Ten years of low back, hip and shoulder pain is but a distant memory for Julie Rogness. The 39-year-old is enjoying working out again — pain free — thanks to a recommendation by Maria Turnage, M.D., a physical medicine physician on the medical staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

After years of epidural injections in her lumbar region and steroid injections in both of her hips and shoulders for bursitis, Rogness had experienced little relief. So when an especially bad flare-up of bursitis hit in 2012, she approached Turnage about other options. The physician suggested physical therapy (PT). Rogness knew right where to go.

A graduate medical education coordinator at Texas Health Dallas for nearly 13 years, Rogness was familiar with the outpatient rehabilitation program offered by the hospital. Beyond convenience, she chose to seek treatment through the on-site program because of the level of care she knew she would receive. The outpatient rehabilitation program is known for providing personalized treatment plans that focus on increasing flexibility, strength, balance and activity tolerance with a goal of decreasing pain and downtime.

Inside the Jackson Building, she met physical therapist Kathy Farkas of the rehabilitation team.

After doing a thorough assessment of her condition and status, Farkas put Rogness on a therapy regimen of three sessions per week for six weeks that began with simple exercises to determine range of motion and weight-bearing ability. Over time, additional exercises were added to increasingly strengthen her core and work the deep muscles around her joints. Farkas also applied ultrasound therapy using sound waves to generate heat in the areas experiencing pain. The individualized physical therapy plan began to pay off.

“When I initially visited my doctor looking for relief, I had resolved that I would suffer from chronic pain for the remainder of my life,” Rogness said. “But with therapy, I eventually realized that I was getting up from a chair or in and out of my car without pain.”

Rogness is back to working out at the gym regularly and doing non-impact activities, and said she is diligent about doing the PT exercises she was taught in rehab at home. She is grateful to Farkas and the rehabilitation team consisting of physicians on the medical staff and specialized therapists at Texas Health Dallas for the high-level of care she received to help her rediscover her “go.”

“I am glad to have the knowledge and information I gained from the program to be able to take care of myself before ending up back in a really bad state. I see Kathy in the halls at Texas Health Dallas, and I always thank her for what she taught me and for her excellent care. It has truly impacted my daily life, in such a good way,” Rogness said.

Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents of the hospital or Texas Health Resources except resident doctors in the hospital's graduate medical education program. 

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