In May of 2020, Samantha Koterba threw her back out while taking her dog for a walk. She was in severe pain and was prescribed medication to cope from her primary care physician (PCP).
After months of agony, Koterba asked her PCP if physical therapy would help. He suggested it but never formally prescribed it. Her PCP recommended Premier Orthopedics, so she called the closest office near her – our Aston PT site. Koterba says, “It was super easy to get an appointment there. The staff was friendly and helpful!”
When she arrived, Koterba did not realize that she needed a prescription, but the front desk staff helped her anyway and scheduled her to see Walt D’Alessandris, PT. During her initial visit, D’Alessandris evaluated Koterba and began working on her back immediately. “During her initial evaluation, it was identified that Koterba had issues with her posture, pelvis and some muscle imbalances. She was a very motivated patient and did well with therapy,” explains D’Alessandris. Koterba improved after every visit and was discharged at the end of the summer.
Unfortunately, Koterba ended up injuring her back again. She went back to D’Alessandris, but this time, physical therapy didn’t go as well, and he referred her to Eric Lake, D.O., a former orthopaedic physician at Premier.
Dr. Lake corrected the issues with her spine, then sent her back to physical therapy to improve her posture and strengthen her back. D’Alessandris worked with Koterba once again and recommended that she go to a local gym so that she could get one-on-one attention with a personal trainer. D’Alessandris says, “Because of her motivation and work ethic, Koterba was an ideal candidate to follow up with a professional trainer reach her fitness goals.”
“It helps that Premier takes a team approach when treating patients. We have access to physicians and therapists who are specialists in all areas of orthopaedics, and have health care connections within the communities,” says D’Alessandris.
“His recommendations and expertise helped me heal physically and mentally. I am forever grateful for Walt’s help,” states Koterba.