A physical therapy regimen is common after surgery or an injury as a means to rebuild your body’s strength and mobility, but it can also be a good starting point for those who are older and looking for a safer way to work out.
Rebuilding Strength After Cancer
Sterling Miller is no stranger to putting in hard work. After beating cancer, he's determined to regain the strength he lost.
“It was a struggle. I mean, it was a fight! I had to learn how to walk again, but I just wasn't going to give up. So then I got involved with physical therapy, I found Melanie and it just was a natural fit,” said Miller.
“So when I first met Sterling, he came in for low back pain and he was having trouble kind of just standing up in general. Not being able to walk even short distances and just having a fair amount of pain,” said Melanie Hemmingson, DPT with Avera Therapy at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre.
That pain was caused by a condition called spondylolisthesis, where one of the bones in the spine slips forward. But with Melanie's help, he refused to let that stop him from reaching his goals.
Exercise For Healthy Aging
“She started me slow, because I just didn't have the strength. I just didn't have it. So I built up and built up and built up to lift weights just continually. She will tell you that it's remarkable what I've achieved so far,” said Miller.
“We addressed pain and mobility first, trying to get him just being able to stand up and generally move. After getting things to calm down he could do his daily life activities. Then we moved on to those higher level activities of trying to get him as fit as we can. More recently, we’re trying to get him in the gym, do deadlifts, heavy carries, squats, things like that, so he can get back to his normal life,” said Hemmingson.
Physical therapy inside the walls of a hospital may not be the first place you'd think to get a workout, but therapists have developed a program designed to help people like Sterling get on the right path to strength and mobility.
“Exercise is one of the most important factors for longevity, specifically strength training; muscle mass is one of the most important factors for being able to live independently longer,” said Hemmingson.
“She has given me confidence that I can do this. I can rebuild. I mean, I'll never be good as new, but I'll be 100% better than I was," said Miller.
Consistency Leads to Confidence
That attitude and gumption has not only helped Sterling, but every exercise and every session is an inspiration to his care team.
“I think it's awesome that he is willing to work hard, even at his age, to build more muscle and be able to do everything that he wants to be able to do and not let age be a limiting factor,” said Hemmingson.
“I'm 78 years old and don't feel it and I owe it to them!” said Miller.
Learn more about therapy services at Avera
