to staff, and ensuring that staff stay updated on new policies.
Spending Time with Family
In his spare time, Claussen likes to run, coach his son’s baseball and basketball teams, and travel with his wife and son. Recent and upcoming trips include skiing in Colorado and a tour of baseball stadiums from Washington, DC, to Boston.
For more information about physical therapy, call 888-FIX-KNEE.
References
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Claussen W, Bauman S. Return to school age competitive sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using a contralateral patellar tendon graft, American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, January, Washington, DC.
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Arden CL, Webster KE, Taylor NF, Feller JA. Return to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the state of play. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(7):596-606.)
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Bauman S, Claussen W. Return to competitive sports after ACL reconstruction. American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting, January, Washington, DC.