Learning to Manage Her Pain: Ginny’s Success Story

By, Allison R. Weder

Ginny Mahr was in pain for years. It started when she was pregnant with her daughter and escalated for another 15 years. Ginny looks back. “My feet were just achy, and I thought it was just from pregnancy. Then, when I had her, I was just starting to have some numbness every once in a while and some pain every once in a while. I had some discomfort in in my foot, but I just kept walking on it. Then, I went to go from the living room to the dining room and I felt something snap in my foot.” Ginny fractured a bone in her foot, which required surgery to fix. “Looking back, the reason (the fracture happened) is because I was having so much progressive numbness in my feet that I didn’t feel it until it was completely broken.” Ginny’s pain increased. “I was having pretty bad sciatica. It was to the point where it just kept progressing and it was getting worse. I was vomiting from the pain. It was pretty awful.”

Ginny visited neurologists who could not provide the answers she wanted. She tried medications, but they made her sick. X-rays showed arthritis in her feet, but Ginny knew there was more going on. She made some tough decisions. “The older I was getting, I noticed the pain and the numbness started to be a problem. I used to teach a Mommy and Me class, which I loved, but I actually stopped doing the class because I was getting to the point where it was almost dangerous for me to be teaching because I couldn’t feel my feet. I had fallen a couple times in stores and things like that. I was in my forties, and I should not be falling.”

Ginny’s doctor thought physical therapy may help her. “I went to the first Physical Therapist, and they did great. But they eventually dismissed me because it got to a point where they said we can’t really do much more for you.” But Ginny was still in pain. She convinced her doctor to look at her back as the cause. “So, we did an MRI. I have five degenerate discs in my back and they’re all pressing on my spinal cord. Because it’s five, it’s not really surgery-worthy because they have to do all of them.” Ginny was devastated. She turned to family to find help. “My nephew had just graduated from chiropractic school. I called him and I said, can you just look at my MRI. He said, ‘It’s so bad, I don’t know how you’re functioning.’ It gave me validation that the pain I was in was real. He said, ‘I have a professor that I trust explicitly. I’m going to have him find you a place.’” That professor directed Ginny to Phoenix Physical Therapy in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Ginny was eager to start therapy after the professor’s recommendation. He was particularly impressed with the fact that spinal decompression traction was available at the clinic. “I went there, and I just got a really good feeling. When I first went, they started slow. The difference between when I went to physical therapy the first time and then this time, is I was pushed a little too far, too fast.” Ginny placed her trust in Clinic Director, Barrie Jo Wambold, PT, DPT, OCS, MTC. Barrie Jo evaluated Ginny’s condition, getting a baseline, and learning about her goals. Barrie Jo remembers that day. “When Ginny first came to the office and told me all she had been through and seeing multiple different providers, I was determined to find a program that actually worked for her.” Ginny felt comfortable with Barrie Jo right away. “The difference with her was she has her own pain. It was nice to have somebody to empathize, not just sympathize. She truly can empathize, and she would know how far to push. The first day I went they had me picking up marbles with my toes and that was it.”

Ginny’s therapy sessions over the next few weeks focused on her balance. Poor balance kept Ginny from doing many of the things she needed to do and loved to do. “I would get stuck in a store. I would go to the back of the store and my feet would just…I can’t even describe what it would feel like. It would feel like lead blocks. It would feel like cement. I would call my husband crying. I used to do all kinds of things. I used to play tennis. I couldn’t do anything.” As Barrie Jo learned about Ginny’s goals, she created a unique therapy plan for her. She also remained honest with Ginny, noting she may not be able to erase all her pain. Ginny was grateful to know the truth. “It was freeing because it was real. No promises. And that’s the thing that everybody else did. They promised fixes. (Barrie Jo) said, ‘We’re not going to fix this. It’s not fixable. We can help you manage.’  It was the first time where I felt like someone got it.”

Ginny noted gradual progress as her sessions rolled on. “I started noticing that I could do things a little bit longer. They had the foam that I would have to step on and balance on one foot. The first time I couldn’t stand on the foam at all, and then, I could do one foot on the foam, each side. And I was like, ‘that’s really amazing!’” Barrie Jo started adding new exercises each week. Ginny remembers the exercise progression. “We did a lot of stretching. (We did) calf exercises and stretching. I do the bridges a lot, and even with that, I started adding weights with the bridges because they started to become easy. I do leg lifts with the weights and the bands. It’s a lot of stuff like that so I can get my core as strong as it can be. Then I do the traction at the end, and that’s my reward. It feels so good. I always felt like I needed to be stretched. I always felt compressed.”

Relief and progress pushed Ginny to keep going. She genuinely enjoyed her time with everyone at Phoenix PT-Easton. “They told me I was a lifer. I loved it. I’m happy to be there for months because it’s the place that I feel comfortable. It’s a place I feel safe. It’s the place that you feel heard. It’s like a family. It really is. I leave; I feel better.” Being a lifer means physical therapy becomes part of your life. It serves as a tool to battle chronic pain and maintain your lifestyle. Ginny was able to get some of the sensation back in her feet and she learned ways to relieve some of her pain. She also learned to advocate for herself and be proactive. “I couldn’t take care of myself. I’m learning how to manage not only the pain, but how to manage my life now. I’m learning how to not put myself in positions that are going to cause me pain or fear. I’m really so, so thankful and so grateful.”

Ginny’s life is changing. Many of the things she used to avoid are now back on her list of things to do. She remembers struggling on a family trip, four years earlier. “We were down in Florida and went to Universal Studios. My pain was so bad I was throwing up. My husband had to find a wheelchair to get me out of the park.” After several months of PT, Ginny and her son went to Hershey Park. “My son and I walked six thousand steps, and I was fine. That is just four years difference. It has been life changing. I feel strong. And it’s not just that I am strong, it changed my spirit. I’m more confident.” Confident and happier, Ginny knows her physical therapy team at Phoenix PT-Easton will always be there for her. “I really feel like I’m in the right place for the long haul. If I’m there for the rest of my life, I’m OK with that because this is not something that can be fixed. I guess I’m not the typical physical therapy patient, but you know, I’m taking each time I go as a win!” Barrie Jo remembers one particular day that made everyone realize all the hard work has paid off. “(Ginny) came in one day almost in tears and told me she went shopping for the first time in 10 years for a short time. Her smile said it all. Ginny is such a bright light; she always is upbeat and has a smile even dealing with pain and it meant a great deal to me that she can now share that more often.  She is now in more of a maintenance type program and still making gains. Her hard work combined with the most effective evidenced-based therapy for her has made her a star patient.  Thank you, Ginny, for allowing me to be part of your care and story!”

Ginny is grateful for the entire team at Phoenix. “They’re just so wonderful. (Patient Care Coordinator) Claudia has me scheduled a month in advance. She already has me in for 1 o’clock on Wednesday. It’s like a well-oiled machine. (Barrie Jo) teaches people; a lot of what she does is teach people how to take care of themselves. They know that I know my routine, so it just kind of flows. It’s very well run. Claudia is amazing too. They’re so kind.”