Today, more than three months after I broke my collarbone, I began my fourth round of physical therapy. The first time was when I had hip replacement surgery in 2000. Then I broke my right shoulder in Argentina in 2006 and my left shoulder in front of my apartment in 2016. And now it is for the latest fracture (right distal clavicle) in 2026.

The reason for the delay is that my orthopedist felt that the bone should be healed before I started putting pressure on the joint. So I made an appointment for mid-September at Athletic Physical Therapy in West Los Angeles.

I am a great believer in physical therapy. When I was a high school student in Cleveland, in volunteered in the physical therapy department of Highland View Hospital, where my mother worked as an occupational therapy assistant. My boss was the late Beth Fowles, who was probably the best boss I ever had in any of my jobs. I wasn’t involved directly in patient care, as I was not a certified therapist, but I helped inventory the equipment and do any odd jobs that needed to be done.

After I had my hip replacement surgery, I went through my first round of physical therapy. When I was finished, I walked without a limp. My landlord had the same surgery, with the same orthopedic surgeon, a year or two later. He decided that doing exercises post surgery was a waste of time. The result: He not only still limped, but fell down frequently.

After the exercises today, I feel a slight tremor at times in my right arm. That’s okay. It shows that something is beginning to happen. I know that within a few weeks, I will be able to wash under my left armpit, hitch my pants up behind my back, and tie my right shoelace without pain.