Michele Plagman
Lower back pain has made Michele Plagman a frequent visitor to Riverwood Healthcare Center, where she has received interventional pain treatment and physical therapy.
“I developed sciatica pain in my lower back in fall 2023. Sitting for any period of time became difficult; eventually, I was only comfortable lying down or standing,” Plagman recalls. “Physical therapy helped initially, but I ultimately needed surgery to correct a bulging disc in March 2024. Later that year, several long-distance driving trips aggravated my back again, and by January 2025, I was in significant pain.”
Plagman returned to Riverwood’s Interventional Spine team and was referred back to physical therapy.
“I had postponed a trip to Japan the previous year and rescheduled it for April 2025, so I was highly motivated to move without pain again,” she says.
Tom and Michele Plagman on their Japan trip
“Brian taught me how to use them properly, especially for navigating stairs—some without railings,” Plagman explains. “Thanks to that training, I was able to maintain my balance and avoid relying on railings.”
She adds, “The balance techniques I learned were even more valuable than building strength and endurance. At one temple, I had to step over a large log to enter, and I managed it with no problem.”
Gehling comments on a patient’s role in therapy, “Michele is an example of the great progress that can be accomplished with an open and positive mindset and perseverance.”
Michele’s husband, Tom—who previously had both a hip and a knee replacement at Riverwood—also benefited from Gehling’s guidance on using walking sticks. Their collapsible design made them easy to carry on public transportation like subways.
In addition to therapy, Plagman received several spinal injections at Riverwood to help manage her pain leading up to the trip.
“The Spine care clinic providers at Riverwood took really good care of me by getting me steroid injections in a timely manner so I would have less pain during my trip to Japan,” Plagman explains. “They eased my concern about a sciatica flare up while I was abroad. From early January when my sciatica flared up through the next few months, they kept reassuring me that they would help me be ready to go on my trip in April.”
Thanks to the combination of expert care and her determination, Plagman was able to enjoy her long-awaited adventure in Japan, pain-free and confident on her feet.