Physical Therapy

Physical therapy at Flow PT and Pilates is different than the traditional PT model. All sessions are 60 minutes, one-on-one with the same licensed physical therapist. Evaluations are comprehensive, assessing all areas that may contribute to symptoms. Treatment can be a combination of precise exercises, stretches, manual/hands on skills, balance training, posture, Pilates, and more.

Treatments are guided by the evaluation findings. This means that you are receiving individualized treatment for your body, not one size fits all. Treatment may include: soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, mobilizations with movements (Mulligan), Maitland joint mobilizations, McKenzie technique, ART (Active Release Technique), Kinesiotaping, strain counterstrain, PNF, Thai massage techniques, acupressure, scar mobilization, gua sha, and stretching.

Education in the injury, the choice of exercises, and prevention are always included. Physical therapy is most successful when the patient understands the why of what they are doing. Every patient receives a personalized home exercise program that compliments the in-person treatments. This is important for progression of rehabilitation.

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 and ergonomics 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. Pilates as part of my treatments enables me to address multiple body regions at the same time, especially as most injuries affect the joints around them instead of one isolated joint. I treat the root of the problem (why the problem is occurring), 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.

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

You don’t need to be a super athlete to have an athletic injury. In fact, the majority of these injuries occur in the average athlete. I have always been active 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 and longevity of activity participation, not performance enhancement. I geek out on analyzing the movements used 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
• Hip impingement
• 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
• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)

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

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

“Change happens through movement and movement heals.”

Joseph Pilates