Tell me a little bit about yourself. How do you stay active?
• I enjoy hiking all year and doing home workouts such as yoga or using Apple Fitness+. My husband and I like to walk and be outside in the summer. 

Why did you choose Sanford Sports Physical Therapy?
• My orthopedic physician assistant at Sanford recommended the Fieldhouse since I am young and active. It was a much farther drive from where I work than other options but I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything! 

What was your injury?
• I injured my right hip. I tore my hip flexor, had bursitis on the side, and had tendon tearing in the hip as well. I also found out I have a femoral acetabular impingement that was making things worse too. 

How did you get injured? What were your first treatments?
• I was hiking and slipped on a muddy trail. My first step was to be on crutches, where I lost a lot of strength. I started PT before I even knew the extent of my injuries. I enjoyed getting started right away and feeling like I was able to take good steps toward recovery while they were figuring out what was wrong. 

What was your first thought when the injury took place?
• I thought I had messed up my hip for good. I was so nervous to not be able to hike or even walk again without serious pain. I had to partially drag my leg for a couple miles back that first day and then when the pain kept coming back throughout the following weeks, I was scared I would have to have hip surgery. Thankfully I did not! 

What were your goals going into PT?
• I wanted to be able to walk and hike again without pain. I wanted to build strength to prevent future injuries. 

What treatments did you have through PT?
• Manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and neuromuscular reeducation. 

What has been your attitude toward doing physical therapy? Were there times when you were frustrated? How did you get past that?
• I started out really nervous, then immediately started loving physical therapy. It was amazing how fast I was off of crutches and walking throughout the day with limited pain. After a while, I started to get discouraged because I felt like I had plateaued in my progress. I was frustrated at myself for not getting stronger faster and felt like I wasn’t good enough to build the strength I had been hoping for. Thankfully, Matt was incredibly kind and encouraging. He helped me to have great hopes for my future ability but also manage expectations and be patient with myself in the day to day. He helped me to build that strength in a way that was good for my injury but also empowered me to keep progressing and striving.  

How did your physical therapist help you get ready to return to your favorite activity?
• His ability to connect with me and figure out my goals coupled with his incredible skill and professionalism helped me to feel confident. He gave me great exercises to continue and helped me figure out a good plan going forward. I have built great strength and know how to maintain and grow in my progress. I was really nervous to go on my first hike after my injury but he was encouraging and gave me great pointers. I am now headed to Costa Rica over New Year and can’t wait to experience all the rainforest has to offer thanks to my great PT experience! 

How was your overall experience with your sports physical therapist?
• Matt was so comforting throughout the beginning when I was so nervous about what my physician would say and was so interested in getting to know me and my goals. He was kind and patient. He made me feel like I had control in my recovery. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and was flexible with how things were coming along. Every week as I was getting stronger and could do more, he was celebrating each milestone and win with me. He was also just fun to be around, which really helps when having to do exercises that are hard! He balanced pushing me to do my best with making sure my injury was healing well. I am so thankful for him and his expertise, guidance, and encouragement! 

How did you benefit from sports PT?
• Now I am able to go hiking and go on walks and do everything I love again! I didn’t do much in terms of working out before but now I am committed to regular exercise too. Matt helped me to feel confident in my ability to build strength. I definitely have not only recovered from an injury, but gained skills that will help me to be active for the rest of my life! 

Would you recommend Sanford Sports PT to others? Why?
• Absolutely! I felt cared for and cared about throughout my entire experience. I had the utmost confidence that I was in the best place to rehab my hip. Matt was a true joy to work with and I will definitely be recommending him and the Fieldhouse to anyone in my life who needs PT!