Success Stories From Our Patients
Steve B.
I have Parkinson’s Disease which affects my balance, strength, and walking. A
therapist Cheryl from BeWell Home Physical Therapy is very patient, persistent and
compassionate. She has been very helpful with the affects of Parkinson’s, as well as
improving my walking, gait, and balance. Because of Cheryl’s encouragement, my
quality of life has been much improved.
Suzanne C.
Incapacitated with left arm because of a fall on the street. It has improved completely
because of physical therapy from BeWell Home Physical Therapy. Now, because of
the therapy, I am able to do daily activities bathing, cooking, and all things I did before
the accident.
Cheryl S.
I was in terrible walking, back, foot, ankle, hip condition and limped severely, I had
much pain in all of the above areas. A therapist Ivy from BeWell Home Physical
Therapy is a wonderful therapist who has helped me so very much on all the above
physical conditions. I have a slight limp compared to before P.T. The terrible pains in
my hip, leg, back, ankle, foot have improved greatly by her physical therapy.
Julia C.
I have Parkinson’s disease with weak muscles and low stamina. With a very
competent, professioinal and personable physical therapist at BeWell Home Physical
Therapy, I am much improved in strength, and have better stamina and coordination!
Jeanne
Nobody stays young, aging is one of the natural processes of human beings. The things we do not like to accept are the changes (and usually, the negative changes) that occur with aging, such as joint pain, balance decline, muscle weakness, etc.
One of the most common concerns that leads many seniors to seek help from doctors is balance decline and fear of falling. Especially if a person has a history of falling, she/he is scared of falling again. This fear limits people from doing activities that they had previously participated in, such as shopping, cleaning, walking, etc. This limitation can lead to the weakening of muscles or the stiffening of joints and can lead to even higher chances of falling again.
Jeanne was one of those patients when she was first referred to us in December 2017. Over several years, she has had several surgeries and chemo treatment. She also had a history of falling. At that time, she described how “off” her balance was and how weak she felt. She also stated that she was no longer walking as she used to because she was too scared of falling again.
After a thorough initial examination by Cheryl Walker, DPT, Jeanne started physical therapy with us. After 11 weeks of twice-a-week therapy, she showed tremendous progress.
Initially, it took her one minute and 13 seconds to walk about 10 feet and turn around and come back from a sitting position. However, after 11 weeks of therapy, she was able to perform the same task in only 29 seconds.
When she stood up from a chair, initially Jeanne had to use both her hands to push herself up in addition to moderate assistance from her therapist, Cheryl. After 11 weeks of therapy, she still needs moderate assistance from Cheryl to stand up but can do so without using her hands.
Her walking endurance has also shown great improvement. In the beginning, Jeanne was only able to walk about five minutes at the most. After only five weeks of therapy, she was able to walk up to 20 minutes.
Jeanne states that she is moving better, and it is getting easier for her to perform her daily activities, such as getting out of her bed. She says, “I am so much better. I have had great help from Cheryl Walker, PT, DPT.”
Elaine
As we get older, we start to notice some changes in our bodies. These changes can be weakness, joint stiffness, pain, and so forth. Lower back pain is something that many people experience as they age, especially after the age of 60. We seek to help minimize the pain and its negative effects on our daily lives.
Elaine, who is 93 years old, also suffered from long-term lower back pain. When she was referred to us, she had a history of lower back compression fractures with a couple of lower back surgeries. Her pain was preventing her from sitting more than 5 to 10 minutes. The pain was also limiting her ability to walk; she was only walking inside her house. She reported that she used to walk up to four blocks daily with her four-wheeled walker (4WW) before her lower back pain got worse.
After her evaluation by a therapist Cheryl, Elaine started physical therapy once a week. She tailored an individualized treatment plan that included soft tissue manual therapy (soft tissue massage), therapeutic exercises to strengthen muscles around the back and core, and gait/balance training. She also provided home exercise programs for Elaine to do daily.
After 12 treatment sessions, she showed great improvement!
Now, Elaine can walk up to four blocks with her 4WW like she used to. She also can sit for a much longer time. She says she can sit about 20 to 30 minutes before the pain starts to disturb her. She also reports greater ease in moving around her house.
With the right treatment, exercise, and some daily effort, you can always improve your condition at any age, including pain level, walking and balance performance, and daily living activities. Elaine is one of the patients who we can proudly say proved us right!
Diana
Diana was 66 years old when she first started physical therapy with us. Three years prior to this, she went through an ankle replacement. At that time, she received physical therapy at somewhere else. Even though her ankle was fully recovered, she was always feeling that her walk was not normal. She felt awkward walking. She also had concern about her balance. She was feeling not safe with stairs; especially with descending. She also felt fear of falling while washing her hair in the shower. Her balance was being challenged a lot when she had to close her eyes or in dark.
On the first day, she was evaluated by a therapist on her balance, ankle joints’ range of motion, strength of core and legs, and her performance in gait and stairs. Her therapist planed a personalized therapy care for Diana including balance training, gait training, and strengthening training for two times a week for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks of therapy, she showed great improvement. She improved her static balance that is measured in full Tandem balance with head turning; initially 1x to after 8 weeks more than 10x. She increased her confident level with descending stairs from 40% to 60%. She also stated that she does not need to hold on to a hand rail when washing her hair.
She states “I have benefited from this particular therapy like no other. A therapist at BeWell has the knowledge and experience to determine at my level, what I need, each visit to improve. I have had physical therapy (PT) in the past for a particular injury; however, this PT includes multiple work for balance and strength. The therapist never asks to do what is beyond my ability whereby I may get hurt, but she knows how much to increase the movements safely. Having this work in my home is so convenient also, I feel strong and fit after working with her for only two months”.
