Physical therapists make recovery fun

Published Jan. 19, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Dennis L. Sloan
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- What would a grown-up's daycare center depict?

Some might imagine a room with balls of many sizes and colors, long rubber bands hanging from walls, machines beeping, men and women peddling on bikes and even mats perfect for a mid-day nap as a grown-up's daycare center, but in fact this also describes a typical physical therapy office.

The 87th Medical Group Physical Therapy staff offer a healing hand to active-duty servicemembers who are experiencing pain or discomfort from head to toe.

"Our goal at the physical therapy office is to return servicemembers to duty, combat ready in a proficient manner while healing and educating them," said Maj. Melissa Durham, 87th MDG Physical Therapy flight commander from south jersey.

The 14 physical therapy staff members perform rehabilitative therapy using more than $300,000 worth of equipment. The equipment ranges from machines that use electric currents to stimulate a patient's muscles to something as simple as a pencil, which can be used to work out knots in muscles.

Before starting physical therapy or chiropractic sessions, a servicemember must first get an appointment with his or her primary care manager to receive a referral unless they go through the acute care clinic.

The physical therapy office added the acute care clinic in March 2011 to treat servicemembers who have recently been injured. Patients are evaluated immediately and set up with a physical therapy plan the day they check in with the office.

Physical therapists at the acute care clinic can diagnose and begin treating a patient within 24 to 48 hours of the injury.

"We recommend that a patient comes to us sooner rather than later with an injury," said Deanna Bryant, 87th MDG physical therapist from Pemberton Township, N.J. "I have noticed a much higher success rate among patients who come to us immediately after an injury occurs, rather than a patient who waits five months."

Patients who go through their PCM instead of the acute care clinic will receive the same care, but it will take a little longer for them to start physical therapy.

"Our job is to evaluate the patient, to determine what exactly the problem is and how we can fix it in the least amount of time, while still educating the member," said Cynthia Casey, 87th MDG physical therapist from Wayne, Penn. "I love being able to provide each patient with one-on-one care and ultimately relieve pain through physical therapy."

The hands-on care begins once the evaluation is complete and the patient is given a physical therapy plan.

"I have received care here for more than one injury and recently received surgery on my knee." said Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Stark, 3rd Battalion Small Arms Readiness Group senior weapons instructor with the Regional Training Center East. "I walked in here with a boot on my leg asking if I could schedule an appointment. I was then immediately evaluated and given a physical therapy plan. These therapists are bar-none phenomenal."

Persi Borlongan, a physical therapist from Jackson, N.J., and Joy Hoffman, a physical therapist assistant from Cherry Hill, N.J., work with servicemembers either going through mobilization training or demobilization phases.

"The most common injuries I treat are for lower back discomfort and pain," said Borlongan. "We treat the servicemembers so they can return to training with little or no hindrance to the mission."

The staff also includes 12 other physical therapists and assistants who will tend to patients who are not categorized in the mobilization or demobilization phases.

"Since the stand-up of the joint base, our patient care numbers have increased significantly, requiring our office staff to treat more patients," said Durham. "Even though our office currently is experiencing a higher operations tempo than usual, we are still managing to bring in individual awards. I am very proud of the hard work they do inside and outside of this office."

The physical therapy team also provides chiropractic services. Chiropractic services can be used to treat pain or discomfort anywhere in the body. Tools such as: electric stimulation, hot and cold therapy, soft-tissue manipulation, exercise and stretches are used to adjust the spine and other bone and connective-tissue areas.

"I perform a thorough evaluation of the patient's condition and then base the treatment on the individual diagnosis," said John Rothmyer, 87th MDG chiropractor from Charleston, S.C. "The primary goal is to provide safe, effective and conservative patient-centered care of neuromusculoskeletal issues affecting active-duty personnel."

A patient may receive both physical therapy and chiropractic services simultaneously to reduce pain as fast as possible.

"Once a patient has received weeks of care, it is my job to re-evaluate him or her to track progress and determine the next course of action," said Bryant. "If the patient is showing little or no progress I will change the physical therapy plan, but if he or she is improving, I will then determine how much more care we need to provide before returning him or her to duty. I love being able to give back to the men and women who serve our country."

Even though injuries are not something to hope for, the physical therapy office can make recovering an enjoyable experience. Whether they use heat, cold packs or electric currents to stimulate your muscles, patients are sure to leave the office better then when they came in.

The physical therapy office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 754-9476 to schedule an appointment or for more information.

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Physical therapists make recovery fun