Patient Experience
I arrived at Dr. Sevinc Kulekcioglu's clinic after a paragliding accident left me with a complex brachial plexus injury, multiple nerves torn, arm completely paralyzed. Three other specialists had given me grim prognoses. Dr. Kulekcioglu approached my case like a detective and an artist combined. She designed a rehabilitation protocol that wasn't just exercises; it involved sensory re-education with textured fabrics, mirror therapy for phantom movements, and even coordinated with a music therapist for rhythmic stimulation. The breakthrough came when she introduced aquatic therapy in Medical Park's pool, the buoyancy allowed my first voluntary wrist flick after 8 months. She never treated just the arm; she treated my morale, remembering my passion for woodworking and adapting tools. Today, I'm carving again. Her mind works in dimensions others don't perceive.
Our 4-year-old daughter, Elif, was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy affecting her left side. Pediatric physiotherapy sessions elsewhere felt like forcing a child through military drills, tears every time. Dr. Sevinc transformed her room into a playground. She used story-based therapy where 'rescuing stuffed animals' meant crawling through obstacle courses, and 'painting the sky' on vertical surfaces improved shoulder mobility. She taught us to embed exercises into daily life: brushing teeth while balancing on one foot, playing 'Simon Says' with movement commands. What stunned me was her collaboration with Elif's kindergarten teacher, sending illustrated exercise cards. Elif now calls her 'Doctor Play' and asks when her next 'game day' is. Dr. Kulekcioglu doesn't just rehabilitate bodies; she rehabilitates joy in movement.
As a 78-year-old with advanced Parkinson's, my tremors and freezing gait had confined me to a chair. Medication adjustments only did so much. Dr. Kulekcioglu introduced me to LSVT BIG therapy, but with a twist, she synchronized my movements to Anatolian folk music from my youth. The rhythm bypassed my rigid neural pathways. She also noticed my slight forward lean wasn't just postural; my old slippers had worn soles. She sent me to a specific orthopedic cobbler. Her most innovative approach was using scent therapy: lavender during balance exercises to reduce anxiety, peppermint during amplitude training for alertness. She treated my wife as a co-therapist, training her in cueing techniques. I now walk to the tea garden with a rolling walker. She sees the whole person, history and all.
I'm a professional marathon runner who developed a mysterious, searing pain in my tibia post-race. Imaging showed nothing. Sports doctors focused on my form, shoes, and training load. Dr. Sevinc asked about my digestion and sleep patterns first, seemingly unrelated. She diagnosed functional neurological disorder manifesting as exercise-induced leg pain, linked to chronic stress from competition. Her treatment? A 'neural reset' protocol combining graded motor imagery (watching videos of running without moving), autonomic nervous system regulation through breathing patterns synchronized with light electrical stimulation, and sensorimotor retraining with uneven surfaces. She had me keep a 'pain diary' noting emotions, not just mileage. Within weeks, the burning ceased. She explained my nervous system had learned 'pain as a habit.' Her approach was neuroscience meets compassion. I'm racing again, but now I understand my body's language.