Rehab director knows what it takes to regain good health

By CAROL HUMPHREYS For Crossroads Magazine

When Don “Junior” Harrison entered college, little did he know there was a career field out there that would give him the opportunity to remain close to athletics and grow as a healthcare professional.

The 1989 Alcorn Central High School graduate played basketball in high school and has always enjoyed being physically active. However, it wasn’t until his junior year at the University of Mississippi, the Pre-Law/Business major found his calling. He got involved with the Special Olympics as a volunteer and met other volunteers who were part of the athletic training staff at Ole Miss. He started spending time in the athletic training facility, observing day to day operations. Once he saw the kind of work the athletic trainers did, his decision to change career paths was easy.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with Sports Medicine emphasis from UM in 1994, the Corinth native began working at Magnolia Regional Health Center as an athletic trainer. He then honed his passion for educating the community on how to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional health by obtaining a Master of Science in public health education and promotion at Mississippi State University in 2002. During this time, his wife, Rebecca and he were busy at home raising two young sons who remained active in sports from elementary through high school.

After 19 years as athletic trainer at MRHC, Harrison became director of athletic training at Northeast Mississippi Community College for a year before beginning his current job as director of rehabilitation services at MRHC in 2016.

“Being in the athletic training profession, I’ve been able to see injuries occur on the field which gives great insight to share with treating physicians and other rehab professionals,” said the rehabilitation liaison. “I see firsthand the extent of the injury and how it occurred which makes me appreciate even more the hard work someone puts into their rehabilitation efforts to return to their prior level of function.”

As part of his wide range of responsibilities, Harrison provides health-related education to both his staff and patients. His focus on preventative care includes overseeing all aspects of rehabilitation including patient assessment, treatment planning and discharge planning. Part of the planning is establishing a timetable for goals to be reached such as walking without assistance. An exercise regime is an essential part of helping people regain their mobility or functioning.

“An important determination to make when starting any type of exercise or rehab program is to ask the patient what he or she wants to get out of it. If they are attending therapy to recover from an illness or an injury, their therapist will help them set goals for their plan of care and make sure they advance in a safe structured manner,” he said.

“If their focus is on an exercise regimen and they are unsure how to go about setting their own personal goals, they should consult with a healthcare professional who is competent in this area. Getting the okay from their primary care physician is a great place to start. If someone uses a gym, they should make sure to check out the credentials of the individuals who are giving them advice,” said the rehab specialist.

“If a patient has recently completed a rehabilitation program, his or her physical therapist or certified athletic trainer can also serve as a good resource,” he added.

At MRHC, there is approximately 12,000 square feet of rehab space including an aquatic therapy pool, dedicated pediatric area and a number of individual treatment areas. In addition to aquatic physical therapy, several water aerobics classes are offered to many former patients. Harrison commented this was a fantastic way for them to continue putting into action the things they learned while attending therapy.

The rehabilitation director and former athletic trainer offered the following advice regarding the importance an exercise regime has in maintaining good health.

Start with a family doctor

A productive exercise regime begins with establishing care and routine visits with primary care physician. It is vital to monitor a patient’s health status so decisions can be made that have a positive impact on his or her overall health.

Any time is a good time to start exercising

Starting an exercise program is a great way to take an active role in maintaining good health. If someone is not routinely getting exercise, today is a great time to start.

As people age, physical activity has unmatched benefits with disease prevention, reducing fall risk factors and improvement with mental/cognitive health.

Starting young and developing good habits with routine exercise is also important.

Early intervention through exercise can help prevent two of the most prevalent health issues in our society that impact children – Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity. These are preventable and can lead to other health related complications later in life. Children with low activity levels can develop glucose intolerance and can become insulin resistant. Numerous studies support exercise as the best defense against these health risks.

Using exercise to manage pain

Once a person’s doctor has determined it is safe, recommendations may be made to work with a therapist to assist with pain management. Depending on the source of the patient’s pain, the therapist may suggest a combination of exercise and stretching to reduce symptoms.

It’s important to stay on track with what the therapist recommends by consistently attending rehabilitation appointments. Going too fast with exercise can cause an increase in symptoms. Likewise being too conservative will keep someone from getting the results they are looking for.

In some cases oral pain medication is warranted but should not be a long term goal. In many cases, patients may get quick results from pain medication and fail to treat the underlying cause of the pain itself. This can create an unhealthy cycle with bouts of medication being taken that can potentially have adverse side effects.

Good health comes with exercise

Thirty minutes a day, five days a week is optimal for good health maintenance. An important note is if someone doesn’t have access to a gym there are a number of exercises they can do at home without using any exercise equipment. Depending on their level of fitness these can range from simple activities such as body squats and leg raises to lunges and push-ups.

Whether someone is exercising at home or in the gym it is important they get their body ready for exercise. Many individuals consider stretching to be an adequate warm up. Actually, warming up to stretch is important before advancing to exercises. A warm-up can be as simple as walking or jogging in place.

An outdoors lover, Harrison knows movement is essential to overall good health and healing. It is something his own family utilizes whether it is Jake, 26, who is currently working on his MBA at Ole Miss or Josh, 24, who served four years in the U.S. Army and is currently a member of the Mississippi National Guard. Rebecca and Josh also have an interest in how the human body functions. Rebecca teaches Biology at Tishomingo County High School and Josh is pursuing his degree in Biology, with plans to attend physician assistant school at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn.

After 26 years of working in the rehabilitation field, Harrison remarked it was never lost on him what an incredible healing power the human body possesses.

“To be a part of someone’s recovery is so rewarding,” said the healthcare administrator. “We have an incredible staff throughout the rehab department at MRHC and I count it a blessing to be able to work with each of them.”

Carol Humphreys has been a Corinth resident for 26 years and a writer for the Daily Corinthian and Crossroads Magazine since 1998.