October 5, 2012 - Baptist Memorial Health Care

Couch to 5K program gets Baptist North Mississippi colleagues in stride for a good cause
Foundation. The 5K raises money for arthritis research and awareness.
“Rheumatology is one of our newer service lines. Our rheumatologist,
Dr. Kirk Eddleman, serves as the vice chair for the Arthritis Foundation,
and we thought it was a great idea to join the effort and get our colleagues
involved.” says Jondi Roberson, director of Marketing at Baptist North
Mississippi.
The program is led by Hayley Womack, a certified personal trainer with
experience leading the Couch to 5K program.
On Sept. 5, 63 colleagues and their families began training for their
first 5K with the beginners’ running program, Couch-to-5K. The program
gives Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi colleagues the opportunity
to get off the couch and start exercising.
“The Couch to 5K program is for true couch potatoes! The best part is it
works! I have seen amazing results in every program I’ve coached. One
participant lost 30 lbs, she was dedicated. I expect this group at Baptist
North Mississippi will have similar success! They are working hard.”
Throughout the 12 weeks of training, participants will receive t-shirts,
gym bags, sports bottles and attend motivational lunches hosted by the
Arthritis Foundation.
“As leaders in the health care industry, we must demonstrate a healthy
lifestyle ourselves,” says Melissa Wommack, coordinator of the program.
“I wanted to offer a way for us as colleagues to get in shape together.”
The 12-week program will culminate with the Jingle Bell Fun Run, a 3.1
mile course through downtown Oxford in support of The Arthritis
“Getting together outside of the office for such a positive cause really
makes a difference in our work day. We pass one another in the hallways
at the hospital and joke about being sore or how we need to run faster. The
friendly competition is great for our work relationships. Morale is up and
our blood pressures, BMIs and heart rates are down! I think every
industry should provide this program for their colleagues,” said
Wommack.
Patient testimony: Balance therapy program helped me walk again
In the fall of 2008, my life took a drastic,
unexpected turn. I accidentally fell while
working at my job as a hair dresser.
I thought it was due to my bad knees as they
had been giving me a lot of problems, but after
the fall, my physical abilities kept deteriorating
instead of getting better. I was referred to an
orthopedic surgeon in Nashville and had a total
knee replacement in Jackson in January 2009.
After my knee replacement surgery, my body
continued to get worse, and my mobility
became more limited. After three rehabilitation
facilities and seven different doctors’
visits to determine the problem, a neurologist
discovered I had a benign tumor on my upper
spine that was causing the total immobility of
my lower extremities. By this time, and for five
months, I could not move my body from the
waist down. I was in a bed or a wheelchair, and
relied totally on others to care for me.
In March 2009, a neurosurgeon at St.
Thomas Hospital in Nashville removed the
benign tumor and prescribed extensive physical
therapy. Following the procedure, I
remained at the hospital for two weeks and
spent the next three weeks at Cane Creek
Rehabilitation Center and then three months
at Huntingdon Health and Rehabilitation.
During this time, I relearned how to walk and
increase my physical body strength and was
finally able to leave the rehab center using my
walker.
I continued outpatient physical therapy
three times a week at Baptist Rehabilitation
and Sports Medicine and after this therapy, I
began walking with a cane. Even though I was
thankful to be walking with a cane, my balance
was not what it should be and I continually
feared that I would fall. I tried to be courageous
and began walking without a cane, but my fears
became a reality when I fell coming out of
church one night without my cane. As a result,
I broke my hand and bruised my body and face.
After the fall, I used my walking cane every day.
One day, I saw an advertisement in the
newspaper for Baptist Rehabilitation and
Sports Medicine’s balance therapy program
and asked my doctor if this might be something
that would help me. My doctor
prescribed the balance therapy program, and I
participated in the maximum number of
therapy sessions prescribed.
The program uses a Biodex product that has
testing and training components. During my
first visit, a fall risk assessment was
performed. This compares me to others in my
age group and determines if I am at risk for
falls.
If patients return for further treatment, they
will undergo several balance training activities
as well as balance exercises in the clinic. The
falls risk test is then performed periodically to
see if there is improvement from the therapy.
I walked out of therapy without my cane,
gained back my confidence in my mobility, and
felt a renewed thankfulness for my faith in
God, love of family and friends, and staff and
balance machine at Baptist’s balance therapy
program. I would recommend this highly to
anyone of any age with balance problems.
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