Makes everything worth it
By: Joe Mitrzyk, PT
Growing up an athlete, like many, I experienced a few severe sports injuries that required physical therapy to get me back onto the court. Enduring both the physical and emotional hardships of not being able to play the sports I love was extremely frustrating. Still, I was very fortunate to work with some amazing therapists that were able to get me back to 100%. I will never forget the relationships that I built with my therapists because they were there for me through the “ups and the downs” of rehabilitation.
These experiences led me down the career path that I am on now. I chose physical therapy because I know what it feels like to be injured, but I also know that feeling you get when you finally can do the things you love once again after weeks or months of not being able to. This is why I love my job, and that feeling I can share with my patients when they are finally able to play their sport again, or lift their grandchild, makes everything worth it.
I will never forget working with a high school athlete who sprained his ankle in the latter half of the basketball season, during his senior year nonetheless, and he was more than determined to recover quickly and return to the sport he loved. I made it to a few of his games when he was able to return to play, and during his senior night, he gave a shout-out to myself and Peak Performance to allow him to return to basketball.
Injuries are not just something that impacts you physically, but they can be challenging mentally. I was also able to speak with the patient’s parents after his games, and hearing what he was going through mentally definitely hits home. However, hearing from his parents about how much he enjoyed coming to physical therapy and how happy he was when he returned to his first game after the injury is more than joyful to hear. Knowing that I was able to impact him positively makes my job worth it; sharing the feeling of triumph with my patients and knowing I can positively impact my patients’ lives is why I do what I do.