Recovering from a major surgery can be discouraging, says Cynthia Hallquist, but Dr. D. and her therapy team, Lindsay and Kyle, helped her to set goals and keep improving.
For Cynthia Hallquist, chiropractic care and physical therapy help her to build not only physical strength but mental strength, too. That explains why she has been a patient of Dr. Joseph DiDomenico on and off since 1993.
Cynthia, now 65, first went to Dr. DiDomenico for treatment of two bulging disks in her back. Since then, she has relied on Ohio Sports & Spine for ongoing care for 26 years. Last fall, she had a total knee replacement and felt prepared because she did physical therapy leading up to and following the surgery.
“Physical therapy helped me recover much faster,” said Cynthia. “I had gotten comfortable with the exercises used to strengthen the muscles around my knee prior to surgery. And although the months following the surgery were challenging, I feel so good now.
“Dr. D., Lindsay McNamara [PTA] and Kyle Banna [DPT] not only helped me to gain physical strength, but they encouraged me and pushed me to regain my mental strength, too,” she said. “It can be very discouraging after a major surgery like that, but they help you set goals and make improvements each visit.
“Dr. D. is very gentle and understanding,” she said. “He listens to you and your needs, but then he makes it clear that it’s up to you to meet your goals that he helps you set.”
Cynthia didn’t always view chiropractic treatment so positively.
“I had a bad experience with a chiropractor I saw while I was on vacation when I first injured my back and I thought I’d never go to another chiropractor,” she said. “But my family doctor told me about Dr. D. and said that he was very gentle and that I could trust him. And now, 26 years later, my whole family goes to him.”
The staff at Ohio Sports & Spine is exceptional, Cynthia says.
“Everyone there works hard,” she said. “I’ve never had a conflict with any of my scheduling and everyone works so well together.”
Cynthia is nearly one year out from her surgery and she’s still doing exercises for her knee.
“I was taking medication to cope with the pain after my knee surgery, but that’s not what fixes it,” she said. “Physical therapy is the most important treatment. And you have to stick with it.”
In addition to her PT treatment, Cynthia stays active by exercising, walking and doing indoor cycling.
In her spare time, Cynthia enjoys being with her three grandchildren.
“I put the pressure on myself to not be like an old lady,” she said. “Exercising and playing with my grandchildren keeps me young at heart.”
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