Physical therapy a life-changing decision for Boscobel patient

Physical therapy a life-changing decision for Boscobel patient

For decades, Laurie Wild lived in discomfort. She tried countless methods of relieving the pain she felt in her back, but when nothing worked, she conceded to the idea that this was just how it was going to be.

But then she met Kim Ross, a physical therapist at Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics and everything changed.

"To put it simply, she changed the quality of my life," Laurie says of Ross.

Since she was a teenager, Laurie has dealt with lower back pain, and with that, she's had x-rays done, gone to chiropractors, visited massage therapists - all with the hope that something would work. But x-rays always came back clear, and other treatments were only temporary solutions.

But then in Laurie's early 30s, she developed plantar fasciitis. It was then that an x-ray of her right foot - not her back - revealed she has an extra bone. It made sense, then, why Laurie was clumsy as a child and would easily roll her ankle.

Then last spring, Laurie had a mishap with her knee, which necessitated physical therapy with Ross at Gundersen Boscobel. At that point, her ankle felt like it could break at any moment, and she couldn't sit at work. The future, she says, looked grim.

Ross decided it was time to start over. She x-rayed Laurie's foot and researched the pain she was experiencing in her back.

"She took the time to really look into my medical history and approach things differently than anybody else had," Laurie says. "She literally refused to give up until I felt the issues were corrected."

It turns out that extra bone in her foot was putting pressure on a tendon, and that tendon pushed pain up to her lower back, which was the reason it had hurt since childhood. Ross worked with Laurie to change the way she stood, walked and spread her toes. Those adjustments alone provided instantaneous relief in her back.

In fact, last fall, Laurie was able to deer hunt without tripping in the woods, she says. There was no pain, and she wasn't exhausted afterward.

"My last appointment with Kim was back in mid-July (of 2023), and I can for the first time in my adult life say I have been completely pain free since," Laurie says. "For 20 years, I went to chiropractors, doctors and other physical therapists with no answers. Kim worked diligently until she found the answer and explained it so well to me, and she gave me simple exercises to continue to strengthen certain muscles so I can stay pain free."

Laurie says there's a stigma around chronic pain and that everyone's pain tolerance is different. She adds that people need to advocate for themselves, as they're the ones who know their own body the best. It's that persistence, along with the help of Ross, that got her the life-changing results she'd been searching for.

If you're dealing with chronic pain and feel physical therapy may help, call Gundersen Boscobel's Rehab Services Department at (608) 375-6311 to learn more.