Corewell Health

Linda Rusiecki DPT

Walking strengthens the legs, improves balance, boosts cardiovascular function, and builds joint integrity. People who walk regularly have better immune systems, sleep, digestion, and body composition. Blood sugar, lipid, and cholesterol levels improve with walking. Your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases decreases significantly when regular walking is part of your lifestyle.

Walking is so much more than this, though. It affects your mental health, your spiritual self, and your sense of connection and belonging. When you walk with a loved one, you can engage in meaningful conversation and build a relationship. Walking allows you to quietly take in the sights and sounds of your environment, connecting you to nature and your community. It can be your chance to center yourself as you listen to music, a book, or a podcast. 

Few things are more devastating than losing your ability to walk. We take walking for granted and don't even realize how much we rely on our legs. Once lost, there is no price that a patient would not pay to regain this ability.

I spent eleven years of my career as a Physical Therapist working in Acute Rehab. Our specialty programs were Stroke, Brain Injury, and Amputee. I also saw patients with multiple fractures, neurological disorders, and spine or cardiovascular problems. There was one resounding theme I heard over and over: 

I want to be able to walk again.

This looked different for different people, but there was always a story. 

My daughter is getting married at the end of the summer, and I want to be able to walk her down the aisle.

I have a basset hound named Luna, and I want to be able to walk her around the block.

My family goes to Lake Michigan every summer, and I want to walk on the beach with my wife at sunset.

There are no words to describe the rush of joy a therapist feels as their patient takes their first steps—a stirring of hope and a palpable pulse of energy flood the room. At that moment, I'm proud of my patient, proud of myself, proud of my team, and proud of my profession. For over a decade, this got me up in the morning and made me passionate about my work. Being a physical therapist wasn't just a job. It was a calling. 

"How we worked on walking was less important than the fact that someone who cared deeply supported them through the process."

When patients arrived at my unit, they were usually apprehensive as to what the next steps might look like. They were nervous about whether their lives would ever be the same again. They were mourning the loss of their independence. Most of all, they were worried about missing out on work, family time, or other things that made their lives meaningful and important. 

My unit had all sorts of tools to help patients walk. We had body-weight-support treadmill training, functional e-stim, over-ground gait trainers, and assisted devices. We could boast about our state-of-the-art technology all day long. That wasn't what the patients remembered, though. How we worked on walking was less important than the fact that someone who cared deeply supported them through the process. Being a physical therapist embodies these words:

You are important. Your story is worth telling. What you are going through matters. I'll walk with you.

Being a physical therapist isn't just physically walking with someone. It's a commitment to be fully present with them. We are part of something bigger than ourselves, and our work makes an impact. Each day, we bring healing, compassion, and hope to people who feel lost and afraid.