For some years, when I suggested Velcro-latched tennis shoes, my wife objected, saying they are for old people. Recently, without objection, she allowed me to buy Velcro-latched tennis shoes. The salesman emphasized more than once this tennis shoe was not suitable for running. I laughed, assuring the young man that running was not in my plan at age 75.
My Story
Inexplicably, my left foot became excruciatingly painful. I squandered money on ‘miracle’ shoe inserts that provided no relief whatsoever. Two surgeons wanted to surgically attach the tendons in my left foot to the ankle. Post-surgery recovery would be on this evil-looking scooter for many weeks.
Viewing the X-rays of both feet and seeing no mechanical difference, I asked the second orthopedic surgeon about physical therapy. He recommended a physical therapy company near my home. After two complete cycles of treatments to my feet, there was no change. The young therapist with a Ph.D. said, “There is nothing more we can do for you, Mr. White.” I agreed, limping away from the therapist with the aid of my cane.
On the advice of my niece, Dr. Adriana Laprea-Ellis, who teaches physical therapy at UTMB in Galveston, I asked my general practitioner for a referral to CCC&S in Mesquite, Adrianna’s recommendation. There, my therapy was first diagnostic, followed by focused therapy on a lump in a tendon in my left calf. Halfway through the therapy cycle, I was healed. That problem never returned.
The cause of my left foot inflammation had nothing to do with the foot; the problem was in my leg.
Many of my fellow senior citizens here in Rockwall have accepted my advice to seek physical therapy at this clinic, and none have been disappointed.
My Recommendation to Fellow Senior Citizens
Regardless of where you live on the east side of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, you must realize your needs are not the same as the needs of high school athletes and cheerleaders. If you see photos and thank you notes from young athletes on the wall of your orthopedic surgeon’s wall thanking the doctor for fixing this or that problem, you should act your age and be responsible for the physical therapy you will receive.
In simple, straightforward terms: senior citizens, anyone 65 years of age or older, need the services of therapists whose training and daily clients are senior citizens.
To Make An Appointment
Request a referral from your general practitioner. A fax to CCC&S from your doctor is all that is needed. Medicare and supplemental insurance cover the cost.
Christian Care Communities & Services
900 Wiggins Parkway
Mesquite, TX 75150
972-686-2411 Phone
866-457-6033 Fax
A beloved neighbor, a widow in her 90s, continued to drive herself to her medical appointments. On the occasion of discomfort in her left knee, her local doctor recommended local physical therapy. When I visited Shari in her home, her left knee was swollen to twice the size of her right knee. She said, “My therapist injured me.” That same doctor then prescribed a rehabilitation facility, and life went downhill from there. She worsened and was transferred to a nursing home, where she died. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, only select family members could visit her. That evening when I viewed her injured left knee, was the last time we talked.
You are all grown up and fully capable of making decisions about your medical treatment, most certainly your physical therapy. Choose wisely.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. — 1 Corinthians 13:11
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 