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Back in the swing

despite back pain

Physical therapy helps patient manage pain

R ICK HA I NES

has had back problems most of his life.

He’s seen chiropractors hundreds of times. His pain kept

getting worse.

Finally, the pain reached the point where he couldn’t sit to

drive a car across town. He was desperate and despondent.

His doctor diagnosed Rick with degenerative joint disease and

pinched vertebrae. Both his doctor and neurosurgeon thought

he had no choice but to have back surgery to fuse his vertebrae.

Rick knew what that meant—giving up the things he

loved, such as dancing. He wasn’t ready to do that and

pressed his doctors for another option. That option was

physical therapy, and it was life-changing for him.

He began seeing Belia McNabb, a physical therapist with

PeaceHealth Outpatient Therapies. Belia worked with

Rick for six sessions, putting an exercise routine together

specifically for him.

Now, more than a year after starting physical therapy, Rick

is stronger and fitter than ever. He credits this to what he

learned in PT and his exercise regimen, which he faithfully

follows for 30 minutes each morning and night. “It keeps me

going,” he says.

“Therapy gave me the tools I needed to live with my pain,”

Rick says. “You have to do your part and make them part

of your lifestyle. It’s worth the effort! I have less pain—it’s

manageable—and I can continue doing the things I love.”

As for dancing, his therapist, Belia, agreed: “It’s a good

exercise. It keeps your muscles strong.”

Rick adds, “I’m so glad to have turned my situation around

with what I learned in PT.”

Good sleep

for good days

DORA MONTGOMERY

used to feel tired all the time.

She had trouble sleeping at night but had no idea why.

After hearing her symptoms, Dora’s doctor recommended

a sleep study. Following a study at the PeaceHealth Sleep

Disorders Center, Dora was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Apnea

means “without breath,” which happens when the

airway collapses during sleep. Dora was fitted for a CPAP

(continuous positive airway pressure) machine, which is

designed to supply a steady flow of air to keep the airway

open during sleep.

The first time Dora used the CPAP, she felt a “world of

difference.”

Preetha Rosen, MD, sleep specialist at the center, says Dora’s

sleep study showed that her breathing stopped about 18 times

every hour. With CPAP use, it was reduced to once per hour.

“That’s considered 100 percent treatment, and it shows CPAP

treatment has long-term effectiveness and benefits,” she says.

CPAP makes an important difference not just in the

quantity but also the quality of sleep, Dr. Rosen says.

Untreated apnea can lead to or worsen several medical issues,

including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, stroke,

kidney disease, and depression. “We take sleep for granted,

but it’s vital for optimum physical and mental health,” she says.

Dora’s been using her CPAP machine for two years, and

it has greatly improved her life. She can now read a book or

sew without dozing off.

“If you’re tired all the time and have no idea what it is, get

tested for sleep apnea,” says Dora. “Don’t wait. My husband

did and ended up with a heart attack—he didn’t get his CPAP

machine in time.”

P A T I E N T P R O F I L E

P A T I E N T P R O F I L E

Belia McNabb, PT

Physical Therapy

PeaceHealth St. John

Medical Center

Outpatient Therapies

852 Commerce Ave.

Longview, WA

360-501-3750

Sleep well! To learn more about sleep disorders,

go to

peacehealth.org/st-john/sleep .

Or

make an appointment at the Sleep Disorders

Center. Call

360-414-7806

.

For exercises to help with pain management,

go to

peacehealth.org/healthy-you

and click

on “Back and Neck Pain.”

Weight Loss

Learn ways to help you start on

your path to a healthy weight.

When:

Wednesdays, Jan. 18,

Feb. 15, or April 19, 10 a.m. to

noon; or Wednesday, March 15,

5 to 7 p.m.

Where:

PeaceHealth Medical

Group–Internal Medicine,

1615 Delaware St.

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