Marshalltown

Jim Smith is an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish. Unfortunately, Jim was paralyzed and hospitalized for four months due to Guillain-Barre syndrome. After completing an inpatient stay, Jim was referred to outpatient physical and occupational therapy. He came to Select Physical Therapy at Marshalltown to continue to build strength, balance, and coordination for everyday activities. Even trying to stand required assistance from another person. After working consistently, Jim was able to stand up from his chair independently, walk upstairs and participate in several of his previous hobbies. His hard work in therapy has paid off. He is gradually getting back to doing all the things he loves. We're happy to hear you're returning to the hobbies that mean so much to you, Jim, and we wish you continued success. Thank you for choosing us on your rehabilitation journey.

Debby McMullen Winch enjoys spending time outside, playing with her grandchildren and walking. However, on a trip to Galena with friends, she experienced a fall. Pain and weakness in her legs made her interests a challenge and was fearful of falling again. She came to our center and primarily worked with Physical Therapist Alyssa James. She pushed herself every session to reach her goals. "The treatments could be challenging, but fun. I worked with a team of very knowledgeable, encouraging, helpful and fun therapists. I might walk out sweating and pooped, but smiling," Debby shared. We always knew Debby was in the center when the hurdles came out. She said, "They put up with my knocking over the hurdles every session!" Debby is back to walking and spending time outdoors. She is looking forward to her next trip with friends and feeling great. Congrats on "graduating" from physical therapy, Debby.

McKenzie Streebin is an avid runner whose hip pain prevented her from running. She shared, "My Physical Therapist Alyssa James made me feel confident that I would be able to return to doing the things I love without dealing with pain. She assured me they had a great team that would work with me to get me back to a pain-free, active lifestyle again." During her journey with Alyssa and Trevor Ruiz, physical therapist assistant, McKenzie was more aware of her body mechanics. "Alyssa's confidence in pinpointing the root cause of my pain and putting a plan in place to ensure I would get back to running as soon as possible was encouraging. Trevor's expertise with running and improving body mechanics was essential to getting me back to running again. I appreciate them both for explaining the rationale behind each exercise so that I could get a better."

Ray's mother had concerns of his tripping, falling and difficulty staying on task. Ray came to us and worked with Pediatric Physical Therapist Alyssa James. Alyssa helped Ray improve his balance and strength through stair navigation, ball skills, obstacle courses, basketball and other creative activities. These interventions also promoted Ray's ability to stay on task. After three months of physical therapy, Ray has met his goals and is completing age-appropriate skills. His mother has noticed a difference in his attention, as well as decreased tripping and falling at home.

Elaine Graeff had a goal of getting back to playing pickleball. She suffered a stroke that affected her balance, coordination and regular activities. She felt like her hands wouldn't cooperate, and she was unstable on her feet and battled fatigue. With a physician referral, Elaine scheduled with her local physical therapy center. There she was challenged by a rehabilitation program designed to address her goals and needs. "They all tried hard to challenge me in my workouts while showing their compassion for what they were doing," she said. "They even helped me with my tennis and golf swings by working on my hand-eye coordination." Great to hear you are almost back to normal, Elaine. Thank you for choosing us as your physical therapy provider.

Twins Ko and Kam first came to Alyssa James, pediatric physical therapist, for concerns about head positioning and head tilt preferences. After sharing education on torticollis, Alyssa showed Ko and Kam's parents how to stretch and strengthen the neck muscles to increase the twins' range of motion and decrease the head tilt. Alyssa also helped the twins with rolling, sitting and crawling in order to progress along developmental milestones. Now, Ko and Kam are crawling, pulling to stand and cruising along surfaces. It has been a joy watching them progress and seeing them on the move. Congrats, Ko and Kam!