10/28/2026
October is National Physical Therapy Month, and we’re celebrating the therapists our teams nominated for the spotlight. Meet John Lightfield, PT at BST Milbank, with 28 years at Big Stone Therapies.
A teammate nominated John, calling him “a rockstar PT with BST.” His BST story almost never happened. John was a traveling therapist in Mississippi, and his wife was seven months pregnant with their first child. They wanted to start their family close to home, since he grew up in Brookings, SD and she grew up in Russell, MN. A 13-week opportunity came up in the area, and after living in Boston, Tucson, and near Pittsburgh, a town of 3,000 didn’t seem like the ideal choice. “Turns out I was wrong.”
A lot has changed in 28 years. “Now we have so many more options in our tool belts with the different types of manual treatments, modalities, etc…” What keeps him going hasn’t changed: “I just truly love helping people and watching patients get better!”
Some of John’s proudest moments came from patients he didn’t even treat. One day a patient in Milbank “just didn’t look right,” so he checked her vitals and “marched her right to the ER.” For years after, she told him he saved her life. His takeaway: “Thanks BST for teaching me to recognize red flags.”
John has also made five mission trips to Guatemala. On his most recent, he met a woman he had delivered a prosthetic to 16 years earlier. She was still using it. “We hugged and cried.”
And what does John want you to know about PT? “We aren’t going to ‘cure’ everything, but make patients understand the full picture. Yes, your back may still hurt, but now you can take your dog for a walk or you can get on the floor with your grandkids. Function is our ultimate goal.”
Here’s to 28 years, John! Read how PT speeds recovery: https://www.bigstonetherapies.com/posts/how-physical-therapy-speeds-recovery/
