Conditions Treated
Do You Only Work with Runners?
No, I treat all types of athletes – but I specialize in treating running injuries. I also have a background working with CrossFit athletes, powerlifters, and Olympic weightlifters. Anyone that is experiencing pain, poor flexibility, or wants to enhance their body awareness and physical performance for activities of daily living can benefit from sessions.
Do You Work with Kids?
Yes! Children that are undergoing growth spurs can benefit from core stabilization and better joint alignment to support optimal growth. Many imbalances that adults experience are the result of misalignments during childhood development.
Children can benefit from foot exercises in particular to help with normal arch development that also supports good knee alignment for running and sports. Many young girls are prone to hypermobility (excessive flexibility around their joints) and can gain an early advantage in body awareness that supports activities like gymnastics, yoga, and dance which require extreme levels of flexibility.
Children that regularly perform a few exercises before their sport will be able to prevent common injuries – 60% of sports related injuries occur during practice!
Do you Work with Senior Citizens?
Yes! Contrary to popular opinion – flexibility does not naturally decrease with age. The wear and tear from poor joint alignment, muscle imbalances, and reduced movement is what leads to joint stiffness and pain. Senior citizens are at risk for hip replacements and falls that create long term problems if they lose their ability to perform basic movement patterns like the squat and toe touch.
Getting down onto and up off of the floor is a basic competency that many seniors lose their ability to perform – even when working with a personal trainer. Seniors can greatly benefit from gentle stretching and core stability exercises that restore youthfulness and fluidity of movement.
Do You Work with People that are Pain-Free and Not Injured?
Yes, my integrative approach is not basic on symptomatic treatment – which means that sessions are geared towards optimizing physical performance, strength, and endurance for sports. Anyone looking to get in better shape can benefit. De-conditioned individuals can utilize sessions to prepare them for work with a personal trainer or gym training on their own.
I also work with elite athletes including NFL players, professional golfers, baseball players, and competitive powerlifters. Fascial Stretch Therapy is commonly used by NFL players to maximize flexibility and recovery from training – it was utilized by the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 Super bowl.
Do You offer Preventative Treatment?
Yes, the complimentary intro session incudes a detailed injury risk assessment that pinpoints areas of improvement to prevent future injuries. Sessions optimize skeletal alignment, joint-health, and breathing patterns so that anyone can benefit from what I offer.
Do You Work with Post-Surgical Patients?
Yes. I will need the recommendations from your physician in regard to allowable range of motion but exercise should be resumed as soon as possible after a surgery or injury.
Can You Help Prevent Surgery?
In many cases yes. Bunions are the result of poor weight bearing and inadequate frontal plane control. While hip replacement surgeries have come a long way – oftentimes impingement is not a structural issue but a biomechanical problem that can be corrected. Leg length discrepancies are often easily treated without orthotics or surgery. Chronic low back pain is often due to compression related to muscle imbalances not just spinal degeneration.
Payment
What Forms of Payment are Accepted?
I accept cash, check, and credit card. I offer package discounts for sessions normally in three, six, and twelve session formats.
Do You Offer Payment Plans?
Yes, I am willing to offer payment plans on session packages for individuals that complete sessions within an established timeframe.
Do You Take Insurance?
No, not at this time. I do not have a medical title that allows me to submit to insurance. There are a number of problems with traditional insurance coverage which limits the time spent on particular therapies, areas worked on, and the overall effectiveness of a given therapy.
Health saving accounts and other forms of insurance may be a possibility in the future. I am willing to discuss the possibility of submitting treatment to insurance – but most of my patients are already frustrated with prior experiences with health care providers that did not resolve their problem – partially due to the nature of insurance coverage.
Do You Take Workers Compensation Patients?
No. Not unless you are willing to pay out of pocket (cash/credit card) for treatment. I do offer effective treatment for overuse conditions (carpal tunnel syndrome, bicep tendonitis) but do not submit payment to any insurance provider.
Scope of Practice
How Do I Know My Problem is in Your Scope of Practice?
My conditions treated page lists the most frequent running related injuries that I treat. The free introductory consultation will help us determine if your problem is within my scope of practice. I do not treat acute injuries like broken bones, torn ligaments, or fractures. However, I do treat acute injuries like low back pain – depending on the causative factors and tissue stress involved.
What is My Background?
I am a strength coach and manual therapist that specializes in using rehabilitative exercise to treat musculoskeletal pain and predominantly non-acute injuries. My primary certification is as a Structural Integrator which is a soft-tissue modality that treats global compensation patterns by manipulating the connective tissue which stores strain throughout the body. I am also a certified Level 3 Medical Fascial Stretch Therapist.
In addition to manual therapy, I use a combination of assessment methods and treatment approaches found in post-graduate physical therapy courses. I am an expert in understanding movement. Optimizing how you move and how you breathe will have the biggest impact on your physical structure and successfully performing activities of daily living.
Do You Have Liability Insurance?
Yes.
How is What You Offer Different than Physical Therapy or Chiropractic Care?
While I am not a certified medical professional I am certified in treatment modalities that eliminate pain and address medical conditions. I am not certified or able to perform adjustments or joint manipulations. I am certified to perform joint mobilizations, nerve flossing, and stretches that often result in similar treatment outcomes with a less aggressive approach.
Young chiropractic students are now being introduced to new manual therapy and exercise approaches that are not part of the actual curriculum.
Good chiropractors further their education and round out their skill set by becoming certified in manual therapy approaches like Active Release Technique, Fascial Stretch Therapy, Graston, and Functional Range Release. This soft-tissue training supplements the adjustments that they were taught in school – expanding their tool box and scope of practice.
However, old school chiropractors and physical therapists often do not become certified in post-graduate approaches to rehabilitation – outside of what they learned in school.
There is a huge difference in the quality of health care providers that are currently practicing. There are good and bad chiropractors and good and bad physical therapists – this is largely dictated by limitations imposed by insurance coverage and the extent to which a medical professional understands how to optimize movement beyond the symptomatic area of treatment.
The introductory session I offer guarantees that your problem is within my scope of practice and that I can resolve your problem in a set timeframe. I have good chiropractors and physical therapists in my referral network for patients that actually need a chiropractic adjustment or physical therapy for an acute condition that I am not qualified to treat.
Does What You Offer Integrate with Chiropractic, Yoga, Personal Training?
Part of what I offer is a more effective alternative to traditional chiropractic and physical therapy approaches. However, I sometimes do work alongside a patient’s chiropractor or medical professional to deliver the most comprehensive and integrative treatment.
It is largely up to you whether or not you will continue to see another healthcare professional once you understand what scope of practice your condition fails under. My services do enhance yoga and personal training and can be combined with the stress relieving benefits of massage therapy.
Do You Offer Personal Training Services?
No, not at this time. I focus on providing manual therapy (Fascial Stretch Therapy/Structural Integration) and rehabilitative exercise. I do have recommendations for good personal trainers in the area.
Sessions
How Long Before I Notice Results?
You will notice significant changes after 5-10 minutes of treatment. The initial session will produce noticeable changes in how you move, feel, and perform. The at-home exercises will further the positive results gained in the first session. Three sessions is a realistic starting point for greatly improving difficult chronic conditions.
I offer a RESULTS FIRST, PAY LATER policy for difficult cases to ensure that what I offer is a viable solution to your problem in a given timeframe.
Do You Offer In-Home Sessions?
Yes. I am willing to bring my table to your home for an additional fee.
Is Assisted Stretching/Manual Therapy Painful?
No. Pain disrupts the treatment process and is counterproductive. Some of the deeper soft-tissue work can be intense – but I will work around your comfort level. I will check in with you to ensure that the at-home exercises are not painful in any way.
Which Method of Treatment Do You Recommend?
I use an integrative approach that relies on a combination of the rehabilitative exercise and manual therapy trainings that I am certified in. I also utilize manual muscle testing and kinesio taping when appropriate. I will tailor my approach to your specific goals. If you come to see me for a given therapy I will utilize that therapy in conjunction with other therapies to the degree that you feel comfortable with.
What Should I Wear for a Session?
You will want to wear athletic clothing that is comfortable and stretchable. Women should wear a sports bra that provides good support yet allows access to the mid-back and arms. Women should bring a hair tie that allows access to the neck and shoulders. Some sessions will require shorts to allow access to the front, back, and inner thigh musculature. You will be barefoot for part of the session but will want to bring in the shoes that you normally wear to the office and during long runs.
Do You Provide Videos and Handouts for the Exercises?
Yes. You will receive PDFs and sometimes printed handouts for the exercises. I also have a YouTube channel for patients with videos of the exercises. I often will take a video with your phone to demonstrate the compensations to avoid while you perform the exercises.