Patient Spotlight: Bernie P.
Fortunately for Bernie, he had never been to physical therapy before. But, facing several injuries and unable to sleep through the night without pain or lift heavy objects, he found Spine & Sport Physical Therapy and is now back to his normal, active lifestyle.
Bernie P. originally came to Spine & Sport Physical Therapy for multiple injuries including his rotator cuff and sciatica, while also experiencing lower abdominal pain. With the help of our physical therapists, he now knows what was causing his pain and has made some changes to his routine that have improved his well-being.
When he was first assessed, his physical therapist suggested he see his primary care doctor for the lower abdominal pain he was experiencing. The therapists concern? A potential hernia.
“Long story short, that was exactly my issue, and the surgery totally solved that problem within a few weeks. The lesson here is that even though this wasn’t solved by PT directly, the very knowledgeable therapist quickly suspected another issue which was total correct and initially missed by my doctor.”
After a short break from therapy as he recovered from his surgery, Bernie returned to physical therapy, now addressing his sciatica.
“During my sciatica therapy, one of the many positive life suggestions was related to the type of bed I was using. Tums out, it was over 20 years old and very firm. The therapist suggested getting a new mattress and researching the types that adjust for firmness. l settled on a Sleep Number bed and immediately started to see improved results, verified independently by my Polar watch which monitors sleep. This is another example of going above and beyond to improve my overall health.”
Like many patients, Bernie found that one injury in particular was taking longer to recover from than the others: his rotator cuff. However, this is not abnormal as shoulder injuries are especially one of the longest recoveries. After a few months of therapy and the guidance of his therapists, he’s now able to do multiple pushups, sleep through the night, and lift heavy objects overhead.
“I whole heartedly recommend Spine & Sport for any type of PT, especially since I have been there for a few different issues. They are knowledgeable, caring and use very dedicated assistants for the exercise period of PT, all of which have been students going into the PT or medical fields. In some cases, certain ailments take a longer time than others to heal and a heavy dose of patience is needed, both on the part of therapist (of which I have experienced tons of) and the patient.”