{"id":4857,"date":"2016-03-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/2016\/03\/30\/not-giving-up-program-offers-choice-in-chronic-pain-management\/"},"modified":"2023-06-23T12:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T18:45:23","slug":"not-giving-up-program-offers-choice-in-chronic-pain-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/not-giving-up-program-offers-choice-in-chronic-pain-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Not giving up: Program offers choice in chronic-pain management"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Joanne Perna\u2019s knee pain had gotten so bad that all she wanted to do was go home and lay an icepack on top of her legs. Walking was painful; playing with her grandchildren was painful; and signing up for a church-organized vacation \u2014 out of the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as you\u2019re able, you want to be mobile and pain free,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But Perna found she was losing that battle on both fronts.<\/p>\n

On March 23, 2015, she arrived at Poudre Valley Hospital for knee-replacement surgery. She spent four days in the hospital and then about a month at a rehab facility.
\n\u201cI have to admit, I was not a good rehab patient,\u201d she said. \u201cThe pain was horrible and I was so weak.\u201d<\/p>\n

But since surgery, things have changed \u2014 drastically. Perna is now pain-free and in May, she will join her fellow church members on a \u201csouthern hospitality\u201d trip, where she\u2019ll walk the cobblestone streets of colonial cities.<\/p>\n

What changed?<\/p>\n

Joanne Perna records her health information and workout routines (done by a UCHealth class instructor for phases I and II) after each of her phase III STEP sessions.
\nWhile trying to regain her strength in the pool at UCHealth\u2019s Poudre Valley Medical Fitness in Windsor, Perna noticed an exercise class taking place in the therapy pool and recognized that it could be her chance to feel better.<\/p>\n

STEP, supervised therapeutic exercise program, is a referral-based, three-step program to help people understand, prevent and manage their chronic illness or pain through exercise and wellness education.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come here to address such things as high blood pressure, obesity, low-back pain and anemia,\u201d said Lauren Bowman, STEP instructor and fitness supervisor with MedFit. \u201cSTEP is for anyone at risk for developing a chronic condition or currently living with a chronic condition\u2014 that\u2019s the gap we fill, and our program is geared toward progressing and helping people live independently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perna approached the class instructor, who helped her get a referral from her doctor and enroll in STEP.<\/p>\n

People new to the program, new to exercise or newly diagnosed with a chronic disease start in step one. The 90-day first phase offers several different classes each week, from strength and flexibility training to aerobic conditioning. To track progress, a fitness specialist records patients\u2019 blood pressure, weight and other health indicators, including specific workout details. This information is entered into Epic, UCHealth\u2019s electronic health record, so that participants\u2019 primary care physicians also can view and monitor their patients\u2019 progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very supervised, so it\u2019s almost like having a personal trainer,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n

\"Joanne
Joanne Perna, who has spent the past nine months in UCHealth\u2019s STEP program, takes part in one of the program\u2019s tai chi classes at Poudre Valley Medical Fitness center in Windsor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step two is a progression of step one and also is 90 days. However, participants are given a bit more freedom in their exercise choices and supervision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first three months were slow. It takes a lot of work to get your muscles working again, but I look forward to coming to class because I know it\u2019s helping me be pain-free,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n

Perna, now nine months into STEP, has graduated into step three. She records her own health information and attends the classes she wants, with possibilities ranging from water tai chi to Zumba and gentle yoga.<\/p>\n

All stages of STEP include a weekly education piece on topics such as healthy eating and exercising at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to get into other people\u2019s business, but I\u2019m not sure they even know that they can feel better,\u201d Perna said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a slow start, but I\u2019m getting stronger, and STEP has encouraged me to do so. Your doctors are there to help you, but you\u2019ve got to put some effort into it. STEP has helped me take responsibility for my own health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

STEP is offered at both MedFit in Windsor and UCHealth\u2019s Harmony Campus in south Fort Collins. The program costs $72 per month ($6 per session) and includes three sessions per week for 90 days. The goal is to provide people the tools to manage their conditions and learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise in a controlled, safe environment.<\/p>\n

STEP instructors are exercise professionals with a variety of certifications and advanced training in providing an encouraging and compassionate environment for patients to improve health and manage pain.<\/p>\n

Visit medfit.org or call 970.674.6505 to learn more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joanne Perna\u2019s knee pain had gotten so bad that all she wanted to do was go home and lay an icepack on top of her legs. Walking was painful; playing with her grandchildren was painful; and signing up for a church-organized vacation \u2014 out of the question. \u201cAs long as you\u2019re able, you want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":2404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[65,222],"class_list":["post-4857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-pain-care-and-management","tag-poudre-valley-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNot giving up: Program offers choice in chronic-pain management - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joanne Perna\u2019s knee pain had gotten so bad that all she wanted to do was go home and lay an icepack on top of her legs. 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