Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

12/30/2025

🤔 When is it time to leave a job?🤔

We all get asked the question as children – what do you want to be when you grow up? The question can vary wildly throughout the life spectrum. I remember photography being a huge focus of my career aspirations. Am I photographer? No. Were either of my parents influential adult photographers? No. Do I have a passion for photography? No. Then what gives? But I digress…

I found my passion for helping people, being creative, being a lifelong learner, and feeling like I am contributing to the world in a meaningful way. I have also worked many jobs over my lifespan, and a few jobs as a physical therapy professional. And I have found a few tips along the way to determine “What gives?” when you aren’t feeling that spark anymore.

➡️When you don’t feel the love anymore

Are you dreading Mondays? Do you feel an over-elation on Fridays that the work week is over? Do you generally dread work as you drive there daily? Do you feel an overwhelming exhaustion that builds every day of the work week? Do you go on vacation and feel the job approaching like a dark cloud overhead? If you answer yes to most (if not all) of these questions, I hate to tell you partner, but it’s probably time to find another job.

➡️But is it the job itself or the profession?

Do you still have moments of excitement about your job in the day? Or when someone asks you what you do, do you get a little spark of happiness talking about exactly what it is you’ve dedicated your life to? Did you love learning about what you would do as a professional in school? And get excited for your days at clinical rotations or on the job experience? If yes, then it probably is where you are and not what you do. If no, and no you don’t really care at all for what you do now or at any point, then it’s time to find your new passion!

➡️What now?

You don’t have to love what you do. Heck you don’t even have to like it. But, you have to not mind waking up every day to do what you do. If you’ve fallen out of love with the profession, start dreaming. Life is way too short to keep living your days in misery. And, if you’re at the end of your career, maybe its time to retire early and take on a much simpler retirement job. Trust me, if you died tomorrow, would you be happy you never made the change as your life flashed before your eyes?
But, what if it is just the where you work, and not just the what you do? It is time to start looking for a job elsewhere. Go back and read that again if you are like me and have a hard time letting go of things. Ok, I will do it for you. It is time to start looking for a job elsewhere. There are very few merit badges anymore for those who stick it out and stay. If the place goes under, they will drop you faster than you can say “Wait!!!! What????.” It is a fact of life – at the end of the day a business will boil everything down to dollars and cents and not it’s people. And, the question goes for you, also, if you died tomorrow would you be happy knowing you didn’t take the leap and find somewhere happier and maybe a better fit?

We are evolving creatures. We are allowed to change, learn, and grow. Sometimes the place we work and the people we work with (or for) no longer suit who we are. It is OK to walk away and find somewhere better. And, it is not a sign of failure to change careers entirely. I promise.

➡️But what if I can’t?

Barring a gun held to your head, there are few excuses to not take life by the horns and move on. Start really making a solid list of your pro’s to staying and your con’s to leaving (or vis versa). You may decide to stay in the short term, but always be moving forward. You will never flow in life if you stay still and grow moss. There is more in life, and there is a such thing as being happy. I sincerely hope this helps, and the words hit you right where you would feel them when you needed them the most!!

Heal today, transform tomorrow. Unlock your potential to heal, learn and grow. – Dr. Barb Wally, LLC

Note: These blog articles are not in exchange for a one on one Physical Therapy visit. Please contact me if you are interested in receiving a Physical Therapy visit!
*This content is original and copyright Dr Barb Wally, LLC*

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

📱 Reach out to me here to request a Physical Therapy appointment: https://barbara-wally.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

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🔗 Link to the article on my website: https://drbarbwally.com/2025/10/28/written-when-is-it-time-to-leave-a-job/

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas!

🎄🎁 🎅🏻

12/25/2025

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

📱 Reach out to me here to request a Physical Therapy appointment: https://barbara-wally.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

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12/23/2025

🦶 Barefoot Running 🦶

Ok, so this is a little bit of a throwback circa 2000’s. There are ALWAYS exercise fads (current exercise fad 2025 is weighted vests). But I still get this question about barefoot running, or even minimalist shoes for running. Here are your answers!

So, why barefoot running? The theory at the advent of barefoot running was that your feet actually weaken in shoes and running barefoot will support your natural muscles and biomechanics by learning to run barefoot. Sounds fair, right?

::Sedentary America has entered the chat::

So, here is the major issue with that reasoning. Most people who run are not professionals. They are people with jobs, kids, lives, and don’t have the ability to run daily and slowly build to complete barefoot style running. They tend to be more weekend warriors. You are supposed to start low and slow, i.e. on sand or soil where the ground is soft. Start with small duration (say 5 minutes, then put your shoes back on), and work up very gradually to harder surfaces and longer durations of time. Sounds reasonable, right??

::Stress fractures has entered the chat::

So, when barefoot running, or even 5 finger shoes, were at their peak, I cannot tell you the deluge of metatarsal (ball of foot) stress fractures that cropped up in the general population. I am not saying that EVERYONE had issues. Some people, especially those who were lifelong runners with thinner frames and daily dedication to proper training, conditioning, and cross-training, did fine. But the vast majority? They kept me plenty busy.

::Minimalist or heel drop shoes have entered the chat::

So, the market adjusted. There was a compromise starting to take ahold. OK, so 5 finger shoes and barefoot is too aggressive for the average runner? Then, “let’s make shoes lighter and less supportive! We will drop the heel lower than traditional running shoes, to mimic barefoot running but with a slightly more cushioned effect!” Well, let me just tell you. Achilles tendonitis and the “pump bump” on the heel became all the rage. Challenge is this – our feet really cannot typically handle a heel drop in a running shoe, especially for the average American runner. Unless you are a life-long runner, with a solid understanding of training efforts and dedication to doing it right, you are probably going to have issues.

::Proper running shoes based on YOUR biomechanics and anatomy has entered the chat::

So, lets talk turkey. Just go to a specialty running store – I like Fleet Feet. They tend to be pretty consistent across the board and do not run off commission. So, they aren’t going to upsell you like New Balance. That being said, New Balance is a company that trains their sales people well (I worked for them in college), so if you get an ethical sales person, you will walk away with the right shoe for you. But both places will scan your feet, the best sales people will also watch you walk and/or run in the shoe, and even make recommendations for appropriate shoe inserts as necessary. If you want to run, and be healthy for as long as possible, just get the right shoes for you and your feet will almost certainly thank you!!

Heal today, transform tomorrow. Unlock your potential to heal, learn and grow. – Dr. Barb Wally, LLC

Note: These blog articles are not in exchange for a one on one Physical Therapy visit. Please contact me if you are interested in receiving a Physical Therapy visit!
*This content is original and copyright Dr Barb Wally, LLC*

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

📱 Reach out to me here to request a Physical Therapy appointment: https://barbara-wally.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

📧 Have a question? Email me here: DrBarbWallyPT@DrBarbWally.com

💻 Visit my website here: https://drbarbwally.com/

🔗 Link to the article on my website: https://drbarbwally.com/2025/11/06/written-barefoot-running/

12/18/2025

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

📝 Amazon link here to the insole: https://amzn.to/4pYekZi

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*I am an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only post products that I personally have used, tested, and/or approve!*

12/16/2025

Watch to learn more about kinesiotape!

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

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https://drbarbwally.com/2025/11/01/video-kinesiotape/

Watch to learn more about Dry Needling from a Physical Therapist! Telehealth (or Online) Physical Therapy for the residents of South Carolina (SC), North Carolina (NC), Georgia (GA), and Pennsylvan…

12/14/2025

Dr Barb Wally, LLC - Online Physical Therapy

📝 Amazon link here to the crutch pads: https://amzn.to/3WmdiJW

📝 Amazon link here to the shoe EvenUp: https://amzn.to/4oGUb9D

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*I am an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only post products that I personally have used, tested, and/or approve!*

12/03/2025

👩‍⚕️ What is happening to medicine today?

I have been wondering this for years. The longer I’ve been in the trenches, I learned that the productivity standards always get steeper, and the goal posts will always move further out of reach. For those not in the medical field, you many not be aware that most, if not all, of medical practices require providers (that includes doctors, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists (PT), etc.) to see a specific number of patients a day or to bill a specific amount of units per day in order to justify a paycheck. Brace yourselves, this is my latest opinion piece!

But, with many recent changes to federal funding of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare, there are further increasing pressures to an already strained system. Reimbursement has continued to lower from Medicare in the PT field for years now. But, with cutting back on federal funding of insurance plans, we will see more Americans with more expensive healthcare coverage that may ultimately get dropped out of sheer budgetary necessity. Or, we will see providers getting paid less for services, and, therefore, we will see many providers discontinue care from certain healthcare plans (like Medicaid). There is also a call from Medicare to reduce spending with the use of pre-authorizations that may either limit access to necessary services, or just wear out the beneficiary from even trying in the first place. And, some rural healthcare hospitals and practices that previously relied on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, may find themselves shuttering their doors because they cannot keep their lights on.

We are also seeing federal student loan borrowing become more restrictive, with limits placed on exactly how much money can be borrowed from the federal government. Some may wonder – what is the big deal? People can just get private loans. However, private loans do not come with the perks federal loans have such as lower repayment options and the ability to forebear loans for a period of time when financial hardship is encountered. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) keeps seeing further restrictions to access, including limits on the amount of money you make and restrictive qualifications on student loan repayment plans. And, they will no longer allow married couples to file their taxes “Married Filing Separately” to still qualify for the repayment plans that the PSLF program requires you to have. So, what we may see happen is less people from middle or lower class families going to school for high dollar degrees like medical doctor or physical therapy. And, if a young person decides to get married, they will not qualify for PSLF due to the combined income of the married couple disqualifying them from the necessary repayment plans for the program. We will, most certainly, see a downward trend of medical students across the board in America, as well as a downward trend of medical providers willing to work in public service.

In addition, the income for a profession like PT or Pharmacist makes it difficult to support that the means justify the end. We may see more youth opting for cheaper or less involved medical professions such as Medical Assistants, technical positions, or basically any profession you can receive through a technical school or just a few years of college.

And, if productivity standards continue to rise and reimbursement continues to plummet, we are going to see higher rates of burnout in the medical profession. I think we may see more retirements happen sooner than planned, we may see more medical professions leave the profession altogether, and less youth willing to invest in that career path. A shortage is likely on the horizon, with less access to care for all of us.
Here is to hoping this changes! I would love to do a follow up that states the course of this writing has changed!

Heal today, transform tomorrow. Unlock your potential to heal, learn and grow. – Dr Barb Wally, LLC

Note: These blog articles are not in exchange for a one on one Physical Therapy visit. Please contact me if you are interested in receiving a Physical Therapy visit!

*This content is original and copyright Dr Barb Wally, LLC*

📱 Reach out to me here to request a Physical Therapy appointment: https://barbara-wally.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

📧 Have a question? Email me here: DrBarbWallyPT@DrBarbWally.com

💻 Visit my website here: https://drbarbwally.com/

https://drbarbwally.com/2025/10/21/written-what-is-happening-to-medicine-today/

Read to learn more about what is happening to medicine today!

11/27/2025

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

With sincerest thanks and gratitude!🦃