Lake Superior College is offering free or low-cost physical therapy services to eligible area residents at its physical therapy community clinic. Physical therapist students from the College of St. Scholastica and physical therapist assistant students from Lake Superior College provide the services. Faculty members, who are licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, supervise all treatments. The clinic provides students with valuable real-world experience and interdisciplinary education. LSC offers both a two-year Physical Therapy Assistant degree and a Military Bridge PTA AAS degree online program.

The LSC clinic provides services to area residents who are not covered by health insurance or whose insurance benefits have expired. Services are provided on a sliding fee scale with a $10 fee but may be free, depending on income.

The clinic is open on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the LSC school year until mid-May. For more information or to make an appointment, call Lake Superior College (218) 733-1093 or contact Chandra Shoberg at [email protected].

Physical therapy can provide treatments for pain, weakness, difficulty walking, problems with balance, swelling, stiffness, and muscle tightness.  “We provide treatments for neurologic and orthopedic issues,” said Jane Worley, director of LSC’s Physical Therapist Assistant program. “Our PT services include range of motion and strengthening exercises, walking and balance training, heat and cold, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, massage, and treatment for neurologic injury or disease.”

The clinic partnership between Lake Superior College and the College of St. Scholastica began in 1999 and continues to be a national model of teaching collaboration between physical therapist and physical therapist assistant students.