What is the most amazing recovery you have seen in your experience as a PT?
While I’ve been lucky enough to witness several amazing recoveries (that’s why I love being a PT!), the one that sticks out most was a woman who came to me with a long-standing history of steadily-worsening vertigo over 60 years!
Her vertigo episodes started in her mid-teens and were initially mild and infrequent, but over time they worsened to the point where she was unable to leave her bedroom. It was debilitating to her social life and her ability to care for herself and her household.
While her recovery took nearly a year of diligent rehabilitation focusing on everything from re-calibrating her sense of equilibrium to improving neck mobility, she improved to the point where her vertigo episodes were barely perceptible and only occurred once in a while. Best of all, she was able to return to playing cards with the girls and eating her meals in the dining room of her living facility! She had gone from being unable to remember a day where she wasn’t dizzy to living almost entirely dizzy-free. Her progress was not only remarkable, but incredibly rewarding for both of us!
What is one of the most frustrating conditions your patients have had that you have helped them with?
I think some of the most frustrating diagnoses for my clients involve the foot and ankle because we, as humans, stand and walk on our feet all day long. Unlike an injury elsewhere in the body, it can be hard to simply “take it easy” or “let it rest”, which is often the advice my clients with these diagnoses receive. After all, you can’t expect someone to just stop standing and walking; it’s inevitable. I have treated countless cases of Plantar Fasciitis, Turf Toe, and Bunions and have found that simply “letting it rest” doesn’t go over well. It takes a thorough assessment of ankle and foot mechanics, as well as looking “up the chain” at the knee, hip, and spine to truly identify the root cause of the problem.
Foot and ankle injuries require treatment of the movement system in its entirety, rather than simply throwing a pair of orthotics in your shoes or simply “stretching your calves”. This is often the approach made by many healthcare providers and, unfortunately, it rarely gets positive results. The way these diagnoses are commonly treated is incredibly frustrating, which is part of the reason why I love to treat this area! Finding the right provider that can see the “bigger picture” is a must!
What made you want to be a PT?
From a young age I became fascinated with the human body, although I don’t totally recall a specific experience that initially fueled my interest. Anatomy and physiology had always been one of my strongest subjects in school and I was one of the few that actually looked forward to the frog dissection in 7th grade science.
I decided young that I was going to grow up to be a Medical Doctor and go to Medical School. After graduating with my undergraduate degree from the University of California in San Diego with all the necessary Med School prerequisites, I began the process of applying. At the same time, I was looking for employment in the medical field to gain hands-on experience prior to school. I ended up with a job as a Physical Therapy Aide for a clinic that served both professional and recreational athletes. There, I began to appreciate the rehabilitation process.
I had the opportunity to see our clients come into the clinic on crutches - fresh off of an ACL reconstruction, for example - and leave our clinic a year later with the ability to play their sport to their full potential. I enjoyed being an integral part of the recovery team where I had the opportunity to spend hours on end seeing our clients heal and ultimately return to the activity they love. The decision to make the switch to PT was easy from there!
Who do you most look up to in the field of PT and why?
It is so tough to choose just one person I look up to most. I’ve had the good fortune to work with some amazing PTs in my career, including the lovely ladies here at Klein PT!
My admiration for different individuals tends to change over time based on what new PT podcast I’m listening to, what new techniques I’m learning, and what recent continuing education coursework I’ve taken. There are some true rockstars in the PT field! If I had to choose just one person, it would have to be Lynn Shulte, PT who is a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist in Boulder, CO that specializes in pregnancy and postpartum.
I recently took a course taught by her and was blown away by her knowledge and ability to heal. I’ve learned so much from her and look forward to continuing to apply the knowledge she has given me to my clients with amazing results.
What is the best compliment you have gotten in your work?
I will never forget when a client once told me “I thought PT didn’t work, but now I realize PT works if it’s the right PT”. Often, people’s experience of physical therapy involves short visits treating only the area of pain and/or injury.
I pride myself on seeing the “big picture” when it comes to assessment and treatment of injury and/or pain. This often leads to tapping into areas of impairment that many clients have never had treated before, even with multiple rounds of physical therapy prior. Ultimately, the entire movement system is intimately connected and it takes treating the system in its entirety to truly see positive results.
