physical therapy – ALS CONNECT

A Lesson in Empathy for Thanksgiving

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, our friend Whitney Roper, physical therapist at the Washington University ALS Clinic, shares some recent and not-so-recent experiences that reminded her to be thankful for what she has, and to remember the challenges people with ALS face on a daily basis.

“To Live Their Lives to the Fullest”—Physical Therapists as Part of an ALS Multi-Disciplinary Care Team

Odds are you’ve had some interaction with a physical therapist (PT) in your life. Most of us have had sprain, strain, or something that needed some help to heal right. To make sure that happened, your doctor prescribed a few sessions of PT to make sure you were doing your exercises, and doing them correctly.

October is National Physical Therapy Month, a time when we celebrate those in the physical therapy field for all they do, including the vital role they play for people with ALS and their families.

Whitney Roper (PT, DPT, ATC) is a physical therapist with the Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine. As the physical therapist at the Washington University Neuromuscular Clinic, she is part of the multi-disciplinary team that serves people with ALS in our community. As we near the end of National Physical Therapy Month, we asked her to share some insights on her profession and the role it plays for people with ALS. Here’s what she had to say:

3 Things a Physical Therapist Wants You to Know

This post features insights from Elissa Held Bradford, PT, PhD, NCS, MSCS, physical therapist for the ALS Certified Center of Excellence at Saint Louis University. As part of a multidisciplinary team, she works with other health care professionals specially trained to address the needs of people living with ALS. She shares advice for people with ALS in light of physical therapy month.

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