Leon Johnson’s tennis coach introduced him to Joe Millen, PT, MTC, physical therapist and owner of Impact Health, a physical therapy and fitness training clinic. In preparation for his scheduled knee replacement surgery, Johnson scheduled an appointment with Millen to treat a tight IT band.
“Joe worked on the IT band and the bad knee, and I saw light pain relief immediately,” said Johnson. “The improvements were in small increments, but within a month, I was hitting the tennis ball again with knee braces on.”
Johnson cancelled the knee replacement surgery and now receives physical therapy treatment at Impact Health once a week to maintain good health. He also plays tennis once a week, without knee braces.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine’s September 2008 edition, research shows that physical therapy, combined with comprehensive medical management, is just as effective as surgery when it comes to relieving the pain and stiffness of moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee.
“We frequently work with clients who are able to avoid painful, invasive and expensive surgery because of the physical therapy treatment,” said Millen. “Also, pursuing an exercise program designed by a physical therapist can be one of the best protections from injury and surgery.”
“When I went to see Philip at Impact Health I had suffered from a painful hip for the past three years. I am a physically fit woman now in my early sixties. I love to play golf, work in the yard, as well as working out at my fitness club. All of these activities aggravated the pain.
The cause of this pain was a previous fall in the shower as I landed onto my left hip. After the initial discomfort had resided the hip was still painful. Six months later, I had an annual physical, my family doctor suggested physical therapy which took place at a rehab center somewhere in north Pinellas county. This physical therapy barely helped. When the physical therapy did not help I went to see an orthopedic surgeon who injected corticosteroid into my hip. I then decided to give acupuncture a try as this helped me in the past with orthopedic problems. Both treatments helped a little bit.
Two years after the initial fall I received another corticosteroid injection. I found some relief from this treatment as well. However after another three years of suffering and a variety of treatments, I was still in pain during and after my normal physical activities. One day a women working at my fitness club mentioned Impact Health. She told me the therapists at this facility have a totally different approach to physical therapy. I made the appointment with the feeling “ I might as well try it, what do I have to lose?”. Philip was my therapist who examined me for an hour. He then started to work on me. Within 3 weeks time the pain was gone!! Absolutely great!!
This was not the only problem Philip discovered and also addressed. Due to a bad car accident while in my twenties I now have a leg that is shorter, a knee that is easily aggravated and painful, and various other problems. I also have had three shoulder surgeries. The right shoulder which was operated twice was always achy.
After my hip problem had been solved, Philip worked on my shoulders and proceeded with other areas. Although I have a very toned body, the stabilizing muscles in my shoulders were not well trained. Philip worked on them as well and now I am barely in pain anymore. Philip has given me many exercises to do on my own and at the fitness club and as a result my body is much tighter resulting in fewer aches and pains. I feel better now that I have in many years thanks to Impact Health.
Impact Health is a rehab facility where the pain really goes away.”
Linda Fairweather has been coming to Impact Health since January 2012.
These are photos that she took on her vacation to Peru, where she was able to climb one of the pyramids at the Ollantaytambo ruins! She said that she would not have been able to do this before coming to Impact Health.
Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment, Linda!
“A year-and-half ago I tore the medial meniscus of my right knee. Prior to that incident I had been working with Impact Health for a period of five years on an assortment of problems: lower back, upper back and a lack of flexibility in my legs. In December 2013, Impact Health made a considerable investment in a K-Laser machine. And though we talked about the wonder of the laser, I was somewhat skeptical.
We have now been using the K-Laser on my knee, legs, back, shoulder and neck, and the incredible difference I felt was not only the sudden disappearance of pain and soreness but also the increased flexibility in my legs. What I find so unbelievable is that I no longer have the discomfort or pain when you stretch my legs.
It has truly been a wonderful improvement in the quality of therapy you can now deliver to your patients. I cannot thank you enough for investing in this wondrous addition to your practice. You are indeed a credit to your profession, and I thank you for that.”
Patti is no stranger to physical therapy (PT). She was born with dislocated hips, has had a total of four hip replacement surgeries, and has been in and out of physical therapy since she was five years old.
“I was told when I was a kid I would never walk again,” said Patti. “I was also told, when I was in my 30s, that I’d never be able to get up out of a wheelchair.”
Patti continued proving doctors wrong. But in 2009, she was in a lot of pain.
“I was frustrated and was staying home because I couldn’t walk; everything hurt,” said Patti. “My back was hurting, my hips were hurting and I was gaining weight because I couldn’t exercise.”
A wellness center referred Patti to Impact Health, and she started feeling better right away.
“At Impact Health, the difference was the hands-on attention and the therapists taking a look at my entire body, not just paying attention to my hips, which was what I’d been used to my entire life,” said Patti. “The way I was standing, what my knees were doing, what my feet were doing, it all coincides with my hips, but nobody ever evaluated me to that extent, until I came to Impact Health.”
Another difference Patti noticed at Impact Health was therapists evaluated her every time she came in.
“I like that it [the therapy] is based on how I’m feeling that day, because every day is different,” said Patti. “Impact Health has helped me improve my quality of life and I see changes on a regular basis.”
Patti says Impact Health has taught her body awareness and how to engage and control her body. Having endured physical limitations for most of her life, Patti appreciates the difference coming to Impact Health has made for her.
“I tell my friends, ‘It’s a way of life. Instead of going where your insurance is accepted, you can spend a little bit of money and get treated at Impact Health the proper way so you’ll heal faster.’ I will be with them for the rest of my life.”
Lois had been living with pain in her shoulder for about 11 months before she made an appointment at Impact Health.
“The issue started small; it felt like the kind of thing you could work out,” said Lois. “But, it continued on, so I went to see a massage therapist. It helped a little bit but it just never got better. I like to play golf, but I stopped playing golf on a regular basis because it hurt too much.”
At Impact Health, therapist Joe Millen’s initial evaluation indicated the pain in Lois’ right shoulder was actually coming from the left side of her neck.
Lois quickly noticed a difference between physical therapy (PT) sessions at Impact Health and other therapy providers she’d worked with in the past.
“At other therapy places, they’d ice the injured area in order to reduce swelling or hook you up to a stem machine and then you wouldn’t see the therapist again until that treatment was over,” said Lois. “At Impact Health, you get a great deal of individual attention. Joe is very knowledgeable, caring and he knows his patients.”
Another difference Lois noticed was doctors and therapists she’d seen in the past would focus only on one specific problem or body part.
“At other places, you couldn’t go outside of the four corners of that specific problem,” said Lois. “If I was having a problem with my back and went it, I’d hear, ‘Sorry, we’re just doing shoulder stuff. We can’t do anything else.’ Whereas, at Impact Health, they take their patients as they are presented. They are very aware of what your underlying problems are and how the body is working as a unit. Joe is willing to approach the problem from many different angles, and I think that the patient is much better served that way.”
Since beginning to receive physical therapy (PT) services at Impact Health several months ago, Lois has been able to resume her golf game.
“Now, my golf swing is back, I feel younger and I move better. I’m moving correctly and now I have to work on my strength,” said Lois. “Even though I have a nice drive and although my fairway shots are fairly long, they used to be longer. For the strength training, we work on that at Impact Health, too.”
