Lois Reynolds will tell you that it’s so important to stay active, and never be afraid of trying something new. An elementary teacher for 43 years, Lois has experienced some health issues since her retirement several years ago. A bout with breast cancer, back and neck problems, and a knee replacement (that resulted in a stay in the Campbell County Health ICU), all meant that physical therapy would be a part of Lois’ long-term recovery plan.
Lois currently works with physical therapists Kasi Jensen and Brittany Johnson at CCH Rehabilitation Services, who use techniques like dry needling, manual therapy, pool therapy and exercise to help Lois stay active, but it is more than the therapy that has made a lasting impression.
“They make me feel like a member of the family,” said Lois. “Not only do they give me individual care with one on one help when I need it, everyone cares about my wellbeing as a person—I’m not just a number.”
Lois has physical therapy twice a week, and now walks every day, thanks to the encouragement she got from her therapy team.
“I’m always greeted when I arrive, and they message me to ask how my week is going,” said Lois. “They even sent a card when my father passed away. That’s going above and beyond.”
When Lois’ granddaughter Peyton Linneman was injured competing in rodeo events, the decision of where to receive physical therapy after she broke her femur was easy. Grandmother and granddaughter even have some of their appointments at the same time.
“It’s so important to have good communication with patients,” says physical therapist Brittany Johnson. “As a therapist, I can think a patient is doing well and meeting their goals, but you have to talk about what those goals are to develop an individual treatment plan. Everyone’s goal are different. Young people usually need more strenuous therapy, and generally you can challenge them more than older people. For Peyton, she needed to be able to get on and off a horse quickly—that was her motivation.”
Ultimately, Lois credits her physical therapy team with motivating her to take better care of her overall health.
“They are always thinking of ways to make me be successful,” said Lois. “And that’s worth a million bucks.”
Original source can be found here.
