Jenna Della Valle- Physical Therapist

Alexandra Notte
English
Dr. Francis
September 13, 2018

Can Stretching Make You Feel Better?

Don't you hate when you are playing your favorite sport and all of a sudden you feel a crack and suddenly feel yourself fall to the ground? Great you broke your ankle and can't play in the finals. Lucky for you, Physical Therapist, Jenna Della Valle, can help you get better. According to Jenna, Physical Therapy is "A branch in medicine with an intent to rehabilitate a person after musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, or neurological illness or injury through therapeutic exercise, manual interventions, and various evidence based treatments." 

Jenna and some of her family celebrating her doctorate graduation in 2017

Jenna graduated from Quinnipiac University with her undergraduate in Health Sciences in 2014 and her doctorate in 2017. Jenna always knew she wanted to be in the medical field, but wasn't quiet sure what she wanted to be. Her first experience with Physical Therapy wasn't even for her, but for her older sister Dana, who totally demolished her Achilles. Jenna went to almost all the appointments and realized how amazing and talented the therapists were. From then on she knew that she wanted to help patients get better. 

Jennas work building in Pine Brook, New Jersey 

Jenna knew her field was going to require a lot of schooling, what she didn't know was how hard it would actually be. The doctorate program usually last 6-7 years, Jenna did it in 6. She had to cram in extra credits and take summer and winter courses, but she studied hard and had impeccable grades. In order to practice as a licensed clinician, Jenna had to pass a 200 question, 6 hour exam called the Board Exam. Not only did she pass, but she received a perfect score. Jenna now practices in Pine Brook, New Jersey https://www.kessler-rehab.com . She does not have her own company yet, but it would be a dream of hers in the future. 

"It's so rewarding to see how much their lives have changed with the help of physical therapy". The reason why Jenna tortured herself with so much schooling is because she loves helping people. Jenna's day is very busy, but she gives herself enough time to get through it. Each day Jenna treats 20-25 patients through out her 13 hour day, that is about 1-3 patients an hour.Seeing that many patients and still putting a smile on her face, makes Jenna a really special person.  The worst part of the day would be all the paperwork that is required for a new patient. "My favorite part of the day is seeing my patient progress". Jenna says with a smile on her face. Not only does Jenna make the patients smile, but the patients make her smile. One long Monday afternoon, Jenna was with a patient with osteoarthritis of the shoulder and was extremely impressed with her improvement. "About 10 minutes after I stretched her and documented the new range of motion values, I noticed that I spent all that time on the wrong shoulder!" The patient didn't even notice that Jenna was working on the wrong shoulder and they both had a long hard laugh.

Jenna doesn't get much downtime in her 13 hour work day, but when she does she keeps working. Jenna get a lunch break and 2-3 10 minute breaks through out the day. On her lunch she eats in her office and goes through her paperwork. On her 5 minute breaks, Jenna goes over her notes on each of her patients. Not only is Jenna juggling work, but she was also recently proposed to. Her wedding is in July of 2019. With work and the wedding Jenna is a very busy bee, but staying calm and managing her time wisely helps get everything done. 

 It can take years to recover from serious injuries and most people don't want to go through that, but with the right treatment by trained professionals, you will be better by no time. Don't quit because it's too hard, be patient and listen to the people who know whats best for you, physical therapists.