Most patients know the difference between someone who cares deeply and someone who may or may not care. A patient came into our clinic with excruciating back and leg pain. We will call her Megan. She was very anxious and extremely nervous. Our young physical therapist was excellent at calming her down. She was also very patient as she thoroughly evaluated her and explained every detail of what she was finding during her exam.

The physical therapist had pointed out to Megan that she thought the patient had a disc compressing one of her nerves (L4 to be exact). She noticed weakness in Megan’s tibialis anterior. She explained to Megan that the nerve was probably compressed enough to stop some of the conduction going into that tibialis anterior, and that this was why she had the weakness.

The young physical therapist had seen static traction work well on a number of patients over the 2 years in our clinic and decided to try it. Megan seemed (to the physical therapist) to have calmed down, and so the therapist strapped her into the belts on the table. However, the physical therapist had not noticed Megan’s anxiety had begun to return from being strapped down. When the traction start button was pushed and Megan started feeling the pull, she got scared, tightened up and screamed! She began to perspire and was overwhelmed, begging to get out.

Unfortunately, Megan felt she could not move, and before any more experienced physical therapists had noticed, the younger physical therapist had called an ambulance, and then Megan’s doctor, to let him/her know Megan was headed to the emergency room. Megan was taken to the hospital and stayed there for three days. She was seen by an orthopedist whose specialty was spine surgery. He spoke with her about getting an epidural injection which she did while thinking about the need for a possible future surgery. A hospital physical therapist visited her who did get her to walk with a walker. She also had an MRI which confirmed the disc problem our physical therapist had spoken to her about.

Four weeks passed, and the epidural had helped decrease the intensity of her back and leg pain, but Megan still noticed the weakness in her dropped foot. She went to a few physical therapy appointments at the hospital, and the exercises aggravated the pain in her leg. She decided to return to our physical therapist because she thought our physical therapist had been empathetic and listened to her when she was at her worst. She also decided that trying the traction made sense to her. After making sure Megan would not be fearful of traction this time, our physical therapist tried traction again. The first day back was 100% better than her original experience. After being treated 15 days in a row, the strength in her foot came back, and her leg pain was resolved.

Our physical therapist educated Megan on how to prevent this from reoccurring. Five years later, Megan is still healthy, has avoided surgery and is without back and leg pain. We believe Megan returned because she noticed the difference between a deeper caring on the part of our physical therapist. We believe this is a difference maker. Even though Megan had a terrible first experience, she returned and felt safe and well cared for and was ready to try something that she had initially been afraid of, but which actually solved her problem.

We hope you are keeping stronger every day!!

Enjoy the journey,

Fran McDonald President/CEO

Heart Disease and Heart Failure: How Physical Therapy Can Help and What to Expect

Heart disease and heart failure are systemic cardiovascular diseases. They can affect daily activities, exercise tolerance, endurance, and quality of life. Heart diseases make it difficult for a person’s heart to keep up with their body’s daily demands.

Cardiovascular disease is widespread. It resulted in 941,652 deaths in the United States in 2022, according to the American Heart Association. It is also the leading cause of death globally, with 19.8 million related deaths in 2022. That number is expected to grow to more than 2.2 million by 2030. Heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death each year, taking more lives than cancer and lung diseases combined.

Heart failure

affects an estimated 6.2 million Americans ages 20 and older. This number is expected to exceed 8 million adults by 2030.

If you have heart disease or heart failure, a physical therapist can work with you to help keep it from getting worse. Physical therapists can also help people reduce their risk of developing heart disease. Working with a physical therapist can improve your:

• Exercise capacity.
• Strength and endurance.
• Overall health and well-being.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

Physical therapists design personalized treatment plans for each person's needs, challenges, and goals. They help you:

• Improve your mobility.
• Manage pain and other chronic conditions.
• Recover from or prevent injury and chronic disease.

Your physical therapist will work with you and other members of your health care team to address problems caused by heart disease or heart failure.

Your physical therapy treatment plan will include a personalized exercise program and prescribed movement. This program will help you decrease the signs and symptoms of heart disease and/or failure. It also will improve your ability to take part in home, work, and other activities. Research shows that physical activity and exercise can improve your ability to be active, enhance your quality of life, and reduce your risk of a hospital stay. Regular physical activity also is linked to a lower risk of death from heart disease.

Your treatment plan may include:

Education. Your physical therapist will educate you on physical activity and exercises that are safe for you to do. They also will design a personalized exercise program and teach you how to increase your exercise capacity. Education may include recommendations for lifestyle changes and self-management behaviors. They also may teach you about any signs and symptoms to watch out for. Your physical therapist may refer you to other health care providers as needed.

Aerobic endurance. People with heart disease or heart failure are at risk for decreased exercise tolerance and endurance. Your physical therapist will help you increase your aerobic endurance through monitored exercise. They also will develop a home exercise program based on your needs and goals.

Research shows that an aerobic exercise program:

• Improves quality of life.
• Helps to decrease hospital admissions.
• Improves performance on walk tests.
• May reduce the risk of death in some people.

Aerobic exercise can be achieved in many forms, including:

• Walking.
• Cycling.
• Treadmill walking.
• Dancing.

Muscle strengthening. Strength training is important to overall health. Doing strength training will help you perform functional activities and maintain or improve your overall strength. Research shows that exercise is safe and effective for most patients with heart disease.

Your physical therapist will work with you to determine the appropriate amount and intensity of your exercise training. They will design a safe, personalized program based on your unique needs and goals.



Improving your ability to breathe during activity. Research shows that strengthening the muscles that aid breathing can improve exercise tolerance in people with heart failure. Your physical therapist will assess your muscles and ability to breathe during physical activity and design an exercise program for your condition.

*from Choosept.com



THANK YOU

for voting MPT the Best Physical Therapy Clinic!

We are adding to our therapy team! For more information and to apply for the physical therapist position, please visit our website: http://mcdonaldpt.com/about-us/employment/