Revitalized Performance
2018-10-30T02:17:52.000Z
I have been in the construction industry my entire career and this May I will be 52 years old. To most people that is still considerably young. Being in this industry for so many years the mentality has always been to get the job done at all cost. Even if that means putting the job or task at hand first and health and body second. When I started in the industry I was young and invincible, or so I thought! You had to just work through the pain and were always taught to not be a wimp if you were injured. Based on this mentality I have been in constant pain for many years and the more I ignored it the more it got worse.
At 48 years old I started going to the doctor and received my first physical. During my first visit I informed the doctors of my constant knee, foot, and shoulder pain. After visiting many different doctors over various visits, I ended up with braces I have to wear in my boots and have received multiple cortisone shots. These solutions only reduced my problems so I was able to work and pay my bills. Then one day last year, my knees locked up and I felt paralyzed. I was able to hobble around for a few days but eventually had fluid drawn from my knees, another cortisone shot and knee braces. After all this pain I asked my orthopedic doctor if I could try physical therapy.
Going to physical therapy I was scared that I would not be able to work or lose my job, but I made my first appointment. This is where I met Danielle. The first thing Danielle did was perform a full assessment of my pain and measured the range of motion of my knees. We started out with a few corrective exercises that would manipulate the joint and improve the way my knee moved in order to reduce the pain. After that I was, to my surprise walking without that sharp pain that I had for so much time and thought would eventually immobilize me! For the first time in a long time I felt that there was hope for me. With these changes I was able to stay positive, was able to follow the therapy and eventually gain back more mobility with less pain! Now I am walking better, strengthening my legs and core.
Another example is that my right arm has been in pain for roughly 5 years now. When I could no longer tolerate the pain while riding my Harley I felt it was time to get an X-ray and an MRI. The results showed there were three discs in my neck that were causing the pain. I did not want to get surgery because I didn’t want to have another issue arise so I requested only to have physical therapy. I returned back to Danielle and after her care I have regained motion in my neck and the pain in my arm has been greatly reduced. I remember at the end of one of the treatments, Danielle had asked how my arm was feeling. I didn’t even realize that all my pain had gone away! I finally felt normal.
Prior to working on my arm and neck, Danielle asked if I was opposed to dry needling. Of course, my response was, sure let’s try it, since everything she had done and suggested worked. I didn’t really know what dry needling was but Danielle made me feel comfortable and explained the purpose and process to make me feel more comfortable. The trust I have with Danielle and her techniques gives me a lot of confidence and gets me excited to feel better. In all of my years of discomfort and pains she is the first person to actually listen to my problems and help give me the tools to fix these issues. Danielle is now dry needling my low back to help with my sciatica and I have had the best sleep in months. I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night without pain. I could go on forever with how Danielle has helped me.
With Danielle’s help I have learned that you must be diligent with your exercises. For someone like myself who is full of arthritis it is a battle you must fight or it can take over your whole life. Writing this review has made me even more self-aware and has pushed me to get off my butt and do something about it. I deeply appreciate Danielle’s efforts and what she has done for my health and wellness. She is an intelligent, competent, caring and positive professional which makes her a pleasure to work with and be around. She has encouraged me to change my old school way of thinking which has made me a more productive, healthy and happy person. I still have other pains that I have not confronted yet, but with Danielle’s assistance I am confident that physical therapy will keep improving my left. I just want to say thank you Danielle! ---Bill C.
I have been in the construction industry my entire career and this May I will be 52 years old. To most people that is still considerably young. Bein... More