I feel physical therapy should be different than what has become the typical status quo for rehabilitation. Physical therapy at Flow PT and Pilates is 60 minute sessions, one-on-one with me, a licensed physical therapist. Treatment can be a combination of precise exercises, stretches, manual/hands on skills, balance training, and Pilates.
Treatments are determined by what is appropriate for your body and may include: soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, mobilizations with movements (Mulligan), Maitland joint mobilizations, McKenzie technique, ART (Active Release Technique), Kinesiotaping, strain counterstrain, Thai massage techniques, acupressure, scar mobilization, gua sha, and stretching.
I encourage my patients to continue the sports, activities, and hobbies they love as long as it isn’t counterproductive to their healing. I discuss activity modification with patients. In the event an activity needs to be put on hold, I discuss alternatives with the patient. I want my patients to have stock in their care and healing.
What Can Physical Therapy at Flow Do For You?
I treat a wide variety of orthopedic injuries, though my favorite joints truly are the shoulder and ankle/foot complex. I enjoy analyzing biomechanics (how movements occur) and techniques utilized for different activities, especially when related to running, biking, swimming, climbing, and tennis. I find complex and chronic problems fascinating. I use Pilates as part of my treatments as it enables me to address multiple body regions at the same time. I treat the root of the problem, as well as the other regions around it that contribute to the injury, to promote lasting results. The variety of clinics I’ve worked in and continuing education courses I’ve taken give me the expertise to treat many different types of injuries and patients. I truly love the variety of people I work with and look forward to solving the problem with the patient.
Orthopedic Injuries
Most people will suffer from at least one orthopedic injury in their lifetime, even if it doesn’t require treatment. Whether it’s from poor posture, overuse, or just a silly misstep, injuries just happen. They can be new injuries, old injuries, or chronic injuries. The following are just a few that I treat:
- Rotator cuff impingement/tears
- Ankle sprains/strains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Sciatica
- Low back pain
- Neck strain
- Bulging discs
- Shoulder pain
- Patellofemoral knee pain
- Patellar tendonitis
- Postural dysfunction
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction
- Hip impingement
- Hip bursitis
- Back pain
- Spondylolysis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Muscle strain
- Compression fracture
Sport/Athletic Injuries
I have always been involved in athletics in some form. It is what originally drew me to physical therapy. Living in San Diego and working with active duty military pushed my career solidly in the direction of sports rehabilitation for a while. My focus is on return to activity, not performance enhancement. I geek out on analyzing the movements it takes to complete a component of athletics. I treat the following athletic injuries and more:
- Patellar tendonitis
- Iliotibial band (IT) syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- Shin splints
- Achilles tendon strain/Achilles tendonitis
- Ankle sprain
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Shoulder instability (separation and dislocation)
- Cycling injuries (a bike assessment can be done)
- Running injuries (a running assessment can be done)
- Climbing injuries
- Golf injuries
Post-operative Rehabilitation
Sometimes an injury is serious enough that surgery is required. The most successful outcomes occur when the patient, the orthopedic surgeon, and the physical therapist are all working together. I have rehabilitated many different patients from many different surgeries, including the following:
- Rotator cuff repair
- Ankle fusion
- Total knee arthroplasty (replacement)
- Total hip arthroplasty (replacement)
- Shoulder labral repair
- Discectomy
- Laminectomy
- Tendon transfer
- ACL repair
- Medial meniscus repair and/or debridement
- Lumbar vertebral fusion
- Hip (acetabular) labral repair
- Mastectomy
- Bunionectomy
Physical Therapy for Women’s Health
Women have many stages of life – prenatal, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause. Each stage comes with its own physical and hormonal changes. These changes impact a lot of things in a woman’s life, including how her body functions and moves. Women don’t have to wait for it to “go away on its own with time” or accept that it is just “part of aging.” I treat the following:
- Diastasis recti
- Symphysis pubis pain
- Low back pain (lumbar pain)
- Upper/mid back pain (thoracic pain)
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction
- Abdominal scar restriction
- Urinary incontinence
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Abdominal muscle weakness
“Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Joseph Pilates