Faith Hollern was in training to compete in a triathlon when she twisted her ankle… and twisted her training schedule upside down.

 

“My doctor said my ankle was sprained and he recommended physical therapy, so I decided to go to Willow Lakes,” says the 51-year-old I.T. specialist at Anderson Bakery. “I explained to the physical therapists that I had to get my ankle back in shape as quickly as possible because the triathlon was only several months away.

 

She put her confidence in Lancaster General. After working with the physical therapists three times a week and following their instructions closely,

 

Faith recovered from her injury and had a successful triathlon—she finished the challenging event in under two hours.

 

Faith’s success story is one of many
that occur when patients receive physical
therapy at Lancaster General.

 

 

“At all of our facilities, we offer services that range from orthopedic treatments to neurological treatments
for spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries,” says Adam Hawk, Physical Therapist, Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation. “We also offer treatments for stroke and progressive neurological conditions such as
Parkinson’s disease.” 

Our spine team treats spine-injury patients based on the most recent evidence-based practice, Adam adds. “We have 100 therapists in our system who have extensive expertise with different body parts and types of injuries.”

 

Katherine Ault, a 15-year-old student at Solanco High School, is another success story. Katherine plays on the school’s varsity field hockey team and on national-level all-star teams. When she developed pain in her ankle from tendonitis, she needed physical therapy to stay in the game.

 

Lancaster General therapists prescribed a regimen of resistance exercises and stair climbing to regain strength and range of motion in Katherine’s ankle. In three weeks, she noticed a big improvement and was back on the hockey field.

 

“The physical therapists knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it,” Katherine says. “They didn’t just tell me what to do, they got involved and helped me with the exercises to make sure I was doing them correctly. The whole staff was very friendly and enthusiastic. They got me back to the point where I can play my sport to the best of my ability.”

 

 

Lancaster General’s physical therapists work closely with patients to design a personalized approach for recovering from illness, injury or surgery. As they create a therapy and rehab plan, they get input from the patient’s physician.

 

The staff tailors rehabilitation goals to each patient’s needs, and if an injury requires specialized treatment, they refer the patient to a therapist with expertise in that area.

 

“In our system, we have therapists and clinicians who stay up-to-date on the medical literature and are always learning the most recent, evidence-based protocols to treat particular symptoms,” Adam says. “For example, we created our spine-team treatment model because in our health system we have a lot of back pain experts. We brought all of them together and made sure our team is doing the most effective, state-of-the-art procedures for our patients.”

 

It’s a system that worked for Faith. “As my ankle was healing, the therapists would tell me which exercises I should do to stay in shape for the triathlon,” she says. “They’d ask me how I felt and how I was progressing. They were always very encouraging.

 

“They know the mechanics of the body very well and especially how to help you get back to the activities you want to do,” Faith adds. “I can’t say enough about the physical therapists— they’re wonderful!”

 

Lancaster General offers physical therapy services at the Health Campus, Willow Lakes, Kissel Hill, Norlanco and Columbia, and in December a site will open at the new Downtown Pavilion on Duke Street in downtown Lancaster.