Dear Reader:

When I was in middle school, a certain event changed my life forever; I had always been an athlete, playing multiple sports, at the time I was involved with volleyball and basketball. The first game of volleyball season turned into my worst nightmare when I dove for a ball I suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation of pain and shock. About two weeks later I went to the doctor and was immediately sent to a physical therapist and a surgeon; I had severely dislocated my kneecap. Unfortunately surgery didn’t seem to be much of an option at that point in my life because of my young age; after carefully weighing my options I chose the route of physical therapy, my physical therapist worked hard to keep my knee healthy enough to avoid surgery for the time being. Within the two and a half years spent in therapy, my PT and I formed a special bond and she was able to get me through one of the most challenging obstacles I think will ever have to face in my life. After I was cleared from therapy I decided that I wanted study Physical Therapy as a career; I wanted to make as big of a difference in someone else’s life as my PT did in mine.
My goal with this magazine is to educate people about physical therapy and why it is so crucial in many people’s lives. In my first essay I walk the audience through some of the different physical therapy treatments and how they differ from one another. I chose to do this because people tend to generalize physical therapy and don’t realize that it is so important to pick the type of therapy and exercise that will most benefit the injury. I then moved on to talking about a controversial form of therapy, though there is many I thought it was important to focus on CIMT, a common treatment for stroke patients as it forces them to work their affected body part. The controversy in this treatment, that readers can dive further into in the actual article, is that it may be risky and not effective for patients, but research proves otherwise. Physical therapy is something very near and dear to my heart and writing this magazine has not only strengthened my love for physical therapy, it has also educated me greatly.
I genuinely hope that everyone who reads this magazine will take the time to soak in this valuable information, and learn something from it. Always remember that where there is an obstacle there is a solution, and the hard times will pass. Huge thanks to everyone who reads.