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fearful of moving the wrong way
and making matters worse. Or
they may think physical therapy is
only for catastrophic conditions
such as stroke or recovery from
massive injury. Swallowing a pill
is easier. So exercise doesn’t get
done.
PT clinic director touts exercise as
Lee told of a retired football
best medicine
player, “Dave,” who came into the
clinic slumped over and dejected.
His leg was stiff and he said, “The
five medical diagnoses for those
by Martha Evans
doctor says I have arthritis. I need
over age 65 as hypertension, high
Sparks, Staff Writer
cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes surgery and I do not want to have
it.”
and arthritis. “Exercise has been
Aches and pains
Lee asked Dave if he thought
are not inevitable as shown to be an effective treatment
exercise would help. Dave said no,
for all those conditions,” said Lee.
you get older. That
but he agreed to try physical therais the opinion of Matt Lee, doctor “Many people think of medicine
py for six
of physical therapy, full-time clini- as the only
weeks. Lee
treatment
cian and physical therapy clinic
PTs are positioned
designed
for these
director at Kentucky Orthopedic
conditions.”
Rehab Team (KORT) in Nichoto treat arthritis with an exercise
program for
He
lasville.
him. Dave
believes
“Exercise is one of the bestspecific exercise
was faithexercise adds
known medicines for a variety
ful with the
to target your
an important
of ailments,” said Lee. “People
exercises and
therapeutic
frequently think, ‘I’m too sick
he began to
particular
benefit to
to exercise’ or ‘I don’t feel good
improve and
treatment.
enough to exercise.’ The truth is
problem.”
get stronger.
just the opposite. Many people are He says
Six weeks
physical
sick because they didn’t or don’t
—Dr. Matt Lee
later, Dave’s
therapy is
exercise.
dejection
the best-kept
“One of the most common
was gone. He said, “My knee has
secret because physical therapists
ailments a physical therapist
not felt this good for 30 years.”
(PTs) can make changes without
treats where exercise is an effecDave had hit what Lee describes
resorting to drugs, injections,
tive intervention is arthritis,” he
as the “tipping point,” where the
surgery – necessary and useful as
added. “Physical therapists are
patient gets motivated because he
these options sometimes are.
positioned to treat arthritis with
“When you go to the doctor for, realizes his musculoskeletal probspecific exercises to target your
lem is getting better. The patient
say, diabetes, the first thing the
particular problem as well as
says to himself, “I feel better, and
doctor says is, ‘Exercise. And I’m
manual therapy, which is a treatgoing to give you a pill,’” Lee said. this is weird because I didn’t take
ment designed to help your body
any drugs, didn’t have any injecBut of