By Brandi Tracy, Marketing & Operations Manager
Baudry Therapy Center
October kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness month but did you know that October is also Physical Therapy Month? In support of Physical Therapy Month I wanted to share my experience with Baudry Therapy Center and place a spotlight on our Physical Therapists.
When I first started working for Baudry Therapy Center I didn’t have a clue what a physical therapist actually did for people. I knew they rehabilitated the elderly to regain strength and mobility, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I’ve since learned how extensive their knowledge of the human body is and how physical therapists help people recover from falls, surgeries or debilitating disease while simultaneously–at least at Baudry–providing a positive atmosphere to heal which, I believe, enables patients to recover more quickly. Oh and by the way, physical therapists treat all ages…from single to triple digits.
I consider myself a smart woman and was a little disappointed in my lack of knowledge so I decided to ask a few friends what they knew about physical therapists and here’s what I came up with:
Friend 1 – “I always think of it in terms of rehab. [Physical Therapists] help you regain strength and mobility or in some cases re-train.”
Friend 2 – “[They] work out your kinks.”
Friend 3 – “Physical Therapist? Ugh! They beat the crap out of people who need to rehab muscles!”
Friend 4 – “Over charge you for workouts you can find on the internet?”
Friend 5 – “PT’s help folks who have kinesiological limitations rehabilitate so that they can shake their groove thing.”
As you can see, everyone has a slightly different, sometimes false, take on what a Physical Therapist actually does for people but the overall consensus is Physical Therapists help you regain mobility, balance, and flexibility by manipulating the musculoskeletal system using their knowledge of human movement and function to increase range of motion and reduce pain.
Some patients who enter our clinic are in excruciating pain. They’re grumpy, snippy and honestly would rather watch coffee brew than come to therapy. They typically don’t see the benefit in how a physical therapist can help them get back to life and full mobility and, frankly, most people would rather have a quick fix with a pill, injection or surgery before trying the physical therapy route. Put simply, they don’t believe. Not in themselves and not in physical therapy. This is understandable because up until this point in a patient’s treatment nobody has been able to help with their pain causing them to be skeptical. However, after just a few visits to a physical therapist most people convert and become true believers. Not only in Baudry and physical therapy but also in themselves. Bottom line, physical therapists have magic healing powers.
Our therapists are patient and value the quality of care they provide to each patient to ensure the quickest and safest recovery possible. Have you met our therapists, Rich Baudry and Taryn Cohn?
Rich Baudry, PT, DPT, OCS describes his therapy style, “I’m an educator and facilitator enabling and empowering people to get better and holding them accountable for their progress in order to help themselves.”
Taryn Cohn, MSPT, COMT said, “I like to treat the whole patient creating the best possible environment for healing. Whether it be addressing issues with movement, manual work or both, each treatment is tailored toward the individual.”
Rich and Taryn are two of the best therapists in the New Orleans area who concentrate on an integrated “whole”istic approach to therapy in order to safely and effectively return you to full function by concentrating on complete quality of care, focusing on you and your health rather than herding you through the clinic to keep numbers up.
“Rich has magic hands!” – Anonymous
After an appointment with Taryn and in the middle of scheduling their next one, one patient stopped mid-sentence, rolled their head around their neck and said, “Oh my gosh! I can move my neck so freely! I’m sorry to interrupt but I just got SO excited!”
At the end of the day, Physical Therapists do amazing things for people. They work extremely hard to get your recovery on the right track.
Check out the following websites to learn more about the world of Physical Therapy. I know they’ve been very useful in expanding my limited knowledge of the Physical Therapy world.
www.moveforwardpt.com
www.apta.org
Share your opinions and experiences with us. What is your opinion of a Physical Therapist and what they can do in terms of pain management, healing and recovery?
Please note: the names in this article are listed as confidential in order to retain patient confidentiality.
