Paperwork…
It is commonplace in any medical setting, asking a patient to fill out a prescribed questionnaire to assist all involved.
Shelly Owen, a grace-filled people-person and front-office lead at Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Wilton, Iowa-based clinic, knew first-visit patient Pam Diveney was in trouble.
“Pam is such a neat and really kind person,’’ Owen said of the 58-year-old Diveney, a Muscatine, Iowa, resident. The two met over paperwork during Diveney’s initial stop to Rock Valley’s Wilton clinic a few months back.
“She was struggling and by struggling I mean when she dropped her pen while filling out some paperwork for us, she looked up and said, ‘Shelly, could you help me, I don’t believe I can reach down and grab my pen,’ ‘’ Owen added. “I felt so sorry for her.’’
Life, for an extended period, had become one chronic back-pain struggle after another for the out-going and personable Diveney. And truth-be-told, she had doubts Rock Valley could be of assistance in her fight win over her balky back.
“Nothing worked in the past,’’ Diveney said. “Hope was starting to fade. Actually, hope had already faded.’’
Enter Ryan Waack (PT, DPT), in his fifth year as a physical therapist, his third with Rock Valley. A standout baseball player at Wilton High School, Kirkwood Community College and St. Ambrose University, Waack had an understanding of Diveney’s struggles and her apprehensions.
“Pam is such a nice person and you could see — and you really felt for her– the struggles she was having with long-term, chronic back pain,’’ said Waack, who also did his post-graduate, PT work at SAU.
After graduating from SAU, the Wilton native began his career with Integrated Physical Therapy and then joined Rock Valley when the two merged two years later.
“Pam had trouble getting on the (examination) table, so I also saw there was frustration,’’ Waack said. “She was struggling.’’
After an examination and a lengthy question-and-answer period, Waack suggested two treatment routes to the ailing Diveney.
First, a series of core-strengthening exercises would have to become part of each day’s process. Secondly, Waack, a personable and forever upbeat sort, believed dry needling — to which he was certified and had used with success — would garner relief for Diveney.
Dry needling is a treatment that is used to relieve neuromuscular pain and movement impairments. It is done by inserting thin filiform needles to penetrate the skin and stimulate myofascial trigger point relief. “Myofascial” refers to both the muscles and the tissue that connects them.
“I was skeptical at first,’’ Diveney said. “Just because I had nothing to fall back on when it came to dry needling. I had never gone through it. But Ryan was so thorough in his explanation of its benefits that I trusted him.’’
Waack understood where Diveney was coming from and the apprehension she harbored.
“Pam was at a point where she was skeptical about everything, because nothing had given her relief,’’ he said. “But after a dry needling treatment and with some electric stimulation, there were positive results. You could see it in Pam’s movements. You could see it on her face. There was relief.’’
Diveney said she was overcome with emotion during her initial appointment. Finally, after her many struggles and numerous failed treatment options before finding Rock Valley Physical Therapy, something worked.
“It’s hard to explain your limitations in life to someone who has not experienced what I have gone through with my back,’’ said Diveney. “Finally, there was relief. Something worked and I was overcome with emotion. First, there was Shelly out front who was amazing and I could talk to. My only wish is that she would be my next-door neighbor, that’s how easy she is to talk with. And then Ryan — after we talked and he examined me — he felt he could help with a treatment I had never before tried. And it worked. You can imagine how great I felt and understand why I got emotional. It had been so long. Something worked.’’
It must be noted, Waack had been surrounded by dry-needling success, which gave him the confidence needed for Diveney to find relief.
“I’m fortunate enough to be around Josh (Crow) and he is great with it,’’ Waack said of Josh Crow, DPT and clinic manager at Rock Valley’s Wilton outlet. “I was also lucky enough to work alongside Stephanie Aguero-Miller, DPT/ CMTPT, who is also amazing with dry needling and was forever sharing advice and expertise with me. That’s the beauty of Rock Valley, putting the patient first, establishing a relationship with that patient and doing all you can for a positive outcome. And everyone, and I mean everyone, is always willing to share something to better you and the patient. In this case, that approach worked for Pam. You want the best for all your patients, but I was extra happyfor Pam.’’
Diveney said after two months, she was released and has returned to daily duties. These days, however, there is a different outlook.
“I have to be diligent on my end with the plan Ryan set up for me, but life is so much better,’’ she said. “I’d recommend Rock Valley to anyone and I have so much appreciation for Ryan and really enjoyed my chats with Shelly. Life is always a challenge, but my life so much better these days.’’
Proving that “Making Better Lives’’ is not just a motto.
By: Johnny Marx, Storyteller