Guilford Woman July 2012 : Page 25Article by Debbie Faircloth | Photography by Wendy Riley L ori Dixon is a remarkable woman. This li-censed occupational therapist not only oper-ates a private, outpatient clinic, she also raises four teenage boys as a single parent. (Her husband passed away in 2008). Combining care with compassion, and quality with personalized serv-ice, she treats patients from throughout the Piedmont Triad as unique individuals rather than clinical diagnoses. the whole person, not just as an isolated, injured body part or a specific diagnosis code. Every injury is unique, and often there is emotional anxiety as well as inter-related symptoms with other parts of the body.” Typical patients include hand and orthopaedic patients suffering from broken wrists, broken arms, rotator cuff in-juries, and carpal tunnel syndrome; patients with chronic pain from TMJ, neck and back pain, headache, fibromyal-gia, and motor vehicle accidents; pediatric patients who have experienced cerebral palsy and birth traumas; and fe-male patients experiencing chronic pain in the abdomen and pelvic areas, pain from abdominal surgeries, and pain from cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeries. “My greatest satisfaction comes from helping people. Pa-tients come to me in pain and suffering, and I can see past that to the end result of their returning to their normal lifestyle. I love a challenge. When people with chronic pain or multiple injuries come to me, I love to figure out what is causing the pain and how to treat it.” Since Lori operates a private practice, she enjoys the au-tonomy and independence of not being owned by a par-ticular hospital system or large corporation. Therefore, she is able to focus on patient needs rather than administrative requirements, treating patients one on one, one at a time, free of restrictive treatment guidelines. Working with more than 350 insurance plans annually, Dixon and Associates Therapy Services are currently in network agreements with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare; however the office staff gladly files with all insurance plans and answers any concerns the patient might have regarding coverage. The practice also offers flexible payment plans to help those pa-tients in need of assistance. Away from the office, Lori enjoys spending time with her four boys, supporting them and being a part of their ac-tivities. An enthusiastic animal lover, she is raising three large rescue dogs. She also loves music, exercise, cooking, gardening, and socializing with her friends. “Occupational therapy is not just a 9-5 job to me. It’s a unique opportunity to help people who are suffering from pain, and restore to them a better quality of life. It is my calling. It is what I was meant to do.” “My goal is to make each patient’s experience with therapy a positive one. Personal attention has been the cornerstone of my practice for the past 20 years.” A native of Wilmington, Ohio, Lori attended the Univer-sity of Georgia and received her Occupational Therapy de-gree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1987. She also trained at Harmerville Rehabilitation Center in Pitts-burgh, one of the top rehab centers in the nation. After working at High Point Regional Hospital, she started her own clinic in June 1992. In her practice Lori has seen patients as young as two weeks old experiencing a birth trauma to a 93-year-old woman suffering from back pain. She has treated NASCAR drivers, professional football players, college and local high school athletes as well. “I strive to provide all people with quality therapy. Most injuries are debilitating and life-altering. Therapy is my passion, and I work with patients so they can make a full recovery, or if not, as close to a full recovery as possible.” Lori Dixon is also unique among Piedmont Triad health-care providers in that she specializes in a treatment tech-nique known as Myofascial Release. For the past 23 years, she has experienced tremendous success with this gentle hands-on technique that relieves patients from pain spas-ticity, muscle tightness, soft tissue restrictions, and scar tis-sue. Training under and working with John Barnes, PT, an internationally-known physical therapist who developed this technique, Lori herself teaches these treatment tech-niques several times each year to other therapists through-out the country. “I work with patients who have both chronic pain and de-bilitating injuries and who are looking for treatment op-tions rather than surgery or narcotic medications. I treat GUILFORDWOMAN.COM | 25 Publication List |
