A father-daughter physical therapy team in McComb has worked for years to earn their way to a shining reputation for patient care.
Bert Haydel opened McComb Physical Therapy in 1980, and his daughter Wendy Blue followed in his footsteps, working part-time many summers before joining his practice in 1998 after finishing both pharmacy and physical therapy schools at University Medical Center.
The majority of their caseload at McComb Physical Therapy revolves around orthopedic issues and sports medicine, and the two pride themselves on their growing knowledge of the field and hands-on techniques they use with patients.
Blue said that as a trained pharmacist and physical therapist, she can better assess those who are on medication and determine how that medication will affect the physical therapy, as well as how a patient should respond to different methods and exercises.
Haydel said he has seen many changes in physical therapy since getting his degree from University of Texas at Houston in 1961. He said the focus for him and his daughter is the patient, and that the most important thing is the relationship with the patient.
“The big thing is we do hands-on — we do the patient work, we’re hands-on and we’re one-on-one,” Haydel said. “Whether it’s my patient or her patient, we are in the room and we are working with them. Our skills come from the knowledge that we have to rectify that muscular or skeletal dysfunction.
“The equipment is really just an asset to relieve that pain, but the real work comes from here and here,” he said, pointing to his head and then holding out his hands.
With changes in orthopedic surgery come new therapy timelines, and Blue said many patients are able to see a therapist just a few days after surgery to begin the process instead of waiting a few weeks, thanks to simpler, less invasive procedures.
“They want to try to get it moving within some restrictions set by the doctor so that you don’t mess up the technique that was done, but you’ll start restoring your range of motion as soon as you can,” Blue said. “The sooner you can get in there and get the soft tissue healing, decrease swelling and increase joint mobility, you normally can progress a little bit faster with function and return them back to work, return them back to life, return them back to golf or whatever their focus in life is.”
After seeing her father work as a physical therapist, Blue grew up wanting to follow in the family business. In time, Blue has built a reputation of her own as a skilled physical therapist along with her father, and the pair reaps the benefits every time a patient takes a step toward that therapy goal.
“I think one of the things that makes it really special working with your father who has been in this profession so long and seen so many changes through the years, I’ve learned a lot, and I have a sense of pride of all the things he’s been through that I’m facing now,” she said. “The things that seem like a struggle in the beginning — he’s already been through it. I’m proud to know every day that he’s lasted this long in this profession and has built up such a great reputation. We’ve survived for so long in this type of environment because of our reputation and the care that we give. That’s something my dad started from Day 1.”
