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My Road to Recovery!

By Sandra Carslick

In 2002 I underwent a surgical procedure to help alleviate an Ulnar Nerve Entrapment in my right arm. It was a simple surgery and I was back to work in four weeks. In the fifth week I began to have burning pain in my arm, which I had not experienced before. Within days my right arm had doubled in size, my right hand and fingers had turned purple and I was experiencing the most excruciating pain of my life.

The surgeon took one look at my arm and referred me immediately to a pain management center for treatment of a condition called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). I was given a bag full of medications and told that there was no cure for this condition.

How strange that seemed to me… how quickly my life changed. My 27-year career as a Radiation Therapist had abruptly ended; my days of playing softball and tennis had ended; and my ability to take care of my family was extremely limited. I felt hopeless… not something that I had ever felt before.

I began receiving treatments of various kinds, including physical therapy, but none of it helped my condition or reduced my pain. When I continued to get worse instead of better, I stopped everything. I became bedridden and eventually lost the use of my right arm completely. Even though I was ready to give up, I had an amazing Workers’ Compensation Case Manager who would not quit. She called and said she had found a physical therapy practice she thought would work for me: Greater Brunswick Physical Therapy.

“When you live with pain every day, it affects every aspect of you…not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.”

I was very apprehensive about trying physical therapy again. Would the therapist just give me a TENS unit and say “here you go” as had happened previously? Or would someone listen and understand my loss, my pain and my inability to cope with what was happening to me? I needed someone to take the lead and I needed someone with expertise in my RSD diagnosis.

At GBPT, I got everything I hoped for, and more. I was scheduled with Cindy Folsom,PT and I experienced IMT (Integrative Manual Therapy) work for the first time. After the first few weeks of Cindy’s gentle work, the pain in my arm eased and I was finally able to start moving it again. For the first time since all this madness began, I had hope.

As I continued to improve physically, the GBPT staff suggested I add complimentary Reiki treatments to enhance my care and to help me with relaxation. When you live with pain every day, it affects every aspect of you…not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Although I am not “cured” of this condition, I have healed. I now volunteer at a local hospital, do occasional per diem work at GBPT and have begun my own healing practice. Walking, hiking, and bicycling have replaced tennis and softball. I have a healthier life now and my deepest heartfelt thanks go to the staff at GBPT and their comprehensive, holistic approach.

Recent Surveys Support GBPT’s Quality of Care

The results of our 2009 Patient Survey reinforces that our approach is working:

• 87% of our patients report improvement in their condition.
• Patients report an average overall improvement of 84%.
• 100% of patients surveyed would recommend us to family and friends.
• 100% have positive things to say about GBPT care to their physicians.

The results of the 2009 Patient Survey are part of our ongoing Quality Assurance Program that distributes surveys to all patients discharged from our care. While our Legislature works on a compromised version of Health Care Reform, one area GBPT will not compromise is in the quality of care we provide.

Auburn News: We’re Moving &
Grateful for Your Support

GBPT is excited to announce that on November 1, 2009 we relocated our Auburn office to 2 Willow Run, Auburn: a more spacious setting with additional exercise equipment. GBPT is responding to growing requests for our services by our physician and patient referrals. We are extraordinarily grateful for
your support, and it is a privilege to serve the Auburn Community in addition to our Brunswick, Bath and Harpswell locations. We will also offer Massage Therapy andPersonal Fitness Training. This holistic
approach has successfully helped many patients reach their rehab and fitness goals.

Come see why 100% of our patients say they would return to GBPT for care in the future.

Aquatic Therapy Success Stories

Bonnie Wheeler & Mary Martin (right) enjoy Aquatic Therapy at the Bath YMCA warm-water pool. Aquatic therapy is an excellent form of treatment for many medical issues and the modality of choice for joint pain, and post-joint surgery, edema, weakness, balance problems, arthritis, and Fibromyalgia.

Bonnie Wheeler and Mary Martin have been best friends for over 30 years, helping each other with many of life’s ups and downs. Most recently they’ve been dealing with health issues, surgeries and putting on bathing suits! Bonnie and Mary both participate in Greater Brunswick Physical Therapy’s Aquatic Therapy program at the Bath YMCA warm-water pool.

“I came to the pool kicking and fighting. Doctors had advised me for years to go to the pool for exercise, but I just couldn’t do it,” Bonnie said. She claimed that she was just too embarrassed to put on a bathing suit. But Kurt Beiermeister, GBPT Physical Therapist, kept urging her to go. “He told me to get over myself: That everyone who went to pool therapy was there to get well again and no one cared how I looked in a bathing suit. He was right! ”

Bonnie reports that since starting Aquatic therapy her whole body, “Feels great!” Her right knee, which was replaced in March 2009, has improved in strength and range of motion and her left knee has improved so much that she thinks she will be able to avoid joint replacement surgery.

“The benefits of pool therapy are amazing. I move easier, have more energy, sleep better and my arthritis pain has decreased.”

Thanks to skilled Aquatic Therapy Bonnie has been able to enjoy life and do things she hasn’t done for years, including dancing at her grandson’s wedding this summer.

Mary was so impressed with Bonnie’s life-changing results from pool therapy she decided to try it herself. Mary’s many abdominal surgeries had left her feeling bloated and weak. After eight sessions of pool therapy Mary reports improvements in strength and greatly reduced swelling in her abdomen and legs. “I feel like a million bucks. I can’t wait for the weekends to end so I can get to my pool therapy.” She added that she is now able to contract and control her abdominal muscles, which is a key to proper body mechanics, healing, and back injury prevention. Bonnie and Mary plan to join the Bath YMCA so they can continue their pool exercises independently.

Greater Brunswick Physical Therapy offers Aquatic Physical Therapy sessions Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Bath YMCA and at the Lewiston YWCA on Fridays.

To participate, patients need a prescription from their doctors for Aquatic Therapy and must have medical issues that require skilled physical therapy. Most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover skilled Aquatic Physical Therapy as a plan benefit. For more information, please contact Emily Estes, LPTA, LMT, who is GBPT’s Aquatic Director at 729-1164.

Massage Therapy: Not Just a Backrub

Many GBPT patients are discovering the benefits of augmenting their physical therapy sessions with massage therapy, part of GBPT’s compassionate, holistic approach to healing and well-being. PT and massage together can produce excellent results, speeding recovery while providing profound pain relief, especially when dealing with muscular injury, pain and skeletal dysfunction.

Massage is the manipulation of the body’s soft tissue, primarily the muscles. It is a science and an art. Massage primarily improves blood circulation and helps to flush the muscles of lactic acid and other wastes that can cause muscle aches and pains. It can also help reduce nerve pain and joint compression, especially in the neck, mid- and low- back.

“The energy that flows through the hands can refresh, regenerate and revitalize. Massage can create great physical-mental changes … touch sometimes can be as effective as drugs or surgery” says Bernard Gunther in his book, “Sense Relaxation”.

GBPT has two staff massage therapists who both bring years of training, experience, and expertise into every massage session.

Sally Bechtle, LMT, specializes in deep tissue massage which can be very effective in treating injuries and chronic pain. Among other modalities, she uses trigger point therapy, shiatsu, and yoga-inspired stretches in her work.

Dave Peloquin, LMT, developed his own method of Hot Stone Massage for deep relaxation and maximizing the therapeutic benefits of heat and increased blood flow. He has taught massage techniques and master classes for students and other professional body workers in RI and ME. Whether you are recovering from an injury, surgery, feeling over-stressed, or dealing with a difficult diagnosis or life experience, the benefits of massage therapy can be very helpful.

Massage may be a covered benefit of some insurance plans and is often part of a comprehensive Workers’ Compensation plan of care. Please ask our front desk staff for more information.

Continuing Education Accomplishments in 2009

GBPT has a strong commitment to continuing education and we provide extensive opportunities for our staff, knowing that the more training a therapist receives, the more skilled he or she will become, making it more likely for our patients to achieve great results.

In 2009 our therapists attended dozens of courses. Some of the topics covered include: Upper Quadrant Overuse Syndrome; Kinesio Taping; Muscle Energy; Functional Foot Mechanics; Craniosacral Therapy; Myofascial Release; Neuromuscular Massage; Reconnective Healing; Differential Diagnosis; Manual Stabilization of the Low Back; and Primary Care Sports Medicine. A complete list of the post-graduate continuing education courses taken by each of our therapists is available on our staff pages.

We are also proud to announce that earlier this year, Josh Martel, PT, CHT, became one of only three Certified Hand Therapists in the State of Maine. And, in December, Terry Pratt, MS, PT, CMPT, our Clinical Manager, will sit for his Level IV certification through the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy, an exam which requires rigorous preparation and which bestows a level of competency in manual therapy achieved by a very select few. Congratulations to all for their efforts to add further expertise to their patient care skills.

“…my deepest heartfelt thanks go to the staff at GBPT and their comprehensive, holistic approach.”

Congratulations on New Venture

GBPT would like to offer our support and best wishes to two long term employees who have recently teamed up to open Reiki and Reconnective Healing. Sandra Carslick, our Community Project Coordinator, and Martha Spruce, PT Aide and Marketing Assistant, have both achieved Reiki Master Level (RMT) status. Together with Patricia Hart, RMT, Sandra and Martha offer skilled, hands-on work which can enhance healing. More information is available at hearts-n-hands.com, reikiplushart.com, and thereconnection.com.