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Hands on physical therapy helps patients get back on feet
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Photo by Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Breakfield has been working with Ruth Sweatt, seated, since late October. Sweatt had surgery on her left ankle, which was fractured, and works out three times a week with Breakfield, right.
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By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports
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Gary Mai didn’t think there was a way to stop the almost constant, shooting pain in his lower back.
“I had some real problems with rotation, turning. I have problems looking over my shoulder to back up when I’m driving, because I can’t turn,” Mai, 68, said Monday.
Mai also has had trouble sleeping comfortably because of the pain that shot through his lower back.
Mai suffers from osteo arthritis, and when his doctor referred him to Delta Physical Therapy several months ago, Mai started to believe for the first time that he might be able to return to a life without pain.
“I have lower back pain, it was shooting pain and they referred me here and I had x-rays, which showed I had osteo-arthritis and they said there was nothing I could do except for therapy,” Mai said.
For the past several months, Mai has been working with physical therapist LaVaughan Breakfield at Delta Physical Therapy’s Galt location to improve his rotation and to ease his pain.
“I’ve been here for two months now and it’s so much better that it’s almost unbelievable,” Mai, a Galt resident, said of the improvement he has felt with his body movement.
Getting one’s body to its former, healthier state and improving one’s well-being are two of the main goals of Delta Physical Therapy.
Doctors refer patients to physical therapy for a variety of reasons, including arthritis rehabilitation, orthopedic rehabilitation, osteoporosis rehabilitation, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
One thing that sets Delta Physical Therapy apart is that it is the only physical therapy center in Galt, says Heidi Coffee, who is the center’s director of business development.
That distinction has made it a welcome place for local athletes, elderly patients, accident victims, and recovering surgery patients who are looking to recover from whatever ailment they are suffering from, however minor.
“We have all walks of life, Medicare, work comp, auto, women’s health, and osteoporosis,” Breakfield said Friday of the patients she treats.
Sometimes nearby residents are not aware of how close help can be, says Breakfield.
Referring to a patient who came to the Galt location last week, Breakfield says, “She used to live in the Bay Area and she’s had doctors there in the past, and she’s dealt with joint replacement and arthritis.
“Her compliment was that she’s had lots of physical therapy in the past and she’s been to a lot of different places and different cities and she feels like she’s getting the best care here,” said Breakfield.
Delta Physical Therapy, which also has offices in Stockton and Lodi, counts local high school athletes as a portion of their patients.
Breakfield treated young athletes over the summer who had neck, knee, and back injuries, including football and softball players.
“We do see athletes, and it seems that comes in waves. We saw quite a few athletes or teenagers this summer and that kind of died off when school started,” Breakfield said.
While Breakfield and another physical therapist, Sonia Pivetti, treat a large number of the patients at Delta Physical, they occasionally ask certified athletic trainer Jamie DeRollo, who is also employed at Delta Physical, to assist.
DeRollo treats injured athletes at Galt High School, in addition to teaching an athletic training course at GHS.
An aspect that helps to make customers feel more at ease when they walk through the doors of Delta Physical Therapy is the bright, positive atmosphere.
Since patients often have appointments several times a week, Delta Physical Therapy makes it a point to make them comfortable.
“We try to greet every patient who walks through the door like they’ve just come home,” said Rhonda Hickerson, Delta Physical’s office manager.
Gym equipment lines the front window, colorful medicine balls are stacked neatly in the back left corner of the front room, and therapy tables are placed in various areas of the room for Breakfield, Pivetti, and physical therapy aides Roberta Ernst and Jessica Pierce to work with clients on.
“They’re either here two times a week or three times a week, they spend a lot of time with that so we want to make sure their experience is caring, they feel good about it. We want them comfortable here,” Coffee said.
A big part of the appeal of being treated by Delta Physical’s therapists is the social atmosphere, as well.
With the amount of times patients attend therapy each week, they have gotten to know other patients and actually prefer to work in the open front room, where they can converse with friends.
Breakfield noted that while she has two private back rooms for patients, patients often ask to be in the front room.
Some patients who end up receiving treatment in the back room for women’s health or other special treatments try to hold conversations with friends in the front room by just raising their voice so that it will carry over the wall, refusing to let a partition stop their socialization.
Part of Breakfield’s job is assuring patients that she is there to make them feel better. A welcoming environment helps her in that goal, she said.
“We try to educate them that we’re going to help them with their shoulder (for instance), not make it more painful. It’s nice if we have a nice welcoming, warm and friendly atmosphere, so you can feel at ease,” Breakfield said.
Breakfield estimated that she would see about 15 patients last Friday, although Coffee said that Breakfield, the director of Delta Physical Therapy, has seen the number rise to approximately 25-26 patients in one day.
Delta Physical has two physicians, and the rest of its referrals come from out-of-area physicians such as in Lodi or Elk Grove.
Ruth Sweatt started physical therapy in late October after receiving surgery on her ankle. Sweatt, who comes in three times a week, had a fracture in her ankle area and had surgery in April and then in October that left her on crutches.
“I came in with crutches, now I walk out,” a smiling Sweatt said Monday.
Sweatt works with Breakfield on various things, and also tends to her ankle herself with exercises.
“There’s a lot of exercising that I do myself, bicycle, total gym over there (indicating the gym equipment), stretches, strength training exercises,” Sweatt said.
“I can actually walk, I was not using it at all for quite a long time,” Sweatt said.
While Delta Physical’s goal to help its patients remains unchanged, it is currently engaged in new ways to reach that achievement.
It has started up its athletic rehab program, which offers two free visits for athletes who are referred by their high school athletic department, an evaluation by a PT experienced in athletics, among other features.
In February, each patient who walks in the door can participate in a program that offers healthy recipes and beneficial exercises in addition to a T-shirt, according to Coffee.
“They’re here a lot, we want to make it fun, we want to make it enjoyable,” Coffee said.
JV Warriors hang on for Oak Ridge upset
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-
Galt escaped with a 57-54 win over Oak Ridge, as Haran Piggee and Josh Dela Cruz combined to score most of Galt’s first-half points.
The duo scored 18 of the Warriors’ 22 first-half points.
The Warriors and Oak Ridge stayed competitive in the second quarter, after a slow offensive first quarter.
Oak Ridge led by one point at halftime, Galt had taken the lead for the first time in the quarter on a three-point field goal by Haran Piggee.
Galt’s biggest lead was five points, but that lead dwindled and was overtaken with a last-second basket by Oak Ridge.
A seven-point run at the end of the third quarter led to Galt’s first double-digit lead, at 40-30.
Galt led by 10 points with less than two minutes left, but Oak Ridge then closed in.
The Trojans hit three-point field goals in both of their following possessions, leaving them at 56-51 with 27.5 seconds left.
Oak Ridge and Galt both were unable to capitalize on foul shot opportunities.
However, Oak Ridge then scored with 5.3 seconds left to come within 56-54 of Galt.
Josh Dela Cruz was fouled with 4.1 seconds left and hit one free throw to provide insurance against a potential last-ditch basket by Oak Ridge, giving Galt a 57-54 final advantage.
Dela Cruz led Galt with 25 points, Haran Piggee had 14 points, and Felipe Gallegos scored seven points.
Jan. 22
After witnessing the battle for top scorer between Josh Dela Cruz and Haran Piggee last Tuesday in the Warriors’ game against Cordova, one of the few things that Galt players would have appreciated more was a win.
The pair combined for 32 of Galt’s 49 points against Cordova, helping the Warriors to stay in a game that slipped away from them in the second half.
A late fourth-quarter scoring run couldn’t save the Warriors as they lost to Cordova 61-49.
Down 55-42, the Warriors closed in on Cordova’s lead until they trailed by just eight points with less than a minute left, but couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Jake Middleton made two free throws to bring Galt within 55-44, and made one free throw with 57 seconds left to bring Galt within 10 points.
Middleton then scored to bring the Warriors within 55-47 and to cap a five-point mini run.
Cordova then scored twice in a row, however, and left Galt again trailing by double digits.
Galt trailed by just six points at halftime after Cordova and the Warriors remained close on the scoreboard in the first half.
The Lancers led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter and Galt never trailed by more than eight points in the second quarter.
Dela Cruz led the Warriors with 17 points, Haran Piggee scored 15 points, and Middleton scored eight points.
Oak Ridge bests freshman Warriors in second half
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-
A strong second half effort by Oak Ridge pushed the Trojans past the freshman Warriors Friday evening, as the visiting Trojans won 59-41.
Oak Ridge’s shooting, coupled with seven Galt turnovers, turned a close game around in the second half.
Oak Ridge scored three points in five of its possessions in the third quarter, giving the Trojans a 47-32 lead at the conclusion of the quarter.
In fact, all but one of Oak Ridge’s baskets were three-point field goals or three-point plays in the quarter.
Oak Ridge controlled the tempo in short bursts throughout the first half, but the Warriors off-set the offense from Oak Ridge by taking advantage of Trojan turnovers and scoring clutch baskets.
After Oak Ridge scored seven points in the second quarter to pull away for a 10-point lead, Josh Barnhart completed a three-point play and Austen Wipfli scored a last-second shot to keep Galt close to Oak Ridge with a 30-23 halftime score.
Jan. 22
Offense worked well for the freshman Warriors in their game against Cordova last Tuesday, giving Galt its first win in several games.
The Warriors defeated Cordova 70-62 inside Warrior gym last week and led by as many as 21 points at one point.
Galt turned around its second-half woes from games with Ponderosa and Christian Brothers and maintained its scoring in both the third and fourth quarters.
Galt scored 17 points in the third quarter and 15 points in the fourth quarter to keep its lead intact.
Galt had led 38-22 at halftime and led 55-40 at the conclusion of the third quarter.
While Galt kept up its scoring momentum in the second half, Cordova made things interesting for a brief period in the final quarter.
The Lancers cut the Warriors’ lead to eight points with 17 seconds left, after trailing by double digits for three of the four quarters.
Ryan Glenn was fouled with 11 seconds left, however, and made both of his free throws to give Galt a 69-59 lead.
While the Lancers cut the lead to 69-62 after their point guard made a three-point field goal with three seconds left, Austen Wipfli was fouled and made a free throw to give Galt the 70-62 win.
Josh Dela Cruz led the Warriors with 18 points, and Josh Barnhart and Wipfli both had 12 points apiece.
Lady Warriors ranked 23rd in power ratings
In the women’s basketball power ratings that were released Jan. 22, Galt debuted 23rd on the list, according to the California Interscholastic Federation Sac-Joaquin Section Web site.
The Division I ratings were based on games played through Jan. 19, and were based on factors such as Galt’s 1-3 league win-loss record, its 12-3 overall record, and the SVC’s power rating of 1.7.
Power ratings determine which teams advance to the playoffs after the conclusion of the regular season.
The top 16 teams advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
West, Tokay, Kennedy, Merced, and Folsom rounded out the top five ranked Division I teams.
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