Tilden Community Hospital

  Physical Therapy services are provided at The Tilden Community Hospital Monday through Friday, plus weekends as needed. Doris O’Brien, PT is the Physical Therapist and Crystal Duryea, PTA is the Physical Therapist Assistant. In addition to comprehensive inpatient and skilled Physical Therapy services, we also provide a full range of outpatient services including treatment and rehabilitation of back and neck pain, orthopedic rehabilitation after sprains/strains, sports injuries, post surgical recovery for ankle, knee hip or shoulder replacements, arthroscopic surgeries, ACL and rotator cuff repairs, recovery after a fracture, etc. We also provide strengthening and balance programs to aid in recovery after illness or neurological injuries.

Our Physical Therapy staff work with your family physician or specialist to provide personalized professional care in a friendly hometown setting. The Physical Therapist will perform an evaluation to help determine the most appropriate care for your set of symptoms. They then work with you to relieve pain and help restore strength, flexibility, balance and self care skills as needed to allow you to function at your best. If you have any questions about treatment or rehabilitation needs for you or a family member, please feel free to call the Tilden Community Hospital and ask for Doris or Crystal.

  Doris O’Brien, P.T. is the Physical Therapist at the Tilden Community Hospital. After completing her pre-requisites at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln she was accepted into the Physical Therapy program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she was President of her graduating class and a McMillan American Physical Therapy Association scholar. She is a past secretary of the Nebraska Chapter of APTA and also served as their Education  Committee Chairman in the mid-1980’s. Doris has worked for nearly 35 years in rural hospitals and long term care facilities in Nebraska. She has extensive experience working with acute care inpatients; skilled patients recovering after illness or surgery; outpatients of all ages, plus experience working with Home Health providing in-home care. She has treated patients as young as 3 months old and as old as 105.  She has extensive experience in many areas of Physical Therapy including assisting patients to recover after joint replacements/joint surgeries, treating back, neck and joint pain, treating various musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, arthritic symptoms, sports injuries for athletes of all ages, etc. She also works with those experiencing weakness after an illness or injury; those having difficulty with walking or balance deficits, and those needing help to recover to their prior level of physical function.

Doris and her husband John live halfway between  Tilden and Newman Grove where John farms with his brothers. They have five children: Tom (recently married to Emily) who is working on his masters degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics at UNL, Ann who is studying  to be a Secondary Science teacher at UNL, Katie who is in her 2nd year at UNL studying Insect Science/Entomology, Joan who will graduate from Newman Grove this May, and John who is currently at sophomore at Newman Grove. In her spare time Doris likes to spend time with her family, raises flowers, and volunteers with the Youth Council at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Tilden. She especially enjoys her hobby of making animal twist balloons and balloon hats.

Doris enjoys the friendly atmosphere at the Tilden Community Hospital and the staff’s compassionate and professional attitude. “This is a very caring and supportive community. We have come to know so many dedicated and hard working patients. It is truly a privilege to assist with their care”.

  Crystal Duryea has been Physical Therapist Assistant at Tilden Community Hospital since October 2009. She is  married to Jason Duryea of Norfolk, and has two children; Vada 4 years old and Thomas 2 years old. She spends her free time with her family and they enjoy the outdoors and Husker football.

Crystal graduated High School in 1999 from Norfolk Public. She earned her Associate of Applied Science Degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant in August of 2004 at Northeast Community College in Norfolk.

Following graduation Crystal lived in Lincoln and worked for the Ambassador Health System for 5 years where she traveled between Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska City, & facilities in Western Iowa including Skilled Nursing with Short & Long Term Rehabilitation, Outpatient/Wellness Center including Pool Therapy, Assisted Living, Pulmonary Units, and Home Health services. From there she relocated to Northeast Nebraska and has been with the Tilden Community Hospital since then.

When asked why she enjoys working at Tilden Community Hospital Crystal replies, “It is a great compliment to me when I’ve helped a patient be able to return home after a stay in the hospital and then they come back to see us as an outpatient to continue their therapy. I really get to know our patient’s on a personal level and I feel like I am a part of this community. It is so nice that people appreciate what we do for them in Physical Therapy and will stop in to show off their progress. Everyone has been so kind to me and I truly enjoy my days spent here at TCH. “

 " It was a cool and damp day in the mountains of Slovakia. My wife, Suzy, and I were on the mission trip to teach English through the use of Bible stories to God’s people there in Slovakia. Needing an object lesson to teach the English word, “Mud”, I went outside to procure the necessary mud to show them what I was teaching them. And then it happened! Turing the corner with mud in my hand, I slipped in a mud puddle– of all things! In so doing this, my right knee dislocated and I lay alone on some steps in the rain with my leg literally dangling. When Suzy and I returned to the US, after meeting with Dr. Smith, he diagnosed me with: a completely torn ACL (the ligament under the knee cap), a shredded LCL (the ligament on the outside of my leg), and a severely stretched MCL (the ligament on the inside of my leg). I was to have surgery but not until after I had 6 weeks of physical therapy. In my brace-which ran  the entire length of my right leg– I hopped into the Tilden Hospital’s physical therapy department. The professionalism of Doris and Crystal, my physical therapists, was second to none! I have lived in large cities and small towns. The expertise of these two women was evident form the beginning– rivals any other therapists anywhere! Combined with  their true compassion and care for me along with the other patients, Doris and Crystal really helped me build strength in my injured leg and were very successful in helping with the entire healing process. With all the damage that was done, the physical therapy department of our Tilden Hospital accomplished nothing short of a miracle! After 6 weeks of intensive therapy, I was ready for surgery on my knee. Having a new donated ligament implanted into my leg, around 3 more months of physical therapy was necessary to strengthen and retrain my leg how to work again. Doris and Crystal wereready for the challenge! As a matter of fact– in my case, anyway-after surgery I did not experience any pain. To God alone be the glory! However, I know that the therapy and conditioning before surgery strengthened and helped in this as well. After all my physical therapy, the kindness of Doris and Crystal, the staff at the Tilden Hospital not only allowed but encouraged me to continue on my own. They  not only allowed me to use the equipment  they also let me take home whatever would help with my recovery! Along with all of that, quite naturally both Doris and Crystal would follow up and check on my progress. The personal touch with their genuine love and concern aided and enhanced my entire physical therapy experience! I genuinely praise God for our Tilden Hospital and all of our experienced and professional workers,. And I definitely am grateful to Him for our wonderful physical therapists. Their devotion and passion and care truly are a blessing in the healing and recovery process. I highly recommend them to everyone! "

-Pastor Michael Awe