What does a physical therapist do?
My practice looks very different from other PTs so I can’t really answer that for everyone.
But I can tell you what I do.
I troubleshoot movement and teach people to use strength to get out of pain, return post-op/postpartum, and optimize performance.
In other words, I assess what your body can and can’t do and help you retrain it to have more strength in more positions.
I typically do this through fundamental movements—breath, core, hip hinges, squats, push, and pull, but occasionally apply some fancy tricks I’ve picked up along the way which aren’t really fancy, they’re just more basics, done well.
I specialize in the fundamentals of movement and I teach people how to use them for their own benefit. #movehealchange
Chest out & Shoulder Back! Some of our clients tell us that this is what they were told as a strategy for good standing posture. The main problem is that they were told this 30-40 years ago. Yet I still have clients come in & stand exactly like that day in and day out🙄
Chances are there are better cues for good standing posture in 2019 – better than this guy! Note how most of his body is in front of the plum line. That means that he has a forward weight shift. That places excessive strain/load through the toes, meaning that his toe flexors, calves, quads and back muscles are going to have to work much harder to keep him upright.
This creates an excessive lumbar curve and that has many implications, the biggest of which is down-regulating abdominal tension, increased compression of the lumbar spine, increased tone of the back muscles & restricted ability to breathe (specifically exhalation!) That creates a necessity to flare the anterior rib-cage which leads to apical breathing patterns and excessive engagement of neck muscles – cue neck pain 😭!
Ideally the plum line should split this guy in 1/2 (front to back.) Then his center of mass is exactly that – centered. That means his abs and glutei are on & his calves/quads & back muscles are not overloaded when standing. Ribs are down allowing him to exhale better 💨 – which allow him to inhale better into the posterior thorax! 💥 Easier said than done.
But we do that here at Total-PT! Better yet, we find out the reasons for why people default to standing this way & give them really great software upgrades. So it’s very 2019! #movehealchange
Dimitry is hands down amazing. My back went out in 2012 while I was teaching one of my cardio classes at the gym. I could barely move. An MRI showed a bulged disc. The Dr just gave me a bunch of muscle relaxers that did not fix the problem. I had foot drop on my left side and lost a lot of strength in that leg.
Dimitry was recommended by friends and in one session after an evaluation, some muscle palpation, and prescribed exercises my body was more in balance and I was feeling much better. In one week I had 90% of the strength back in my left leg.
To this day if my back feels a little funny I do Dimitry’s homework and I’m right back to normal.
I recently sent my father to him for lower back pain as well and he is thrilled, feeling much better, and calling Dimitry a miracle worker.
We love our patients. We care about each and every patient that walks through our door. They have made a commitment to get better. They have made a decision to not only get better, but stay better by allowing us the opportunity to educate them from the ground up, literally. Our patients are given the tools to accomplish their goals.
We are more then happy to get our patients out of pain, but it’s ultimately up to them to stay that way. In order for that to occur, they need to understand their injury. They need to understand what the process is to get better. This way they will, in the end, know how to prevent recurrences and flare ups. We invest our time because your time is just as valuable. #movehealchange
We are a small private practice. Small is good! Small works! Contrary to popular belief, growing like a weed is overrated! Because we are small we are able to do more in less time than other practices that do much less while taking up more of YOUR valuable time ⏰ .
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While other physical therapy companies multiply like 🐰 & take up more real estate than nail salons in your respective town, Total-PT is staying exactly the same.
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This allows us to never be too busy or too distracted to see YOU! Not just a part of you, but ALL of you. Because if we don’t pay attention to the details at every session – you will not get better! Getting you better is our jam! #movehealchange
My experience: Incredible knowledge of what creates back pain from a root cause point of view and how to address that. Most modern techniques I have experienced as a long term back pain sufferer. The key is determination and education of how to take control rather than typical PT techniques where you are manipulated for temporary relief. Thanks Dimitry. I am forever grateful!
How often do you need to go to physical therapy to get better?
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Our version of the same question “below” has a bit of a twist‼️
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How often do you need to go to Total-PT to STAY better?
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Our patients are all smileswhen they know what to do if their pain starts to come back‼️ They’ve been heard, understood, taught & were able to learn how to move better & get themselves out of pain. We have three locations: Bernardsville, Summit & Bridgewater, New Jersey to help you get going!
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We know that not every day is perfect, but that’s why it’s SO important that each client understands the process & doesn’t just follow the little yellow ball without understanding their condition. What were the reasons for the injury or complaint? What were the compensation patterns? How do we resolve them? How do we build in resilience and stability? How do we problem solve when you start to feel symptoms❓
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Our patients understand that it’s up to them to stay better! It’s up to Total-PT to give them the tools that they need to succeed💥 #movehealchange
Had a fantastic time breaking down movement with a couple of my amazing clients who just happen to want to move better while riding their horses🐎‼️
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We do NOT assess/treat horses 🐴 – just wanted to start out with that☝️. But when a human moves poorly on the ground, you bet your ponies that their horses are going move differently when that human decides to use poor weight shifting strategies while riding them. These amazing animals are much more sensitive then we are so they will either shift properly or will react to your crappy movement compensations.
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Working together with their trainer, we were able to come up with several cues & strategies that were able to correct a good amount of stubborn issues that were not being addressed through traditional means. 🙌👏
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Thank you 🙏 Hunter’s Crossing Farm & Sarah Stewart for being such great hosts! We had a blast working with you! Cheers 🥂 to the possibilities. #movehealchange #equestrian
If you’re an athlete that plays on their feet, ankle sprains are a way of life. The good news is that it does not have to be. Why is it that R sided ankle sprains are more prevalent then L sided ankle sprains? Why is is that R sided feet tend to be more supinated (higher-arched) then L sided feet? Total Physical therapy treats the ankle sprain from it’s source – poor pelvic positioning and resultant femoral displacement in the hip socket.
Reach out to us to find out more about the services that we offer and how we can help you! #movehealchange
Lucky 7! Seven Years ago today Total-PT welcomed Lauren Beasley (now Lauren Beasley Shanaphy) to it’s crew. Since that time our practice has thrived under her guidance & attention to detail‼️
Today also coincides with her return from maternity leave. She’s now a proud momma to boot!👏👏🎉
She has been the primary compass 🧭 in choosing what coursework & direction to take our practice in. Our clinical skillset is constantly evolving under her guidance. Total-PT & our practice would not be in the place that it is now if it wasn’t for this girl!
Thank you Lauren for everything that you do 🙌👊…. it never goes without notice‼️ Here’s to the next 7!💥 #movehealchange