Dancing through Recovery: How One Couple Reclaimed the Dance Floor with Help from the Rehabilitative Care Team at East Jefferson General Hospital

Norm Kreisman and Terri Gonzales-Kreisman are used to being on their feet. As longtime Cajun dancers, their shared love for waltzes, two-steps, and jitterbugs has taken them all over New Orleans, from Tipitina's to Mulate's. But in the summer of 2025, chronic pain threatened to take them off the dance floor for good. 

“We met dancing,” Terri said. “I was widowed after 25 years of marriage, when a friend invited me to Tipitina’s to go dancing. Norm actually danced with the friend first, and she told him that he needed to ask me to dance. He did, then we started meeting to dance several times a week. Now we’ve been married almost 22 years and are still dancing!”  

Norm and Terri’s “summer of maintenance,” as they call it, began in April 2025. After years of dancing and even playing basketball into his 60s, osteoarthritis had gradually worn away the cartilage in Norm’s knee, leaving him in constant pain. 

“It reached the point where the cartilage was gone, and it was bone-on-bone,” Norm explained. “Even lying in bed was painful because I just couldn’t find a comfortable position.”  

First steps toward healing 
 

With a knee replacement surgery scheduled for July, 82-year-old Norm began prehabilitation at the East Jefferson General Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Department. Prehabilitation, commonly referred to as “prehab,” is physical therapy designed to strengthen the muscles around a joint prior to replacement surgery. Studies show prehab  can improve mobility and help patients regain joint function faster and with less discomfort after surgery.  

Meanwhile, 72-year-old Terri was diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis, a common shoulder condition. The tendons that help lift and rotate the arm can become irritated or inflamed due to overuse or repetitive motion, leading to pain and stiffness. Physical therapy is often the first step in treating rotator cuff tendonitis, as it can help reduce inflammation, improve mobility and strengthen muscles that support the joint.  

“The pain was most noticeable when lifting heavier things or dancing,” Terri said. “We do a lot of turns and arm lifts in Cajun dancing, and it was becoming more difficult.” 

From volunteer to patient 

 
After Terri’s sons were in college, she found herself with time on her hands and a heart to serve. Both of her sons were born at East Jefferson General Hospital, and the hospital is close to her home, making it an easy decision to begin volunteering there. Since 2002, Terri has volunteered across the hospital, including in the nursery and delivering flowers. Today, she supports the hospital’s volunteer office wherever she is needed.  

Over the course of their treatment, Norm and Terri’s popularity with the staff grew each week. 

“I have to say we were great patients,” Terri said with a laugh. “We made a good team with the therapists – they were fantastic about personalizing our care, and we were diligent about following directions. But the results speak for themselves, and the credit truly belongs to the team.”  

Norm’s post-surgery rehabilitation began the day of surgery and was followed by two weeks of in-home physical therapy.  

“I looked forward to going back to the clinic,” Norm said. “Based on their schedule and yours, you may work with a different therapist each time, which I enjoyed because everyone was fun to be with and very encouraging. They get to know their patients and understood that my motivation was to get back to dancing. Because they were taking care of Terri too, they knew she was motivated for me to get back to vacuuming and doing things around the house!” 

Grateful rehab graduates 

Just six weeks after his surgery, Norm and Terri returned to the dance floor, proudly wearing their East Jefferson Outpatient Rehab Graduate t-shirts as they enjoyed the jitterbugs, two-steps, and waltzes.  

“I want to be clear—our experience wasn’t wonderful just because I’m a volunteer and known around East Jefferson,” Terri said. “This team is amazing with every patient, period. We know that we couldn’t have gotten back to dancing without them, so we wanted to share our story to let them know how much they mean to us. To Tracy, Randy, Ricky, Joey, Kyle, Sue, Stephanie, Anaia, Marianna, Angelle, Adam, Alan, Mandy, and Lisa—we appreciate each and every one of you!”  

Norm and Terri are proof that recovery is possible at any age with the right partners, like the team at the East Jefferson General Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Department. Learn more about our personalized care and advanced physical therapy techniques and how we can help you get the most out of life.