Molly Sisson

Review of Active Life and Sports Physica...

I was a patient at Active Life Perry Hall from Feb...

I was a patient at Active Life Perry Hall from February 2020 until July 2020 after I had surgery to repair a torn labrum in my hip. This surgery was to correct a problem that I had been dealing with for two years. This is a lengthy review because I really feel like I cannot say enough positive things about my experience over these past 5 months. If I could give Active Life Perry Hall more than 5 stars I would! It is a fantastic practice filled with really wonderful staff, from the front office to the techs & PTs. Thanks to them, I have recovered from my surgery and feel better than I have in many years!

The people I want to rave about most are my PT Mike Smith, who I started seeing in March after the clinic had to adapt to the shutdowns & precautions needed due to COVID-19, the PT techs Chris, Nick & Jessica, and the office manager Tammy. I had had a few weeks of appointments with TJ working on range of motion & strength when everything started shutting down, and I was really worried that the stay at home order would interfere with my recovery. However, thanks to a dedicated team of staff and a myriad of precautionary practices, I was able to still regularly attend PT appointments during quarantine while feeling completely safe. The precautions that they put into place to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 were above and beyond, and they truly make it feel like a safe place to be. I am not joking when I say they clean everything you touch the second you're done with it! I never once felt like I was at risk when I was at my appointments. The mask policy also meant my exercises were more challenging & ultimately rewarding!

I ended up seeing Mike because he was the only PT working during the quarantine, and this really turned out to be a blessing for me! Mike provided me with dedicated, personalized care while helping me to improve my hip strength and mobility. I felt challenged to work hard and do my best, and he encouraged me every time he could see the visible improvements in my movements and strength. He was also great at communicating with me to explain the rationale of exercises he gave me, to check how I was feeling about my progress, and to make sure that we were working toward my fitness goals. He used manual massage to relieve pain that kept returning in a few different spots, and he helped me to start reincorporating yoga back into my life with modifications. Thanks to Mike, I am stronger than I have been in several years & can look forward to doing the exercises I love without pain or fear. And as a bonus, Mike is super friendly, funny, and enjoyable to be around. Both personally and professionally, he's awesome! If there is any silver lining to the COVID-19 quarantine, it's that I ended up with him as my PT!

I have to add that the clinic was also a great place pre-COVID and that the rest the staff is really great too! Prior to quarantine times, I was mostly seeing TJ, who I really liked and really helped me feel good about getting back on my feet. I also saw a few of the other PTs once or twice early on, including Joe, Ellen, Brooke, & Ian. Everyone was super wonderful, especially because some of them accommodated me with an appointment when another PT was unavailable or when I mixed up my appointment times.

During the latter half of my treatment as the clinic started to slowly bring back more staff, I had the pleasure of interacting with Mick & Ian as well during my appointments. They were both super friendly and nice to be around, and I could tell that they were treating their patients with a high level of care and communication. Patients at Active Life can't go wrong choosing a PT there because they are all great people & committed to helping their patients.

I cannot recommend this clinic enough! Thank you so much to the staff of Active Life for staying open this year & helping me recover! While I hope I never need physical therapy again, I have the utmost confidence that I would be in good hands at the Active Life Perry Hall clinic if I did.