By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
Airway Heights Physical Therapy added a new face to its staff late last year, Idaho State University alum and current Cheney resident, Valerie Olsen, as a physical therapist.
Olsen said her relocating to the area prompted a local search for work in physical therapy (PT), and when a vacancy showed up at the West Plains medical center, one of six area therapy clinics owned and run by Paula Dillon Mays, she put in a call.
“I am originally from Billings, Mont., and coming here was a nice change. I had my eye on getting on with the staff here,” Olsen said, who studied psychology as an undergraduate at Montana State University with plans to enter counseling. She changed her mind when she weighed a career in psychology to that of PT, a field where Olsen said problems are somewhat easier to fix, at least from a physical standpoint.
“I didn't feel good about the direction [the psych field] was going at the time, the accountability factor wasn't as good as it is in this profession,” Olsen said. She earned her doctoral degree from Idaho State University's PT program. Olsen has spent the last two years working as a PT, and underwent some therapy prior to that for knee injury, either from skiing or dancing mishaps.
“The medical field in general I've always had interest in. With physical therapy, you learn of the cross-over connections between mind and body issues that come into play,” Olsen said. She is also a former cheerleader for the Washington Redskins, a group commonly referred to as the “first ladies” of football as the longest running cheerleading team of the National Football League.
It's been roughly eight years since Olsen donned the white boots and burgundy-gold outfit, touring the world to places overseas, but it's a time she's fond of remembering, because it provided gateways to so many worlds in a short span of time. Olsen said among the places the team traveled to were Ecuador, Costa Rica, Bosnia, Germany and Macedonia.
“It was just one year of my life,” Olsen said, recalling the team visited 48 military bases in one summer. “The people there I found were just so appreciative to have any entertainment, and I have the utmost respect for anyone in the military because of the life they live. It makes you appreciate your country even more I think.”
Olsen officially joined AHPT in October, and since the recent onslaught of winter weather, the staff has seen a lot of customers coming in with ailments stemming from improper snow shoveling techniques. The biggest two causes Olsen said she's seen in patients is poor posture (leg instead of back lifting), and going from a lack of activity to too much activity too soon.
“Actually, we see a little bit of everything, and we do expect a slew of patients,” she said, adding that the best reward of her daily job is providing needed comfort to patients when they want it most.
“I just love my job. You get to meet great people, work with them to relieve their pain. There's more tangible progress in terms of regaining function of your well, physical health,” she said.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]
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