513-874-8800 www.stretchphysicaltherapy.com Painless News
July 2018
Stretch PT Is MoreThan a Clinic It’ s a Movement W hen I started Stretch Physical Therapy five years ago, I did so with a larger goal in mind than simply treating my patients’ symptoms and sending them on their way. My objective, and the objective of every member of the Stretch Physical Therapy team, is to create a movement toward preventative care. Rather than just doing damage control after a serious procedure or injury, we’d like to equip our community with the tools to totally avoid unnecessary medications, injections, and surgery. We strive to encourage everyone to get to the why behind their pain, and to understand that pain is not something they have to resign themselves to as they age. In fact, a pain-free life isn’t just possible — it’s within reach for anyone willing to take that first step. It’s frustrating living in a country where the medical paradigm so often fails its patients. When my fellow physical therapists and I went to school, we weren’t much taught about how to prevent pain and injury. Instead, we focused primarily on post-surgical techniques. Rather than thinking about the root cause of the pain before the patient went under the knife, we were taught to treat the drastic symptoms that resulted from the procedure. As a result, many physical therapists get out of school and go straight into the hospital system, doing nothing but treating patients for surgeries that should not have happened — procedures that could have been completely avoided with a bit of due diligence. These clinics have owners who stop their therapists from going above and beyond for the people they serve, getting leads in the door without committing to the promises they make to their community. Our goal at Stretch Physical Therapy is to offer such powerful results to our patients that they spread the word throughout the area: “Hey, you do not have to default to the surgical route.” It can take as many as three long, arduous years to fully recover from a serious surgery, and many types of procedures have much worse long-term outcomes than more conservative interventions. Of
Katie, DPT; Mija, Wellness Coach; Kim, Owner; LB, DPT; Michael, DPT
course, if surgery really is necessary, we will tell our patients that upfront — but they should come to us first, erring on the side of caution instead of letting a disinterested doctor prescribe surgery without a second thought. I’ve witnessed this movement toward preventative care growing since the day I opened this clinic. Recently, I took a notebook around the clinic for a full month, asking nearly every new patient how they felt after coming in for their first visit. It was uncanny how many said almost exactly the same thing: “I feel like you’ve given me back my hope.” In the traditional medical paradigm, so many people are taught that they either need to accept their persistent, debilitating pain, or resort to surgery that may make the problem even worse. I’ve seen hundreds of patients subvert this paradigm completely, avoiding the need for dangerous medications, surgeries, and injections, and finding the strength to live pain-free for the rest of their lives. It makes me proud to be a passionate force for this kind of good for our patients, building this incredible movement from the ground up.
–Kim Nartker
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