For nearly two months, Heather Trull’s world was confined to a hospital room. After a devastating motorcycle accident, she spent weeks unable to move freely. Then, her first post-recovery ride down the Little Sugar Creek Greenway marked a turning point.
“Being in the fresh air after being inside for so long was glorious,” Heather says, as she handcycled along the greenway. “It meant the world to me.”
The greenway, which reopened earlier this year, following extensive renovations, runs alongside David L. Conlan Center at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation. For patients like Heather, the wider sidewalks and improved access are more than upgrades — they’re a pathway to independence.
Therapy That Moves
Through the Adaptive Sports and Adventures Program (ASAP), patients can access the greenway’s trails from just outside the hospital to experience handcycling, fishing and other activities that support recovery.
“Each day we get to do this is my favorite,” says Lukas Sand, Heather’s physical therapist and inpatient therapy adaptive sports liaison at David L. Conlan Center. “It’s also our patients’ favorite day. The sunshine, the fresh air, being able to try sports again... It all brings back pieces of their lives before injury.”
Sand helps patients rediscover what’s possible, whether pedaling down the trail or casting a line into the creek. These moments are more than therapeutic. They’re joyful, energizing and deeply personal.
Physical therapists screen inpatients who may be candidates for outdoor therapy by looking at their charts and assessing how their heart rate and blood pressure is trending, among other factors.
In addition to the greenway, physical therapists also take a multifaceted approach to treating inpatients using equipment both indoors and outdoors, with the goal to help improve their overall independence. For Heather, physical therapy includes using a stimulation bicycle to help strengthen muscles that are weak, upper extremity strengthening with the use of weight machines or dynamic movements, and exercises to improve sitting balance.
“As patients progress, we tend to incorporate tasks that they enjoy, and hobbies and return-to-life activities to improve their quality of life and overall safety, as they approach their discharge date,” Sand says.
Occupational therapists also help inpatients work on routine daily activities, like combing hair and brushing teeth, and speech language pathologists help with improving cognitive tasks, swallowing, speaking, breathing or other related challenges.
Connection That Heals
Jennifer Moore, a licensed recreation therapist and director of ASAP, sees the greenway as more than a scenic trail. For patients at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation, it’s a bridge between hospital care and community life.
“We bring patients out and introduce them to adaptive sports,” Moore says. “But we also connect them with people who have faced similar challenges. That shared experience helps break down barriers and gives people hope for what’s ahead.”
Nature plays a powerful role in that process. The sun, the breeze, even the bugs — each element helps patients feel alive again. For many, it’s the beginning of a new chapter.
Trish Russell knows that feeling well. Ten years ago, she survived a massive stroke and spent two months recovering at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center. Her son would bring her dog and push her wheelchair down the greenway. Today, she’s back on the trail, this time on her own terms.
“Being back out here means a lot,” Trish says. “I used the greenway before it was renovated, and it’s so nice now. I enjoy being able to get out in nature.”
Healing That Takes Root
The greenway’s renovations include wider trails, improved access points, and a new pedestrian bridge that connects directly to the rehabilitation campus. For patients relearning how to navigate curbs, crosswalks and uneven terrain, these features are essential.
For patients like Heather and Trish, these moments outside are more than therapy. They’re reminders of resilience, connection and possibility.
“After being in the hospital bed, to get out into nature and be able to roll around again, is very exciting,” Heather says. “I love it.”
Recovery doesn’t begin and end inside hospital walls. It unfolds in the open air, along the trail, and in the presence of others who understand the journey. With every outing, patients reclaim a piece of themselves — and take one step closer to life beyond the hospital.
Learn more about Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation.
