- Name: David
- Age: 70s
- Pain point: Back
- Outcome:
Walking daily without experiencing sciatic pain
David’s Story
How long did you wait before deciding to get physical therapy? What was the obstacle in coming in?
Oh it was about a month before I went to the doctor and then she made the appointment. I was on vacation so we waited until we got back from vacation to take care of it.
What was and how bad was your problem prior to physical therapy?
It started with sciatica in my right leg and it was really painful. It started to go away as the month went on but then I noticed that when I was walking, my foot would flop.
What was your sciatic pain causing you to miss out on?
Oh just about everything. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand very long, it was even uncomfortable sitting. I was very sedentary.
Did you try anything else that didn’t work?
Yes I tried heating and ice, heating and ice and that helped the pain some, but it just wouldn’t quite go away. And it didn’t help the foot flopping at all.
Did you have any understanding of physical therapy before coming in?
Not much. My wife went through it after her knee replacement. But I had no idea how the muscles and everything interacted at all.
What did you enjoy the most about coming to Preferred Physical Therapy?
Mostly the friendliness. Everybody treated me well, they notice me as soon as I walk in the door, they might be working on another patient but when I’m doing my heel walks, they notice when I’m doing them right. They pay good attention to their patients.
What was your goal and did we help to you achieve it?
I haven’t been walking much yet at the mall so I don’t know exactly how the foot’s going to respond. But even walking to the mailbox, the foot would flop and that has totally gone away. I will keep up the home exercises and I fully expect to be 100% soon.
What to Watch Out For:
- Bending
- Standing
- Working in the garden
- Walking