First, she has moved, new address is 1000 Fremont Ave., Suite 195.
I've had many PTs over the years and they all are pretty similar. The practices have a few professionals and many helpers. The PT only works with me for about 10 mins. The rest of the time I am supposed to do my exercises. There are helpers around, but they are busy talking to one another and don't watch how I do the exercises. So I have no feedback about correct positions.
And Medicare is getting billed for a whole hour of PT.
Wendy Stimson has a 1 woman office. She is with me for the full time; hands on and guiding me to do the exercises correctly. She uses a camera or a mirror or whatever she needs to help me see what I am doing incorrectly, AND to let me see what correctly looks like. (BTW, when I commented about how I hate to see pictures of myself she took the next ones from an angle that omitted my face.)
She uses some very low tech aids to help me understand what my back is doing. She has traced parts of my back on a big piece of paper, and then after doing an exercise a few time, traces it again. I can actually SEE the improvement. Another aid is a flexible long piece of rubber that looks sort of like a windshield wiper. She held it up to my back and bent it along the curves. Then she traced that on a large piece of paper. Again I could actually SEE what was wrong.
When in conversation I mentioned I'd shrunk 4 inches, she pointed out the curvature at the top of my back and said there is a good 2 inches right there. So she is problem solving all the time, never passively listening.
When I told her that I am very bad about doing exercises at home, she didn't just say (as all the past PTs have said) "well you won't get better." She talked with me enough to uncover the reason - I don't stand hardly at all. So she adapted the exercises to be done sitting!!! You can't even imagine what a wonderful breakthrough this was for me.
Knowing how averse I am to exercises, she just gave me 4 related ones for the first 3 weeks. She eased me into compliance.
When I told her I had fallen and couldn't get up, she showed me exercises to practice, first in her office and then at home. But the important thing was she told me to NOT practice down on the floor - use the table in the office and bed at home. So I won't get trapped down on the floor while I am learning the skills. I never even thought of that.
Every PT in the past has kept after me to acknowledge improvement for every exercise, treatment, etc. I don't feel it. I explain that I am not in touch with my body and I really do not feel things. I say that about 19 times and finally give in to the pressure to make the PT feel better and I say, "oh yes, I can feel it". This was a constant give and take for every PT and every treatment. I have never finished a course of treatment. I mean what is the point if all I am doing is making the PT feel successful? Wendy only did this once. To me that is AMAZING.
And most importantly, SHE LISTENS! read more