From injury to Everest: One patient’s inspiring story!

The following story is a patient testimonial from the lovely Inge, who recently took the trip of a lifetime after PT with our very own Colleen Sullivan!

Spring of 2015, I made a decision that I wanted to trek to the Mt Everest Base Camp sometime in 2016. Then the April 25, 2015 earthquake hit Nepal, wiping out Mt Everest Base Camp. We didn’t know when trekking to Base Camp would resume.

Nevertheless I started my training, but soon found I had difficulty sumitting Pilot Butte, as well as hikes around Bend. An injury in 1992 resulted in a metal plate being surgically placed in my left ankle. Stiffness caused me to favor it over the years, resulting in problems with my right ankle. Everest was looking out of reach.

I received a referral to Step & Spine Physical Therapy in July 2015, where I met Physical Therapist Colleen Sullivan. Colleen discovered my left ankle had only 8 degrees of flexibility and the right ankle was not much better. We started my therapy.

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In November 2015, Nepal announced that the 2016 trekking season would resume. By December 2016, both my ankles measured at 20 degrees of flexibly. I was on my way!

We headed to Nepal and after nine days of trekking, we reached Mt Everest Base Camp, elevation of 17,600 feet. I didn’t have any trouble with either ankle despite trekking over endless stone steps and boulder fields.

It was a wonderful trip.

Thank Step & Spine Physical Therapy!
-Inge