Harvey Brin, 78, had double knee replacement surgery on May 17, 2011. Seven months later, he was skiing black diamonds in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

“Before the surgery, I couldn’t ski because I was in too much pain,” says Brin, a lifelong resident of Morton Grove. “In December, I went to Steamboat and skied for six solid days. It was such a joy to ski without pain. I felt like an 18-year old with so much energy.”

In addition to the surgery, Brin credits his three-week stay at Alden North Shore Rehabilitation and Health Care Center for returning him to full functionality.

“I called my physical therapist George right after I skied down the first mountain,” says Brin. “I had to share my achievement with him and the rest of the Alden staff. If it hadn’t been for them pushing me so hard during therapy, I could never have skied Steamboat.”

At Alden North Shore, Brin received physical and occupational therapies twice a day for six days throughout his entire stay.

“I wouldn’t have had so much therapy if I had done an in home rehab program,” says Brin. “They really pushed me at Alden to achieve very aggressive therapy goals, addressing factors such as flexibility, range of motion, muscle strength and endurance and other targets.”

After the Steamboat trip, Brin went on two more ski trips in the year following surgery.

“On one of my trips, I skied with my 16-year-old grandson – and was able to keep up with him,” says Brin.

Alden North Shore specializes in short-term orthopedic recovery and post-acute services and is located at 5050 W. Touhy Ave. in Skokie. For more information, call 847-679-6100 or visit www.AldenNorthShore.com.

PHOTO: Harvey Brin, 78, skied black diamonds at Steamboat Springs seven months after double knee replacement surgery. In addition to the surgery, he credits a three-week rehab stay at Alden North Shore for his return to full functionality.