By Kelsey Horath
Physical therapist Jereme Johnson has been serving the Ruston community since 2017, not only utilizing his education in the field to aid patients, but also applying his own past experience of physical therapy after injury.
While in high school, Johnson suffered damage to his shoulder and later experienced a more critical injury to his ACL in college. During both experiences, Johnson received physical therapy as part of treatment.
“Physical therapy is this constant state of progression and regression of physical stresses placed on a patient and their body,” Johnson said. “By applying physics loads and passive stretches to the injured area, we can progress our patients back to their normal tolerance of daily tasks.”
However, physical therapy not only helps patients overcome the physical challenges of injury, but also overcome the mental blocks that come with having an injury.
“In both cases of my injury, therapists were there every step of the way to progress me, push me and help me process the mental challenges and hurdles associated with a long injury or rehab process,” Johnson said.
During the time of Johnson’s therapy processes, his interest in the field grew.
“I felt like that was such a rewarding job to help people both mentally and physically through a tough time in their lives,” Johnson said.
Ensuing this interest further, Johnson received his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and later received a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
Since graduating with his doctorate in 2011, Johnson opened his first clinic, Johnson Physical Therapy, located in Ruston during July of 2017. Two years later, he opened a second location in West Monroe.
After being in the field for over a decade now, Johnson still appreciates the time to help aid patients back to health, regardless of the challenges that may come on the road to recovery.
“Seeing patients emotional responses to getting back to the active lifestyle they love is the absolute best,” Johnson said. “A lot of the time they are so motivated to keep it going that regular physical exercise and movement become an even larger part of their life than before their injury.”
To make sure that every individual is given the opportunity to reach full recovery, Johnson strives to give the best possible care and commitment to his patients.
Johnson values consistent growth and knowledge and believes being a student in your field should never stop.
“You have so much more potential to help patients when you keep learning, keep listening to your patients and valuing the input of your peers,” Johnson said. “Collectively, you can accomplish great things when you stay open minded and hungry to learn and help people.”
