Dr. Neslihan Yıldızağı

After my paragliding accident left me with a complex L4-L5 spinal fracture and nerve compression, I was told I might never walk without assistance. Dr. Yıldızağı didn't just create a rehabilitation plan—she engineered a neurological retraining protocol that felt like rewiring my nervous system. Using a combination of aquatic therapy in their specialized pool, proprioceptive vibration plates I'd never seen before, and what she called 'mirror therapy' for my left leg, she restored my gait in 5 months when other doctors predicted years. Her approach wasn't about exercises; it was about rebuilding neural pathways.

My 8-year-old daughter developed idiopathic toe-walking that worsened during lockdowns, and three specialists said she'd need serial casting. Dr. Neslihan examined her for 45 minutes, noticing subtle asymmetries in her pelvic rotation during play. Instead of casting, she designed a 'game-based rehabilitation' program involving balance board video games, textured floor pathways at home, and custom insoles that looked like dinosaur feet. She explained biomechanics to my child using animal analogies. Within 3 months, my daughter's heel-strike returned naturally. Dr. Yıldızağı treats children like tiny scientists needing discovery, not patients needing fixing.

As a 72-year-old retired musician with advanced Parkinson's, my tremors had stolen my ability to play the kanun. Dr. Yıldızağı's 'rhythmic rehabilitation' approach used my instrument as therapy. She mapped my tremors to musical rhythms, created exercises synchronizing movements to micro-beats, and modified my instrument stand with counterweight systems she designed herself. She collaborated with Acibadem's neurology department to time my medication peaks with practice sessions. I'm not just managing symptoms; I've performed three pieces at my grandson's wedding. She sees disease not as degeneration but as disrupted rhythm waiting to be retuned.

Following emergency rotator cuff repair after a cycling collision, my surgeon warned of likely permanent range limitation. Dr. Yıldızağı implemented what she termed 'progressive tissue whispering'—starting with ultrasound-guided scar tissue mobilization before visible healing completed, using thermal imaging to monitor inflammation instead of relying on pain feedback, and introducing eccentric loading through Turkish oil wrestling techniques adapted for rehabilitation. She modified traditional kemane playing positions as functional goals. At 6 months, my shoulder has 98% range return. Her method feels like a dialogue between her hands and my tissue's cellular memory.