Holistic approach to physiotherapy empowers Edward, 83, to get back on his feet

“I've got to get up or I'm going to freeze to death.”

Edward Hammet had just driven home after visiting his sons over the holidays to find his driveway full of snow. He parked in the street and climbed over a four foot snowbank. He fell face first, tried to make it to the garage, but couldn't get up. That's when a sobering thought came over him: he had to summon enough inner strength to stand up and get inside the house.

Despite this chilling ordeal, he managed to enter his house, turn the heat on and then go back outside and clear his driveway with the snow blower. It was only after he came back in, sat down in a chair and couldn't stand up again that he realized something was very wrong.

May is National Physiotherapy Month

When Moray Wright-Whyte, physiotherapist, first met Edward, he was struggling with pain in his legs and unable to get out of bed.

“We got him up out of bed once in that first week, up into a chair and it was a big struggle for him” says Moray, who has been working at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) for just over a year.

May is National Physiotherapy month in Canada. At MGH, the profession focuses on a holistic approach to providing preventative and therapeutic interventions. Physiotherapists, often known as PTs, apply a collaborative approach to help patients reach their health goals, in particular focusing on musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiorespiratory and multi-systems. PTs encourage patients to be involved in the healthcare decision-making process throughout their care.

“Often when we see people it's at a very difficult time in their lives, and they may have been stuck in bed for days or even weeks” notes Moray.

“When someone's been medically unwell and confined to bed, they become so deconditioned, so weak, their muscles start to weaken after 24 hours of activity. We're a big part of that whole process, getting them moving and back to their full health.”

The turning point

Edward would spend that first week confined to his hospital bed.

His turning point came when he was diagnosed with gout, a complex form of arthritis that can cause sudden and debilitating pain. With treatment for gout underway, he was able to start walking again with the help of Moray and Courtney Gray, Physiotherapy Assistant who explains a patient's motivation plays a large role in recovery.

“Getting patients back to their level of independence, whatever that was before they came to the hospital, is one of the main goals of our practice” says Courtney, PT Assistant at MGH for 17 years.

Moray explains that medicine is no longer just about treating one specific condition; it's a holistic approach to treating the whole patient.

In addition to treating a patient's physical challenges, physiotherapists, in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, provide support with concerns, fears and mental health aspects of care.

Now, Edward can't wait to get back home. At 83, he enjoys driving and getting out to play cards three times per week. He is very motivated to get back on his feet and looks forward to his physiotherapy sessions.

“Edward has great motivation to do things that he enjoys and wants to get back to, so he has a reason to get himself healthy,” says Moray.