Meet Jane.
After severe back pain and a limp.
When Jane first came to Physical Therapy of Boulder, she used a cane and had a significant limp, and was experiencing a lot of back pain.
Her doctor told her that she needed spinal fusion surgery.
But Jane wanted to see if we could help her avoid it. She was seventy-seven years old at the time.
Over the next few weeks, we worked to help her get her pain under control, improve her leg strength, and get her moving. She definitely had challenges ahead of her.
“Some days and weeks were better than others, and she was worried that what we were doing wasn’t helping.”
But healing requires time.
Like many of our patients who are trying to avoid taking drastic measures, her determination and inner strength helped her see her through her therapy sessions, and her symptoms gradually improved—slower than Jane wanted, but faster than many patients half her age!
One day when Jane walked into her therapy appointment, there was something different about her—she wasn’t using her cane!
Not only had she improved to the point where she no longer needed to use it, but she reported that her pain was minimal, even after several hours spent working in her garden. She was even planning a camping and spelunking trip with her husband, resuming hobbies that she loved but hadn’t been able to do for some time.
She felt good!
She is now a firm believer in physical therapy. We have seen her a few times since then to help deal with minor flare-ups before they become more serious problems, but even better are the moments when we run into her in Boulder. She’ll brag about being able to touch her toes and even do an impromptu demonstration!
At seventy-seven, she’s still actively exploring caves—and living her best life!