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Finding Long-Term Relief: Sue’s Success Story

December 16, 2024 | Patient Success Stories
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By, Allison R. Weder

“They are absolute workhorses in dedication, moving toward improving people’s lives.” – Sue, Phoenix Patient

Sue Wessner is back to work and living her life pain-free after working with the team at Phoenix Physical Therapy in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. She is a bridge instructor, who owns two bridge clubs in Reading where she teaches and directs a weekly bridge game. Additionally, for the last sixteen years, she has taught people how to play on cruise ships. At some point Sue developed extreme pain in back and neck. Sue recalls trying other physical therapy clinics, but not finding relief. “I wasn’t getting anywhere. I just wasn’t getting any help. I’d be discharged and the problem would come back.” Sue asked her doctor for another PT prescription, but for a different clinic. “I said, ‘I drive by Phoenix all the time. I know nothing about them, but I’m just thinking it would be good place.’” Sue knows she has the right to choose her Physical Therapist, and she chose Phoenix.

Sue asked all the right questions when setting up her first appointment at Phoenix. “I went home and called. The woman was very nice on the phone. She set everything up. And, of course, I had several questions. I didn’t know if (my therapy) would cost an arm or a leg.” As a courtesy, Phoenix provides patients with a good faith estimate of the costs they should expect when attending therapy. Armed with knowledge and hope she would soon find some relief from the pain she was experiencing, Sue arrived for her first appointment with Clinic Director, David Kisha, MSPT, CSCS. “He asked me all kinds of questions. He was tremendously thorough and asked about every aspect of what I had been experiencing. I was also diagnosed with Cervicogenic Vertigo. It just sort of made me a little bit out of kelter. I had to watch myself. My balance wasn’t like it should have been. This man knew how to take care of it. He knew exactly what it was. He is totally dedicated, and I have to tell you, I’ve lived in Hamburg all my life. I never saw this man before I went there.” David immediately made Sue feel comfortable and she was ready to rely on his expertise to create a unique therapy plan based on her goals.

Sue began working hard under the guidance of the Hamburg team. Her sessions included Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy, a non-invasive treatment that uses electric pulses to reduce pain. Sue remembers some of the other techniques David used to restore her strength, mobility, and range of motion. “They have you do some chin tucks and then you are out doing things with the pulley and then you are sitting on a bicycle using your upper arms. Sometimes you’re out with the general public, which doesn’t matter to me at all, and sometimes you’re in a private room. When you get in the next time (David) follows up. He asks ‘how did it go? Did you have any specific pain anywhere?’”

Sue saw progress each day, especially with David’s manual, hands-on therapy, which helped her immediately. “I felt a little pain when he was pushing but I also felt some instant relief. I could tell we were heading in the right direction. And while he’s pressing around on my neck, he’s telling me wonderful things about his wife. He’s a Steelers fan and talked about the Steelers games.” Sue got to know David personally, as time went on. Their relationship turned into one of trust and her worry about not being able to return to the job she loves faded. “I own the last two (bridge) clubs in Berks County. There are thirty-five plus, mostly senior citizens, who drive their cars through the city and come to that game. Some of these people are well up in their nineties, and this gives them an excuse every Tuesday and Thursday to get up, get dressed, go to the game, and for three hours sit across from somebody who’s interested in them. The bridge club is almost an extended family. (David) just put me totally at ease.”

Sue delt with pain and vertigo for close to three years. Now, Sue has been feeling great for months. She is grateful for the Phoenix PT – Hamburg team and shares this advice. “You need to go to Phoenix because there you will find people who are dedicated and caring. They’re very compassionate about their work and they’re gonna be able to figure it out for you if the situation can be remedied. I fully believe in them wholeheartedly.”

Sue’s goal is to work another five to ten years and live an active life. David is confident she will achieve anything she sets her mind to. “Her obvious outgoing nature along with her willingness to follow through with her home program and postural awareness activities has helped in her success in resolving her neck pain. Sue is an amazing woman, and it has been a blessing and an honor to be her therapist on her road to recovery.”

The entire Phoenix Physical Therapy Team is committed to providing our patients with quality physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy in a safe and healthy clinic environment. We continue to follow the guidance provided by the CDC, WHO and public health officials to update you as new information becomes available. Let’s work together to keep each other safe and healthy.

The safety of our patients, communities and team members remains our top priority. We know you have a choice in your care providers and appreciate your commitment to Phoenix and our qualified clinicians.

Here are the actions we have taken to keep our patients, communities and team healthy & safe:

  • Flexible scheduling allows for social distancing
  • Regular cleaning and sanitation of all clinic surfaces
  • Facemasks must be worn by all Phoenix staff and are recommended for all patients
  • Screening questionnaire and temperature checks prior to entering clinics
  • 6 feet of social distancing throughout the clinics

Keeping Our Clinics Safe

Here are some tips on how we can keep each other safe:

  • Handwashing is your best self-defense against the spread of germs. When soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Please stay home if you are not feeling well, especially if you have a fever, are coughing or sneezing, or are experiencing shortness of breath. If a patient shows up with symptoms, the clinic team will work with them to reschedule.
  • Be vigilant. If you have traveled to any of the countries where there are outbreaks of the virus, please follow guidance from the CDC website and our Travel Guidelines.

Here are actions we are taking to keep our clinics clean and safe:

  • Equipment will be wiped down after EVERY use with antibacterial wipes/sprays
  • All surfaces that patients or staff may touch including door handles, countertops, seating, pens at sign-in, bathroom and all other common areas will be disinfected regularly
  • Treatment tables will be 6 feet apart
  • Team members will wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezin
  • Clinics will have hand sanitizer available at the front desk and in the treatment areas
  • Any Phoenix team members who are ill will be asked to stay home
  • We will maintain social distancing between patients in the clinic
  • Caregivers that are bringing a patient to the clinic should wait in their car or come back when the appointment has ended unless necessary (i.e. minor requiring a guardian or for assistance needs)
  • When possible, we will treat patients in private rooms to increase social distancing
  • Any patients that have underlying health issues (i.e. diabetes, respiratory problems, etc.) will be given the option to be seen during special clinic hours or can opt to be treated in a private room away from other clinicians and patients
  • All patients should be self-screening before entering the clinic. Our PCCs will perform a secondary screening during the check-in process and before patients enter the clinic including a screening questionnaire and temperature check.
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