Next question in the series of Expanded FAQs:

“What exactly do you do?”

The physical therapy profession is a relatively new one, at least compared to other medical and health-related fields (we started about 100 years ago, as “reconstruction aides” during World War I - you can read more about that here). And to be honest, I think we, the therapists and therapy assistants who make up the profession, are still trying to perfect our “elevator pitch” to demonstrate our similarities and our differences in the healthcare world!

As a physical therapist, I am a rehabilitation professional and a movement expert.

I have studied the human body in and out (literally!) for several years, spent hours in labs and continuing education courses to improve my evaluation and treatment skills, and learned through experience of being in the clinic working with patients just like yourself!

My role in the healthcare world is to make sure YOU can meet the demands of whatever activity it is you want or need to do. Whether that is computer/desk-work for 8 hours a day, lifting and playing with kids, or running lots of miles, a physical therapist is trained to evaluate and strategize ways in which you can be better matched to your environment, day in and day out.

>>I want to hear your story.

Give me the details: what’s going on in life, what physical pain or injury are you experiencing and how is that impacting life, what medications or health issues might be contributing, how you’re coping with a change. And of course, I want to hear your goals: what do you want out of our time together, and how do you hope that I can help you?

>>I evaluate you

and your movement patterns.

I assess flexibility, strength, balance. I watch you go through the motions that are bothering you, or that you need/want to do but are struggling with. I have you try some modifications to movements and see if that changes your pain or limitation. I take into account that you had an ACL repair 7 years ago and never gained full range of motion, or that you had a C-section 6 months ago and are still learning your new body…

>>We make a plan - together.

I tell you what I see and have pieced together from the assessment so far, and how I feel I can help you reach your goals. You tell me what your thoughts are based on the information I’ve given you, what your time commitment is (at home and for visits), and any other pointers that might impact our time together. The key here is that we do this together. Yes, I am the doctor and professional and the expert – but you are the one whose body (& life, in some ways!) I am impacting, and I believe teamwork is essential for success.

I’ve combined my years of education and experience as a physical therapist with my love for all things running to create Immersion PT, where I function as a physical therapist and a certified running coach. I work with runners in a few different ways: in the “clinic” (aka your home, since I’m a mobile practice!), on the roads/track, and virtually.

>>When I come to your house…

I’m more in my PT role, wherein I’m doing what I described above to evaluate and make a plan for addressing your injury or limitation. Our bodies are designed to move, and when something gets in the way of that, it’s best to consult the professionals and be sure you’re on the fastest and safest road to recovery. I promise to always offer your MY best – sometimes that means I need a few days to reach out to a colleague or further explore a hypothesis before I can fully answer your question; sometimes that means I refer you on to someone else (a massage therapist, dietitian, yoga instructor, orthopedist or sports medicine doctor).

>>When I meet you on the road

or the track…

it’s because you’re healthy, strong and fit – and you’re looking to get even fitter and faster! I offer a monthly meet-up / run with my coached athletes, to provide an opportunity to do a workout together (if I can keep your pace!) and for me to watch you run, learn more about how you confront a challenging segment in a workout, and to make sure you’re working at the level I think you are and should be working at! I can also use my PT brain here too, to analyze your running gait and offer suggestions and exercises to optimize your movement and boost your performance. These are really fun days for me as a coach – and I think you, as an athlete, will find them really helpful and fun too (at least once the workout is complete).

>>When we’re meeting up virtually…

it’s either because you live too far away to do an in-person visit, or we’re going through our weekly training plan. I really started offering the virtual visits more frequently as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic (no surprise there!), and I’ve found that they’re a great way to offer my services to people who aren’t so close to the Capital Region. For my coached athletes, I input their weekly training plans onto the document and we touch base to see where things are at – this might include “warning” me of a super busy upcoming week and the need to back off on time spent running, or that everything is going well and we can keep charging ahead, or me “warning” my athlete of a really tough training segment or workout coming up soon! Communication is essential for an effective coach-athlete relationship, even when the majority of this is done via the internet.

As a physical therapist and running coach, I have spent hours upon hours learning and living the things that I am teaching you. The pillars of evidence-based practice are education/knowledge, expertise, and patient/client values; all of my clinical and coaching programs are driven by evidence-based practice. Just as you invest your time into your home exercise program (I hope!) or your weekend long run to work toward your health and training goals, I invest my time into learning more and developing myself as a clinician and coach to better serve you!

Next up: “Do you take insurance?”

eFAQ-2: "what do you do?"