Traffic in the Delaware shore area can be hectic, especially in the summer months. So Donielle Brasure decided to make life easier for her patients. No longer would they have to troop down Route 26 for physical therapy — no, life would be easier from this point on. Brasure opened up Bayside Physical Therapy on Route 54 strictly for the convenience of her patients.
Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT:
Brian Gordon gets treatment from Daryl Barthelmess, MSPT, at Bayside Physical Therapy.
“A lot of my patients don’t like driving long distances, and being so close makes it much easier for them to get treatment,” Brasure said. “Some of them were even car-pooling to limit the distance that they were driving. And driving in traffic can cause stress and tightness.”
In addition to the seasonal traffic epidemic, the Bayside center is needed because of the increase in the number of retirees in the area and in athletes that specialize in a particular sport.
Physical therapy can decrease pain or the intensity and frequency of pain, and as a result, a patient often times will see an increase in motion, strength and endurance.
Individuals come in for various reasons, ranging from surgeries to nagging injuries, and though Brasure has nearly seven years training and in school, she knows that you can’t always go by the book in diagnosis and sometimes it’s best to simply listen to the patient.
“Sometimes if you listen to what someone tells you then it will give you an answer,” said Brasure. “You get used to seeing the same diagnosis, but no person is the same. … Sometimes, patients tell me that they’ve been dealing with these problems for years,” emphasized Brasure. “They blew it off when we could have treated them.”
A growing demographic for those needing physical therapy is high school athletes, due to the trend toward specialization in one particular sport. Specialization puts the athlete at risk because he or she is susceptible to wear and tear on a particular body part.
“I had a volleyball player/softball player hurt her shoulder, and still threw the ball even though she couldn’t play volleyball,” said Brasure. “We’re seeing overuse in sports more and more. Athletes need to give themselves breaks. When you have a muscle injury, your body is telling you that you need rest.”
Brasure’s therapy is so effective that her patients often improve to the point where they can go through their regimen at home, under their own supervision.
“My patients always leave me,” said Brasure with a smile. “But they always return to bring me cakes or cookies. I am a chocoholic.”
Bayside Physical Therapy is located in Williamsville Country Village on Route 54. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, call (302) 436-0901.