Tim Daly Heather Mc Combs Rhonda Tarr Kay Bock Larry Murray Harold Williams Anthony Phillips Janet McComber Joyce James Peterson Judy Pease Jean Breeze Janet Arbseman Steve Ayers Britt Kelly Lovia Smith Steve Ayers Virginia Belt Sara Khlem David Litman Kari Hubbs Rachel Gonsalves Terri Hood Steve Dillman Barbara Tuck Laura Johnston Stephanie Nelson Cynthia Carlson Debbie Ellis Barbara Tuck Laura Johnston Steve Ayers Steve Ayers Cynthia Carlson Carolyn Cox Lovia Smith Virginia Belt Tim Greathouse Blair Sarkiss Charlene Walsh Mary McDermott POST SURGERY / MASTECTOMY / RADIATION/CHEMOTHERAPY
Surgery
Diagnosis: post-operative 3 cervical surgeries | Treatments: 6
The first operation I had was a cervical discectomy without fusion. I had a five-level posterior decompressive laminectomy that failed also and that also was not fused. Then finally on the third operation, I was fused and plated in front at C 4/5 C5/6, with a titanium plate that really helped my whole head was falling forward on my chest. I still have trouble because of the back operation of getting my head up and being able to drive, sit, stand, and a tremendous amount of burning pain and sensation in the back of my neck and shoulders.
I’m amazed at how far I can turn my head now. I’ve never been able to look this far over my shoulder. Dramatically increasing the range of motion. I can tell you that!
Diagnosis: Bunionectomy/tendon repair | Treatments 5
As a physician, my experience with DFR was after I had a tendon repair and a large adhesion. Conventional physical therapy had restored my ability to walk, but I had persistent discomfort from the tissue immobility. It was a couple of years post surgery that I met Paul and learned about DFR, my discomfort was constant so I thought that anything was worth a try. Paul worked with me for several sessions and the change in tissue pliability was astounding. The area was no longer sensitive and with mobilized tissue, it was not a constant source of discomfort. This truly made a difference in my life and I subsequently shared my experience with my patients. This technique is such an enhancement to maximize the benefits of physical therapy, I highly recommend it
Diagnosis: gastrocnemius surgery release 1.5 years. | Treatments: 12
I twisted my foot inward. I had surgery on April 25th. I think he called it a gastroc release. He operated and said things would start looking up in a couple weeks. I told him I was frustrated. It was a year a a half since my injury. I wanted relief. I was in pain, and I wanted to get back to full duty at work.
You have been in medical care for a year and half. How much do you think it has helped your ankle? None. I think my ankle is actually worse now than it was in the beginning. Pain affects your whole life and it affects your mind too. And I feel like sometimes people are talking to me and I am not even concentrating on conversation because of pain, and I am thinking about how much it hurts.
As soon as I finished with therapy life was just beautiful. I started to be able to walk, and I got back to work full-time duty. I was able to do things that I couldn’t do before. And, I just feel great. Well, I believe that the Metler method is something that totally changed my life. It doesn’t hurt to go check it out and try it, and I’ve told everybody, cuz I, I believe that the Metler method (DFR) changed the way that I live.
Diagnosis: chronic pain, post-operative 2 cervical surgeries | Treatments: 15
I couldn’t look up. It was impossible. I mean, I would have to go like this and lean back when you worked on another scar that I have on my throat then I was suddenly able to look up. It was incredible. That’s when I knew this treatment really works. I don’t know what I’ve done without it.
Diagnosis: 5 lumbar fusion | Treatments: 15
Today we tried to lift your legs with you on your back. How far could we lift them? Not more than two inches. He is up to about an 80 degree straight leg raise. That’s wild. Definitely a miracle! It has been seven or eight months since I lifted my legs up that high. How far did you walk yesterday? Four miles!
Diagnosis: lumbar laminectomy/fusion | Treatments: 9
I thought I was doing real good six months after surgery, and I tried to get out of bed in the morning. I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt more or less paralyzed as it was pinching a nerve in my back. It felt that it was right on the bone and drawn up tight. It seems like it just keeps getting tighter and tighter. It feels like a muscle drawing up in there. The longer you let it go the more of a problem it probably is to get out? That is right. It doesn’t hurt anywhere but the hamstrings!
Diagnosis: hand trauma, scar surgery | Treatments: 15
Diagnosis: fractured hand (ORIF) | Treatments: 3
I had surgery on these two bones here. I have a plate going in here like this with five little pins, a plate here with five little pins where I can’t move my fingers the way I want to.
It really felt like it was just all locked up right across there. I didn’t try it because there was no incentive really. People that work a regular hand clinic and they can only spend so much time for each patient or so many visits under the healthcare plan. Do you think they could incorporate this into the beginnings of hand therapy so that they could manage it within those visits?
Diagnosis: ganglion cyst removal | Treatments: 2
When the collagen fibers get all webbed together really tight, it puts pressure on the blood vessels. Oh, that makes sense. It’s all red now. It looks better.
Diagnosis: wrist tendonitis pain 10 years | Treatments: 1
I was 15 years old and I had a cut through here. I don’t even feel it at all!
Diagnosis: fractured elbow | Treatments: 2
Pulling on my jeans like this. It wasn’t like I had to keep one arm half way bent which I was used to. And it kind of put a smile on my face just to slide in and pull them up with both arms!
Diagnosis: fractured elbow | Treatments: 6
This is something I couldn’t do even 20 minutes ago!
Diagnosis: ankle talar fracture surgery | Treatments: 4
I noticed that I could walk around my home without the brace, went out to lunch wearing normal footwear and walked. And it was perfectly fine. And then the next day went just fine. I didn’t have pain. I didn’t have to take any Tylenol. And, I was quite pleased. Also, my friend and husband noticed that I was walking very well. Naturally rather than favoring my right leg to protect my left leg.
Diagnosis: tongue cancer post-surgical neck scar | Treatments: 6
The scar, I don’t even notice it. I don’t even feel it at all. I would feel an area that you worked on that was suddenly loose. And wonder how many people go through surgery and are told they just must live with a real tight neck the rest of their life. And I thought, gosh, everybody should know about this. It’s really good.
Diagnosis: shattered kneecap, torn quadriceps tendon 1.5 years | Treatments: 25
I had a car accident a year and a half ago and tore my patella tendon and shattered half my knee cap off. My knee swells up whenever I do anything for one 15 minutes. Standing on it, it gets pretty big
I was in the south of France and I had no pain the whole way with my knee when I walked or did things. I did a lot of really huge hikes in Switzerland. I didn’t have any problem biking at all, and I can stand up on a bike now, which is thrilling.
Diagnosis: Thyroid cancer, 2 surgeries | Treatments: 5
Thyroid surgery with a closed vocal cord on the right side. And she has had problems with swallowing and singing. Some of the changes I have noticed, two weeks ago I was in church and I haven’t been able to sing since I became ill. During the service my voice just became really really strong and surprised me! As well as the musician because she could even hear me. I have been able to sing since then. And when I was singing I was singing in my original voice with good tone quality so that really made me feel good (laughing).
Diagnosis: Tongue cancer neck/pectoralis-arm | Treatments 4
Tell about the symptoms you have been experiencing since you have had the radiation treatments. The arm falls asleep severely with a lot of pain in a patch on my back between my left shoulder blade and my vertebra. It hurts really bad.
It has gotten much better with this treatment. The arm had been falling asleep until just recently. It had been a couple months.
Diagnosis: post-operative achilles tendon surgery 5 weeks | Treatments: 20
I ruptured my Achilles tendon in ballet class, doing small jumps. I had surgery done on it. I have been in the cast for five weeks. You know, what’s really interesting is the number of people who come up to me and they say, I just can’t believe how fast you’re recouping and getting back.
Diagnosis: ankle fracture and dislocation | Treatments: 6
I broke my ankle in three places. I had a dislocation, damaged the ligaments, tendon and capsule. I had a plate and pins in my ankle. I was in a cast for eight weeks.
No one who sees me can believe I had this type of injury. It will be four months tomorrow. I really feel that I probably would never have walked without a limp or restriction if he hadn’t done what he had done. He allowed my foot to have normal motion.vAnd every time I came in, I went out with a lot more freedom of movement than I came in with. I mean, a huge amount of freedom of movement.
Diagnosis: C5C6 cervical disc replacement, college tennis player| Treatments: 6
As you know, I’m a tennis player. My senior year in high school I had a car accident putting an officer eventually got so bad where I couldn’t do anything is I had a cervical neck replacement, C5, C6. I met with a surgeon to get rid of the nerve problem. But now I still had the muscle problem where, hey, it’s always still, it’s still pain. This therapy is very unique breaking up the scar tissue. What I’ve experienced when I go to like a hospital physical therapist, they’re like, okay, here’s your exercise band. You need to work on having your motion and getting your strength back and use an exercise band. Well, you’re just really masking the problem. You’re just like overcompensating this. You have some technique where it actually tears the scar tissue that’s there that shouldn’t be, and then it just releases. So that way it actually has the more movement, more freedom. I’m actually able to play tennis, very high level collegiately and I can play with all the high-level college players. Uh, no pain. I can serve with no pain. It used to hurt when I would just look up. Now I can look up all day.
Diagnosis: post-operative total hip replacement 7 weeks | Treatments: 3
Oh my gosh. I can feel movement here in this area of my hip. I had not felt it before, because this wouldn’t move. I couldn’t lift my leg. It’s a lot better. I don’t feel the need to limp. That’s amazing.
Diagnosis: low back pain and sciatica 3 years. | Treatments: 8
Three years ago, I was in a car accident and got rear ended on a highway. I was in a little car. He was in an SUV and hit on the back left side of the car, really hard. I had back surgery. There’s just a feeling down this leg now of like always having a tightness tingling when it’s flared, it’s radicular pain. It’s like a nerve pain. It will get flared if I do certain things if I position myself in a bad position for longer than five minutes. It just feels a lot looser. Like I couldn’t do that before. Not really feeling much in the back, mostly tight hamstring., I couldn’t do one before. I just avoided that one.
Diagnosis: chronic post-surgical jaw pain | Treatments: 1
I couldn’t even open my mouth to eat cereal this morning. It’s amazing.
Diagnosis: traumatic accident post surgery knee scar 6 months | Treatments: 4
I was thrown in front of a pickup truck. They cut all the scar tissue off (pointing above his knee cap). How does it feel? Pretty good. Steve squatting with 86 # in basket lift. How much do you think you could have done two weeks ago? Zero!Mastectomy
Diagnosis: radical mastectomy 8 years| Treatments: 4
It had been eight years since my first mastectomy. And my arm pit was all cupped in because it was a modified radical and took all the muscle and fat. It was just skin down on bone. I was shaving terrific back pain in my upper back. And every physical therapy place I had ever been to told me sorry there wasn’t much they could do. Paul Mettler told me it was held down and pulled this arm forward. He worked on the armpit and changed my armpit from a cupped in area to a flat armpit. So that this armpit looks like this armpit. And it eliminated this terrific upper back pain that I had all the time. There was a streak of numbness right there and it is gone. This is so exciting (laughing) to be able to feel it. Usually at night this is a hard rock but last night and this morning and this afternoon-look at that it is soft! And look at there. Normally this arm is hard and puffed up. I think it is amazing! I have had so many doctors tell me you just have to live with this problem. There is no way it can ever be rectified.
Diagnosis: radical mastectomy | Treatments: 8
Yeah, it was amazing. It was so odd to actually see something that I feel or try to visualize and then to have physical evidence, which is always helpful when you feel pain to see there is a reason. And to see how something is there that can be seen with the eye and that can actually be dissipated and broken up to see how what we’re doing is actually working.
Diagnosis: simple mastectomy | Treatments: 4
I couldn’t lift my arm to reach for a place. Normal movements that you would expect to be able to do were very quickly lost right after the surgery. I couldn’t move. Also, I knew that I should get in pretty quickly to get started on therapy. The second session, it was a one hour session and my range of motion immediately after the session, I knew I could move even without doing it, but that day I could reach almost straight up where I couldn’t before. After that second hour session, the numbness underneath my scar, I now have feeling there. And now I can feel that area. I’m thrilled with the results and I want to continue even through chemotherapy. My desire is that everyone across the country could benefit from this, that people would hear what I’m saying and that they would know. I want to experience that benefit and travel across the country to experience this. I’ve been so blown away by the results and I feel like I can get back to normal life, where before it just felt like I couldn’t.
Diagnosis: Post mastectomy/chemo 5 years | Treatments 12
About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. I went through chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It took me about a year until I realized I needed some help with the stiffness in my shoulder. My shoulder blade was so locked down and my muscles, some of them, were just hard as a rock. I was only able to go about 7 minutes on the elliptical at that time. After just one or two treatments I doubled that time. Some of the adhesions released each time I came in. I am sleeping all night now. I am really not in much pain at all anymore. Do what it takes to get a quality of life back and I really feel like I have that back now.
Diagnosis: mastectomy/rotator cuff 12 years | Treatments 5
I fell on my right side over 20 years ago on my shoulder and face. I have had problems for 12 years and it just consecutively gets worse. Five years ago I had surgery to have a lymph node removed under my right arm. I just recently had rotator cuff surgery and scraped some bone spurs off along with bursitis. Sometimes it’s a real burning pain and sometimes it’s real sharp. It depends on how I move my arm. Sleeping causes a problem because I sleep on my right side. If I lay on it too long it seems like my arm goes to sleep really fast. washing my hair and taking my bath cause a big problem. I don’t have that real strong pulling sensation like my arm is about to rip off (big smile).Radiation / Chemotherapy
Diagnosis: radical mastectomy/chemo 8 years | Treatments: 4
It had been eight years since my first mastectomy. And my arm pit was all cupped in because it was a modified radical and took all the muscle and fat. It was just skin down on bone. I was shaving terrific back pain in my upper back. And every physical therapy place I had ever been to told me sorry there wasn’t much they could do. Paul Mettler told me it was held down and pulled this arm forward. He worked on the armpit and changed my armpit from a cupped in area to a flat armpit. So that this armpit looks like this armpit. And it eliminated this terrific upper back pain that I had all the time. There was a streak of numbness right there and it is gone. This is so exciting (laughing) to be able to feel it. Usually at night this is a hard rock but last night and this morning and this afternoon-look at that it is soft! And look at there. Normally this arm is hard and puffed up. I think it is amazing! I have had so many doctors tell me you just have to live with this problem. There is no way it can ever be rectified.
Diagnosis: radical mastectomy | Treatments: 8
Yeah, it was amazing. It was so odd to actually see something that I feel or try to visualize and then to have physical evidence, which is always helpful when you feel pain to see there is a reason. And to see how something is there that can be seen with the eye and that can actually be dissipated and broken up to see how what we’re doing is actually working.
Diagnosis: stage 4 tongue cancer post-surgical/radiation/chemo | Treatments: 6
The scar, I don’t even notice it. I don’t even feel it at all. I would feel an area that you worked on that was suddenly loose. And wonder how many people go through surgery and are told they just must live with a real tight neck the rest of their life. And I thought, gosh, everybody should know about this. It’s really good.
Diagnosis: Tongue cancer neck/pectoralis-arm | Treatments 4
Tell about the symptoms you have been experiencing since you have had the radiation treatments. The arm falls asleep severely with a lot of pain in a patch on my back between my left shoulder blade and my vertebra. It hurts really bad.
It has gotten much better with this treatment. The arm had been falling asleep until just recently. It had been a couple months.
Diagnosis: Post mastectomy/chemo 12 years | Treatments 12
About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. I went through chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It took me about a year until I realized I needed some help with the stiffness in my shoulder. My shoulder blade was so locked down and my muscles, some of them, were just hard as a rock. I was only able to go about 7 minutes on the elliptical at that time. After just one or two treatments I doubled that time. Some of the adhesions released each time I came in. I am sleeping all night now. I am really not in much pain at all anymore. Do what it takes to get a quality of life back and I really feel like I have that back now.
Diagnosis: Post mastectomy/chemo Treatments 12
Diagnosis: Thyroid cancer, 2 surgeries | Treatments: 5
Thyroid surgery with a closed vocal cord on the right side. And she has had problems with swallowing and singing. Some of the changes I have noticed, two weeks ago I was in church and I haven’t been able to sign since I became ill. During the service my voice just became really really strong and surprised me! As well as the musician because she could even hear me. I have been able to sign since then. And when I was singing I was singing in my original voice with good tone quality so that really made me feel good (laughing).Achilles
Diagnosis: post-operative achilles tendon surgery 5 weeks | Treatments: 20
I ruptured my Achilles tendon in ballet class, doing small jumps. I had surgery done on it. I have been in the cast for five weeks. You know, what’s really interesting is the number of people who come up to me and they say, I just can’t believe how fast you’re recouping and getting back.Hamstring
Diagnosis: chronic hamstring injury, tae kwon do instructor 5 years | Treatments: 5
So, this has been going on for about five years and I was in pain all the time. No matter if I was stretched out or if I just got done working out or if I’d waited three days. It was always painful. It isn’t now. It’s normal. My flexibility is really limitless now!
Diagnosis: chronic hamstring injury, tae kwon do instructor 4 months | Treatments: 3
It’s not at all painful. I have not actually been able to go down this far and touch. This stretch. WOW! I was feeling it in the back and now I don’t feel it at all.
Diagnosis: chronic hamstring pain/stiffness 8 years | Treatments: 2
I began yoga with my daughter eight years ago. And, I have been stretching consistently for that length of time. I have been going to physical therapy now for two days. And, I can go back to doing the extreme positions that I was doing at that time. I was never able to get my knee this far back. The true miracle is on the left side for me. I couldn’t even push this down. And now I can reach my right foot with my left hip flex and externally rotated with the knee on the floor and hold the stretch.
Diagnosis: chronic hamstring pain/stiffness 1 year | Treatments: 1
I don’t feel anything in the right that you worked on and in my left leg I feel it behind the knee while touching palms to the floor.
