Brittany Wilkins

Patient Care Coordinator

Employee of the Quarter

Brittany is one of the first faces you see when you come to OSTC.  She can be found at the front desk helping new patients register for physical therapy and signing in returning patients.  Brittany is from North Carolina, she currently lives in Wichita Falls with her husband Tyler and their one year old son Maverick.  

Though she has only worked at OSTC for one year, she is loved by both staff and members alike.  She was voted employee of the Quarter by her fellow employees and recieves mulitple "Shining Star" reviews from patients.  It is no suprise that Brittany's favorite part of her job is forming relationships with patients.  

October is National Physical Therapy Month, in this article we explain how to choose your physical therapist.

If you have ever been a patient or client at OSTC, you know there is just something special in the air.  It's the feeling of family, because at OSTC, we are family.  OSTC was built in 2002, many of the therapists and athletic trainers that were here for opening day are still in the building today.  Seretha Elkins, Physical Therapist and director of Physical Therapy has been a part of OSTC since it was a simple idea from Dr. Wilson and Dr. Ruyle.  They, along with Athletic Trainers Dustin Hostas and Steve Bailey, believed in creating a specialty clinic devoted to orthopedic and sports therapy.  During the creation process, the founders of OSTC believed in one simple concept, "do the right thing for the right reason and everything else will sort itself out."  Today, that motto still rings true. 

Charlie Post was the next to join the crew as an Athletic Trainer, and today he works as a Physical Therapy Assistant.  Jennifer Cantwell, Physical Therapist, joined the OSTC family in 2005 bringing with her a vast knowledge of sports therapy.  Shane Berend and Lacy Coltharp both came to OSTC as part of their clinical rotations while in their final year of their doctorate programs.  They noticed that there was something different about this place and decided to join the family.  Juli Weger, our newest Physical Therapist, worked as a Physical Therapy Technician for two years prior to pursuing a career as a physical therapist.  Kris Tucker also worked as a tech before attending PTA school.  He has been with OSTC since it began in 2002.

Through the years, our family has grown through new staff members and new babies.  We have all been together to celebrate joyous occasions and mourn family losses.  The staff at OSTC often gets together to share meals and cheer on our favorite sports teams.  The old cliche is "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life."  In that case, no one at OSTC ever works.

Choosing a physical therapist is a personal decision and one that shouldn’t be made in haste. One of the best ways to locate a therapist is by asking family, friends, co-workers or your primary care physician for recommendations. An online search can also be conducted or visit the American Physical Therapy Association website.

While all physical therapists are highly trained and educated professionals, some choose to specialize in specific areas of expertise. Some physical therapists specialize in all aspects of pregnancy related needs, while others choose to concentrate on sports injuries, rehabilitation for stroke or accident victims, pediatrics, orthopedics, neurology or geriatrics. It’s important that patients select a physical therapist that has experience in their particular condition.

At OSTC, all of our Physical Therapists are either Board Certified Specialists in Sports or Orthopedics or are in the process of becoming a Board Certified Specialist. This means our Physical Therapists have proven themselves through testing to have a higher level of knowledge, skill, and experience in Sports and Orthopedics than a non-board Certified Physical Therapist.

As a company, we have made a commitment to consistently sending our professionals to seminars and training by the top orthopedic and sports medical professionals in the country. This benefits you in that you can rest assured that your Physical Therapist is up to date on the latest evidence based practice techniques and technology, which will result in better outcomes for you.

In addition to being highly trained, our professionals love what they do. You will be treated in an upbeat and energized environment with happy people that will consistently encourage you along the journey toward reaching your goals.

Patients should feel comfortable with their physical therapist, be able to ask questions and talk with them freely about their condition and treatment. Having a rapport with the physical therapist is critical for effective treatment.

OSTC physical therapists encourage you to come by to meet our staff.  We offer free consultations to help best guide you on your road to recovery.  We would love you to choose OSTC to be your orthopedic and sports physical therapy provider for life.

Pain-free movement is critical for your quality of life and your ability to work.  Physical therapists are movement experts who identify and treat the movement problems that are preventing you from doing the things you enjoy.  Physical therapists are highly educated and have extensive training in the sciences focusing on anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology and physics.  They use this training to work with you to develop a plan to help you meet your personal goals.  

On your first visit, your physical therapist will take a thorough history to get an understanding of the problem you are seeking help with.  They will then perform a series of tests to help them understand the source of your problem and the areas that need work.  They will then put all this information together and visit with you about these findings.  Together, you and your therapist will make a plan that will help resolve your problems. 

Physical therapists use many different treatments to help with your pain and mobility issues.  Your treatment may include modalities to help decrease your pain such as heat, ice , LASER, ultrasound and electrical stimulation.  Along with these modalities, your PT may utilize manual treatments such as massage and stretching as well as exercise to help restore your strength and balance.  At OSTC, we have found that the best way to help you meet your goals is to minimize your pain with modalities and soft tissue work and very quickly start working on regaining mobility and strength.  We are an exercise based facility and utilize exercise to help you get back to doing the activities that you enjoy.

Communication with your therapist is key to a speedy recovery.  At every visit your physical therapists will want your feedback on how you are feeling.  They use that information to make adjustments in your treatment plan.  Open dialogue with your physical therapist will help you meet your goals in the fewest visits possible.  It is also important to attend all of your scheduled visits.  This allows your therapist to progress your treatment and stay on top of your issues with pain.  At the conclusion of your care, your physical therapist may give you exercises to do at home which will also help speed your recovery.  

In order to encourage you to continue your exercise and create healthy lifestyle habits, OSTC offers you a free month of membership to our wellness facility at the conclusion of your prescribed therapy.  During this time, you can continue to work independently with your exercises in the comfort of a familiar facility with direct access to your physical therapist.  We encourage you to ask questions if you have them as you are becoming independent with your exercises. 

We want to help you achieve and maintain your physical well-being and overall quality of life now and in the future.  Should you ever find yourself having aches, pains or problems don't hesitate to call your physical therapist at OSTC.  We will help get you back on track to doing the activities you enjoy.