Dana Bubenko
Dana Bubenko, Physiotherapist, has spent most of her career (23 years of it) working in South Texas Rio Grande Valley, and recently moved back to Winnipeg. If you’re a “Winter Texan” you may have bumped into her down there!
Before joining the team at River East Physiotherapy, Dana worked in a variety of settings in Texas and Canada, including rehabilitation hospitals, acute care hospitals, and an outpatient clinic.
Training and Qualifications
Dana graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation in Physical Therapy from the University of Manitoba. On top of her university qualifications, Dana has completed extensive post-graduate training in neurological rehabilitation and hands-on (“manual”) therapy, including:
- NDT-Bobath* three-week certification for treatment of stroke (under Waleed Al-Oboudi, MOT, OTR in Loma Linda, California).
- Functional Manual Therapy, Upper and Lower Quarter (under Alan Weismantel, PT, OMT, FAAOMPT in San Antonio, Texas).
*NDT is a commonly used acronym for Neuro-Developmental Treatment.
Dana’s Approach
Dana treats a wide range of conditions, including bone, muscle, nerve and joint injuries. She has a particular passion for working with clients living with post-stroke, brain injury, Parkinson's, and other neurological conditions.
Dana's approach is very hands-on. She works one-to-one to retrain the normal, everyday movements that are important to her clients. Dana finds her clients respond well to her hands-on (manual therapy) skills, particularly those who have developed pain and tightness from neurological conditions.
Unique Service Offerings
- Stroke & Brain Injury: Dana’s extensive training and experience in stroke and brain injury rehabilitation make her services relatively unique in Manitoba.
- Hands-On Treatment: Dana's manual therapy skills are also unique, particularly:
- Her approach to applying them with stroke and brain injury clients, and
- Her skills in visceral manipulation - which is a hands-on treatment to help your internal organs and nerves glide smoothly in your body.
- Physiotherapy in Spanish: After working on the border of Mexico for over 20 years, Dana can provide Physiotherapy services in both English and Spanish.
- In-Home Care: Outside her work at River East Physiotherapy, Dana provides in-home physiotherapy services. Call us to arrange a call with Dana, and discuss whether physiotherapy in your home is right for you!
New! Dana recently did a webinar entitled "Tips to Walk Better After Stroke." If you or someone you care about is recovering from a stroke, this webinar recording is for you:
More about Dana
Are there any particular challenges that you are passionate about solving?
"The stroke community in Winnipeg is so underserved," says Dana. "I would really like people to know that help is available, whether your stroke is recent or if it occurred many years ago. Anyone can improve their movement and function!"
What do you like best about River East Physiotherapy?
"I like that the clinic was willing to take on the challenge of expending services to include a specific program for stroke rehab. Other clinics that I contacted were not interested, which tells me that River East Physiotherapy really cares about its community."
What do you like best about being a Physiotherapist?
"I have always found great satisfaction in helping someone learn to walk again, or helping someone get to the level to go back home instead of to a personal care home.
"My favorite thing to do at work is to challenge a patient beyond what they think they can do. I love to see their eyes light up when that happens!"
What are some compliments you’ve received from patients?
"The best compliment I’ve received is when patients in the hospital or rehab facility ask me if I can keep seeing them when they go home, because it means that I’m doing a good job and my patients know it. And now patients CAN see me at River East Physiotherapy Clinic!"
Someone who knows you well would describe you as:
"Peaceful."
What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
"I love playing piano, especially chamber music, and I play piano and organ at a couple of churches in Winnipeg. I also really enjoy singing in Ukrainian choir. And of course I love spending time with my three kids, going out for breakfast, playing boardgames (but video games are beyond my skill set!)."
Where are you local?
"I grew up on a farm in northern Alberta."
What is your favorite thing about Winnipeg?
"I love that Winnipeg has such a great music scene. Fun fact – I had the same piano teacher as Emmanual Ax, though he turned out to be a little more famous than me."
Photo credit: David Lipnowski Photography
