Approach to PT

One of the few manual therapists in the country with this specialty in dance medicine, Kim has rehabilitated every orthopedic injury imaginable.

Though traumatic injuries in dance do occur – such as a fall that breaks a bone or an awkward landing that tears an ACL- most dancers are plagued with injuries due to overuse, such as tendinitis, stress fractures, muscle strains, chronic low back and neck pain.  These are the same injuries the rest of us get from sports, sitting at our desks too long, doing repetitive movements around the house, etc.  So Kim has become an expert handling overuse injuries and chronic pain.  She is also regularly sought out by patients after failed attempts at traditional physical therapy, when the true pain source was not addressed.

Kim believes in integrating the whole body into her treatments.  For example, recovering from an ankle sprain is not just about the ligament alone.  Normal function (alignment, range of motion, strength, flexibility, control) certainly must be restored to the ankle, but the ankle happens to be attached to the rest of your body!  If the ankle does not function properly, nor can the knee and everything above it.  It goes the other way as well; if the knee does not function properly, can the ankle?  Moreover, pain is often felt in one area of the body, but its source is another part.  How can we restore pain-free movement if we don’t seek out all the components causing pain?

Physical therapy is not a passive method of treatment.  It differs from taking a pill to hide the pain, in that you are expected to tackle the injury with your attention and your own body’s abilities, under the guidance and hands of the therapist.  But to maximize physical performance and prevent re-injury, Kim’s approach to rehabilitation differs from traditional PT.  She believes strongly in patient education, helping patients better understand their injury and what they can do to improve (and worsen) their condition on their own.  Her advanced manual therapy techniques and specific approach to exercise prescription and postural re-education, as well as trigger point dry needling as needed, change pain immediately and in the long term.  Furthermore, Kim, and only Kim, provides therapy to her patients.  Aides/assistants are not used in her practice, so you will benefit from her experience and education for your entire session.  She believes physical therapy is the least invasive and the most empowering form of treatment, with the best long term benefits in the majority of cases.   It is an art as much as a science, and Kim creates rehabilitation programs designed for each individual body.

Kim manages injuries quickly (in the fewest possible sessions) and fully (to avoid recurrence).  In her New York practice, she worked hard to keep dancers on stage every night, because their bodies are their livelihood.  She brings her special knowledge and unique approach to Annapolis and you.