Yahoo! Tonight I am celebrating my completion from PT...After being a patient of Maria's ( West Milwaukee) for nearly an entire year, I can say with joy in my heart that I am super grateful for all she taught me! Yes, a year seems like a long time to some, but to me, I really tried not to focus on the time, but rather the progress. I had my doubts the day I first walked in the door at ATI... not because it was ATI ( certainly not) but rather because I felt THAT broken. I recall in the beginning, maybe 2-3 weeks into treatment, losing focus of doing my daily exercise plan.. my therapist looked at me and asked why? I had NO answer! I wondered if I was just being lazy? Maybe the pain? Or was it my motivation? I could give any number of excuses but I didn't. I was stumped. Leaving that night was the beginning of a new me. I really felt that Maria gave her heart and soul into creating an amazing plan for me! She demonstrated such patience and empathy. We both had the same goal in mind... for me TO GET BETTER and yet I was not living up to my half. So, I stopped with the excuses and I did exactly what she said. I worked out for 30 minutes every lunch hour. I had 100% faith in her skills and her experience. She incorporated dry needling, manipulations, and Kinesio taping into my treatments. She slowly made the program more challenging, but never to the point where I was ready to give up. I remember several months into my journey with Maria, she looked at me and made me promise not to have surgery, but rather to keep working on the exercises and embracing each change as a positive one and a small step closer to our big goal. She was able to see the progress ( and hope) even on days that I didn't. I went to my ortho appointment later that week. My dr. was SHOCKED at my progress. He outright told me that he pegged me as a surgery candidate from the first time I went to his office. Not the case on that day. I told him, I attributed a lot of my progress to my PT. Yes, I had to follow through with my daily plan, but she pushed me in such a way that I was maintaining motivation. I clearly recall my Dr. asked me to do a lunge, amongst other challenging motions/positions. I laughed and I told him I have never been able to do a lunge nor even squat down for that matter... all stemming from lack of core strength. BUT, I did it that day... piece of cake!
My back was not injured, it was worn out. 49 years of no core strength and me using all the wrong body mechanics had its toll on my body. I can proudly say that today I CAN do a lunge, a squat, walk, climb steps and everything else that I want without pain radiating down both legs! Maria helped to give me back my life, I will always hold a special place in my heart for her, for not giving up on me even on days I was almost going to give up on myself! She certainly went into the right profession, working with and believing in people is definitely her strong point. My suggestion if you're reading this because you are not sure if this is a "good place" for you to get your PT... call Maria! I've watched her give excellent care to all of her patients over the course of a year. read more