A Nebraska man knows firsthand all about the struggles with and benefits of physical therapy, according to KVNO news.
One month after Daryl Kucera opened an athletic conditioning gym, he lost his eyesight, which was the first symptom of multiple sclerosis. The autoimmune disease takes aim at one's central nervous system and impacts the brain and the spinal column. Kucera said he was shocked by the diagnosis, in part because never before had he heard of the disease.
"So we closed the gym down, my sight came back, we opened it up and then had another hit," Kucera told the publication. "That (attack) just took out my right side for a good six weeks."
He partook in rehabilitation efforts with individuals who hold physical therapy jobs. He also consulted the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, spoke with his neurologist and spoke with additional physical therapy organizations. He then was able to come up with a program for himself and other patients that continues the work started by physical therapy.
Kicked off in 2003, the MS Forward non-profit training agency he established also assists patients battling Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's diseases.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities for physical therapists are forecast to develop more rapidly than the average job.