Alice McAlpine

Review of Healthwell Physical Therapy

I have finally found a PT clinic that goes way bey...

I have finally found a PT clinic that goes way beyond the usual physical therapy offerings. I have been a dedicated yoga student over the last 10 years and a yoga teacher for 4 years. Before that, I was an avid distance runner, swimmer and gym enthusiast. After several bouts of physical therapy, both pre and post surgery, due to sports related injuries, I decided to begin yoga to hopefully prevent any additional injuries and to provide relief to the ones I already had. There are many yoga systems, with many health enhancement claims in the various yoga communities, and for many yoga practitioners that may prove to be true. However, for me, I found yoga was no safe haven from "sports injuries." It took me years to finally admit and accept that I needed some help outside my yoga world. I again tried several PT clinics and received no new ideas about how to approach my damaged/deteriorating joint issues.

After receiving referrals from orthopedic surgeons and sports physicians to pretty basic PT clinics, I finally found Mindy's practice by referral from my OBGYN! This is a completely different practice. Mindy has an extensive background in PT, however, she continues to learn and practice other treatment modalities such as Feldenkrais, cranial sacral therapy, osteopathy, etc. and her intuitive healing skills are off the charts. She is the most organized PT I have ever seen, and she remembers every detail of every session we have had. Between sessions she is thinking up creative ways to treat for the next session. I really do not think she takes a break from this work that she obviously loves. I could go on, but the main message is that no other treatment or yoga practice has given me the encouragement that I can maintain what health remains in my joints, and live without pain and without surgery for many more years. I had almost given up, and I am too young for hip replacement surgery! One more thing...the education I am receiving about the interrelationships between injury sites and where the pain manifests is just mind-blowing. Who knew that scar tissue under the arm would distort the way a hip socket functioned?