Thursday, August 30, 2012

This Week's Inspiring Story

When I first came to Maccio Physical Therapy I was in a great deal of pain. My Primary Care Physician referred me to Maccio PT and indicated that I had a herniated disc. My pain level was initially 8-9-10 at the worst. Joe Maccio Jr first helped me to understand what had happened and gave me exercises that immediately started to help begin the healing process. I had been prescribed muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory by my primary physician, however I chose not to use them because of the initial relief that I felt from the exercises that Joe recommended. I continued with PT appointments and gradually healed from the injury. Joe's professionalism, positive feedback, and consistent reassurance contributed to a positive outcome. I'm back to jogging and have started biking as part of my ongoing health maintenance. Many Thanks!-Gretchen N.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Our most recent Success Story

For the past 3 years I have had back pain, pain in both knees (arthritis), weakness in my right leg and foot, and my balance was terrible which led to fear of falling. Last year I had surgery on my left knee for a torn meniscus. After several attempts from doctors and two different therapy groups, I was referred by my doctor to Maccio Physical Therapy. At 63 years of age and after the previous attempts, I felt this was my last chance before I purchased a wheel chair. I could only walk from my house to the car and any further distance, I rented a wheel chair. I wasn’t very hopeful. My first appointment I was impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. My therapist is Joe (Jr.). He was very thorough going through my medical history and he started to work right away. After two visits I could not believe the difference. When I started I could just about make it into the office and I held on to the walls, chairs, anything. Joe gave me exercises to do at home and told me they needed to be done. The progress was so fast and impressive, I couldn’t believe it. When I had a bad day I was sure I was returning to my original condition but Joe reassured me and pushed me to continue. He didn’t let me slip back. At this point I am walking the parking lot five times, I am shopping, joined a gym, and I am looking forward to walking in Disney World. This is truly due to Joe and the Maccio Therapy staff. My gratitude and thanks will be hard to express but if I can ever do anything please do not hesitate to ask. -Deborah A.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Inspiring Story

I started having neck and shoulder issues in 2006. After the tightness and instability of my shoulder started impacting me daily, I ended up getting shoulder surgery for an enlarged shoulder capsule (from softball pitching). After being cleared to start exercising again, the tightness in my neck still remained. I started going to PT on and off, but nothing seemed to change. So I stopped going for 3 years – still experiencing tightness every day. I never thought it would get any better, but made the decision to try to get rid of the tightness again anyway. My doctor referred Maccio Physical Therapy and within the first few sessions I already started seeing drastic changes until the tightness in my neck was gone. It is amazing because I thought the constant tightness was something that I would have to deal with every day for the rest of my life. Thank you! – Sam R.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Patient Success Story!

Patient Success Story – Michelle (Belly Dancer) In September of 2010, I got up one morning, got into the shower and my hamstring from the top of my left gluteus to the top of my left calf spasm’d so badly that I fell to the floor. I went to my general practitioner who wanted to x-ray my spine. He called in a sports medicine doctor who said that it was a straight forward hamstring strain. I was sent to a physical therapist. I went for about a month with no relief from my pain. I fell down a flight of stairs and fractured my leg (Tibial Plateau Fracture with displacement). I was sent to a different physical therapist to work on the healed fractured area. During this time the pain in my hamstring persisted, even worsened, the pain was worse than the fracture. In April of 2012, my orthopedic surgeon sent me to a doctor to see if a “Platelet Rich Plasma” injection would help me. The doctor told me that the affected area was too large to be healed by this method. He x-rayed my spine and hips and told me I had arthritis in my lower back and hips. This is when I was referred to Maccio Physical Therapy. During my first appointment, Deb asked the magic question. “Does it hurt more when you cough or sneeze?” I told her that’s when it’s the worst. She said “It’s your lower back, not your hamstring”. Within a month of doing the lower back exercises to centralize my pain was gone. After years of getting nowhere and having professionals look at only my hamstring I was able to sleep through the night, get out of my car without crying out, and dance again. I honestly thought I would never be without that terrible pain. I was so impressed and grateful; I gave out cards to anyone who had back issues or hamstring issues. Now that I have read the material and gone through the therapy myself it makes perfect, sound sense how this method works. I looked forward to every appointment rather than dreading it as I did with the other methods. I could feel myself improving each time. The people here knew my name, always accommodated my strange schedule and made me feel at home. I’ll never forget what Deb said to me during my first visit. “You will dance again”. And I did, I am, and I never thought I’d see that day. Thank you so much, Deb and Everyone! Michele 7/6