Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Brings Patient Success, Even Amid Life Setbacks
Before 7 a.m., when many people are still getting ready for school or work, Joy Johnson is already working away at her physical therapy.
Johnson has multiple sclerosis (MS), yet she won’t let it set the terms of her life. Instead, she meets Katie Nour, DPT, an Avera physical therapist, who guides her routine, praises her progress and keeps her motivation high.
The 56-year-old Tea resident calls Nour “her cheerleader” and after she warms up, Johnson transfers from her power wheelchair and starts walking.
“When we had my first 90-day review, I was hoping to free-walk about 20 feet,” Johnson said. “I actually did 81 feet, thanks to Katie pushing me with positivity.”
Living and Treating MS
Living with MS, a disease that alters communication between the brain and body, isn’t easy. Johnson has faced it for 12 years and now focuses on her progress in physical therapy (PT).
Nour is part of a team that helps Johnson with treatment of the progressive disease.
“Every patient receives individualized care, from a team of experts, yet it’s the patients’ hard work that makes the expertise succeed in many cases,” said Nour. “Joy has really excelled. She won’t let MS define her.”
Multidisciplinary Approach to Multiple Sclerosis Treatment at Avera
- Neurologists diagnose MS and help devise approaches to slow its progress
- Therapists counsel, guide and work one-on-one with patients, and may include physical, occupational and speech therapy
- Behavioral health professionals offer insight on depression, anxiety and other feelings that come with the limits MS might bring
- Nutrition experts provide dietary guidance to reduce MS effects
- Physiatrists help patients who have physical disabilities like MS
A huge part of her success is personal.
“My mom did a great job naming me, because I take joy in life,” said Johnson, who works full-time, helps her husband, Darin, around their home, spends time with her grown son and daughter, and keeps at the PT that can help her maintain strength.
My exercises may seem simple to others, but they’re vital for me.
How Moving Keeps MS Under Control
Johnson was diagnosed in 2011, confirming MS was why she felt tingles and numbness in her hand. “I kept tripping and stumbling,” she said. She fell regularly, too. She lived in Pierre then, where she worked full time. In time, her walking ability deteriorated and she had to retire.
“After the MRI confirmed lesions and it was official, I cried, then I said, ‘Why are you crying?’” she said. “I had nothing to cry about! I kept the positive attitude.”
At the time, Johnson lived in Pierre, where she continued full-time work. In time, her walking ability deteriorated, and she had to retire from a job she held for 13 years. Yet she was not ready to call it quits or give up. She picked up where she left off – and continued working full-time with the state of South Dakota.
MS affects each person in different ways. For Johnson, walking with a walker helped, then later, she began to use a powered wheelchair. She could still walk short distances at home. But then MS hit her hard.
“I was standing by the fridge and I fell,” she said. “It was a big crash, like a tower collapsing.”
Recovering from a Big MS Setback
When the muscles in her leg gave way and put weight on her bones, Johnson’s tibia shattered. She entered Inpatient Rehabilitation at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls. Yet MS slowed her recovery.
Spasticity is part of MS, and muscles stiffen on their own. For Johnson, this led to an unsuccessful rod insertion surgery. She then had a successful surgery, it used a long metal plate and screws, then sepsis set in her heel. All the while, her husband was still working in Pierre. There were many hours of driving.
“Even at the lowest points, I stayed focused on getting out of rehab and getting back to work,” she said. “In time, we realized moving to Sioux Falls would be best.” The family made the move in 2021.
The pandemic led to in-person restrictions and another setback for Johnson. “I lost a lot of the gains I’d made after surgery and getting back to work,” she said.
Now as she works with Nour, she feels she’s turned a corner.
Her goal – of never letting MS win – remains in her sights as she prepares for another exercise or session with Nour, more meetings with new friends, continuing to work full-time in reception and HR with The BanCorp, Inc., in Sioux Falls – and all the rest that goes with life.
“The attitude you have is the one you choose,” she said. “I’m not giving up. I’m getting stronger, and Katie keeps helping.”
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