NYSportsMed Utilizes Myofascial Release Therapy in NYC To Treat Back Pain

Leading provider of physical therapy treatment in Manhattan incorporates myofascial release therapy in treatment of back pain to improve flexibility and reduce pain

New York, NY – May 1, 2013 – NY SportsMed, a leading provider of sports medicine and physical therapy services in Manhattan, New York, is pleased to announce their continued commitment to incorporating myofascial release therapy into most physical treatment plans at their three Manhattan locations.  Myofascial release techniques are especially useful in treating patients experiencing back pain and other acute and chronic conditions affecting the muscles of the back, due to the muscular component of most back pain.

Myofascial release therapy, also referred to as MFR therapy, is a hands-on manual therapy technique that utilizes soft tissue mobilization techniques to relax muscles, improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, and increase flexibility by breaking up restrictions in fascia and surrounding connective tissue, such as muscles.  During treatment, the physical therapists at NY SportsMed use their hands to detect areas of fascial restriction, and subsequently apply gentle but sustained pressure in order to facilitate the release of the fascia and connective tissue.  Fascia is a thin layer of tough tissue that surrounds connective tissue such as muscle, providing support and protection to the tissue.

Most patients of NY SportsMed that are in need of physical therapy treatment receive a combination of myofascial release therapy, as well as a series of therapeutic exercises, as part of their treatment regimen.  Since every treatment approach and rehabilitation program is individualized according to a patient’s specific needs, the comprehensive approach to treatment may include other therapies and modalities as well.  However, the combination of myofascial release and therapeutic exercises is a conservative approach to treatment that often results in positive outcomes.  In fact, research has shown that pairing myofascial release and therapeutic exercises often equates to more favorable and permanent results than either treatment alone.

“At NY SportsMed, we have always incorporated myofascial release techniques as part of our overall treatment philosophy, especially in our patients experiencing back pain” explains Luke Bongiorno, Physical Therapy Director of NY SportsMed.  “Our approach focuses on offering our patients a ‘hands-on’ approach, in which patients are not simply left to run through a series of exercises on their own after being shown what to do.  Rather, our therapists work closely one-on-one with each patient and typically utilize myofascial release techniques to warm up and stretch muscles and tissues prior to patients performing their exercises.  This helps to break up restrictive tissue, increasing flexibility and reducing pain.  It also improves therapy outcomes.”

Myofascial release therapy has been gaining increasing attention in the media in recent times.  As an example, Ellen DeGeneres talked about the virtues of the technique on her talk show in early April, explaining to her audience how she hurt her back while moving a heavy table, but that following myofascial release therapy, she was feeling much better.  Although the increased attention may create the perception that myofascial treatment is a new therapy, the fact is that NY SportsMed has long been incorporating this effective, conservative manual therapy approach as part of their overall treatment philosophy.  

An impetus to NY SportsMed’s commitment to incorporating myofascial release therapy into most of their comprehensive treatment plans stems from the practice’s Physical Therapy Director Luke Bongiorno.  Luke is sought-after world-wide as an expert on myofascial release therapy, speaking about and teaching other physical therapists how to perform the manual therapy technique.  He works closely with each new therapist that joins NY SportsMed, ensuring that they perfect their myofascial release techniques when they join the company.  Over the years, he and his staff have seen many patients experiencing back pain benefit from administration of this gentle, conservative treatment.

“Myofascial release therapy is not a new way to treat back pain, but it is often an effective one,” explains Bongiorno.  “Although I wish Ellen DeGeneres only the best, she should know that if she ever finds herself experiencing back pain while in Manhattan, the myofascial release therapy she seeks is only a phone call away at any of NY SportsMed’s three locations.” 

NY SportsMed offers comprehensive physical therapy and sports medicine treatment for acute injuries and chronic pain, and treats many patients experiencing varying levels of back pain.  The physical therapists at NY SportsMed utilize myofascial release therapy as part of comprehensive treatment plans, using the manual therapy technique often in conjunction with therapeutic exercise for improved results and more permanent change.  To learn about the myofascial release technique, as well as the other non-surgical treatment options offered by NY SportsMed to treat acute and chronic back pain, contact NY SportsMed at 215-750-1110 or visit their website at http://nysportsmed.com.

Get more information about NY SportsMed's Myofascial release therapy.

Ellen DeGeneres Talks About How Myofascial Release Helped Her Recover From Back Pain

This video is from the Ellen DeGeneres Show. It aired on the Tuesday, April 9, 2013 episode. It is a monologue segment called “Put Your Back Into It. Ellen said she hurt her back after trying to move a heavy table.   After hurting her back her chiropractor came and helped her recover with a technique known as “myofascial release,” and Ellen quickly recovered from her injury.

Adam Banks to Doctors: Keep your medical practice about medicine

There’s certainly a lot of buzz surrounding the word “holistic” in the field of medicine lately.  For the purposes of what I am talking about in this article, I assume that all, or at least most, doctors take a holistic approach to medicine.  Meaning that they can think across many of the body’s systems, understanding how one condition or component affects the others, and considering each aspect of a patient’s body in relation to how it influences his or her overall health.

What I am referring to in this article, however, when answering the question of whether your practice need to be “holistic,” is whether you need to offer a variety of different services within your practice, or if you should instead remain more specialized in what you offer.

The most successful practices I see are often very specialized, meaning that they don’t offer every service possible.  They only focus on offering the services that they do really, really well.  Very often, practices that try to be “holistic” are watered down or confusing.  Patients sometimes don’t seem to know whether they are in a medical practice or a spa any more.

My recommendation is that doctors keep their medical practices about medicine.  Strip out what is non-medical in your practice and get rid of it.  Offering massage, selling a variety of supplements, or providing alternative medicine tends to only water down the doctor’s portion of the practice.  It makes the patients confused about what your expertise is and what they can count on you to do for them.  And what do you really get out of it anyway?

Generally, all you’re getting from the arrangement is a small rent payment from a massage therapist or an acupuncturist, or maybe you’re getting a minor “cut” of any products being sold.  But what you’re really doing is watering down your brand for the consideration of a relatively small rent payment or fee.  On top of that, you are providing advertising for those other services and sending your patients to that provider, but you generally don’t see business coming to you in the other direction.

While I definitely believe that doctors should practice holistically, offering a whole body approach to diagnosis and treatment as it relates to medicine, I don’t think there is really any advantage to building a “holistic” practice – one offering a variety of different services to meet different needs of patients.  I think it’s better to do that one thing that you do really, really well.  Build your brand and have people know that when they need the type of services you offer, you can do it well.  Let them know what they can count on you to be able to do – and not do as well.

You need to only look at today’s retail stores to better understand what I am proposing.  It’s fairly obvious that the most successful stores only offer a limited scope of products.  In fact, “holistic” retail stores, ones that offer a wide range of products and services to meet the varying needs of their customers, are becoming relatively obsolete or are at least really struggling to stay afloat.  Look at the likes of JC Penney and Sears and you’ll see what I mean.  In contrast, have you ever seen an Apple Store that wasn’t loaded with customers?

Consumers are demanding more highly specialized stores that are good at only offering a few things.  People want name brand purses, want to get their outdoor clothes only from certain manufacturers, buy their electronics from companies that only focus on specific types of products, or only want to “spend” their calories at the best ice cream shop in town.

I challenge doctors to run their practices like a specialized retail store – a place that customers head to because they know what is being offered and can understand the value that comes from pursuing a product (or service in this case) that is better than the competition.  Places like that may not offer everything for everyone.  But what they do offer is sought after because of the easy-to-realize value of knowing that when people or companies put all of their effort into doing just one or two things, they have the advantage of offering a better product because they remain focused on doing what they do best.

Adam Banks is CEO, NY SportsMed, and consults on practice development, management and marketing. He can be reached on Twitter @adamabanks.

Adam Banks: 8 surprising thoughts about patient wait times

Every one of us feels a high level of anxiety when we are made to wait.  In grocery stores, we jockey back and forth to the line we perceive is moving the fastest and easily get frustrated when we choose the “wrong” line.  When driving, we will swerve across multiple lanes of traffic to avoid a line at a toll booth or to position ourselves in the lane that we think will get us to our destination the fastest.  Even in elevators, we hate waiting so much that we push the “door close” button so often that those buttons typically have a different shine than all other buttons on the elevator panel because of the disparate use of that one button.

Knowing that we all hate to wait for just about anything, I haven’t quite figured out yet why so many doctors are okay with making their patients wait.  Patients are customers, and most businesses try to focus on doing what they can to keep their customers happy, yet waiting is one of the top reasons why customers are annoyed or frustrated by an experience they have with a business.  In an advertisement for Federal Express, the voiceover states that “waiting is frustrating, demoralizing, agonizing, aggravating, annoying, time consuming and incredibly expensive.”  Waiting generally results in negative perceptions of businesses by customers.  So, why do doctors think it is okay to make their patients wait?

Sometimes, it is unavoidable in a medical practice that patients will have to wait; unexpected things come up that may not always be able to be controlled.  It is certainly in a practice’s best interests to look into how wait times can be avoided, or at least diminished, to improve the patient experience.  But even if waiting cannot be completely avoided, there are ways to handle the waiting experience of patients.  Understanding influences on people’s perceptions of waiting can provide better insight into what can be done to make waiting a less negative experience.

There has been a good deal of research done on the psychology of waiting.  In my quest to better understand this process, I happened to read a paper by David Maister, titled “The Psychology of Waiting Lines.”   Below, I would like to share a number of insights regarding waiting that were highlighted by David Maister in order to help you better understand how your patients feel when they are kept waiting for an appointment.

1. Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time.  You know the expression “a watched pot never boils”?  When you are sitting and doing nothing while waiting, it seems like the time takes forever to pass.  Maister quotes William James, a noted philosopher, in his paper, highlighting his observance that “boredom results from being attentive to the passage of time itself.”

Many businesses understand this concept and some try to do things to change the perception of the passage of time.  For example, theme parks such as Disney keep guests entertained while waiting in lines by providing entertainment through music, TV or live performances.  Most medical practices understand this concept to a point and provide patients with loads of paperwork (most that have been copied over and over) to work on while waiting so that patients are occupied for at least a portion of the wait time.

If you need to keep patients waiting for awhile, make it more fun and entertaining for them so that they are occupied while waiting and so that time seems to pass more quickly.  For example, keep magazines fresh and make sure topics are in line with those your patients might find interesting.  Provide iPad minis (tether them to furniture so they don’t “disappear”) to give patients something to do while they wait.  Although I am personally not a big fan of having televisions running with daytime talk shows, I do observe that they work to keep patients entertained.

2. People want to get started. Patients want to feel like they are getting closer to seeing the doctor, so it is in your practice’s best interest to have patients feeling like they are getting started on time, or as close to on time as possible.  Have an assistant start the appointment right at the scheduled time by taking patients back to the room where they will be seen (and thus, leaving the waiting room).

Even if taking the patient back to the room is not an option, consider some type of “triage” system, whereby all patients are first met by a nurse who can enter the patients’ name, information and symptoms into the computer and then can decide whether the patient can be treated by a registered nurse practitioner or whether they should wait to see the doctor.  Even if this step has no impact on the time it takes for a patient to see a medical service provider, surveys have shown that patients were pleased with “reduced waiting times” because their appointments seemed to start on time, since they had at least been entered into the system and the “process” of the appointment had begun.

This is another good reason to give patients forms to fill out, but I challenge you to take it to the next level past just filling patients’ time with forms by putting in place a process that makes them feel like their appointment is getting started, even if they still have to wait to see the doctor. Even if there’s no option about who to see, having a nurse start the process (by taking blood pressure, height and weight, symptoms, etc.), makes the patient feel like the appointment has begun on time.

3. Anxiety makes waits seem longer. When people are anxious, the process of waiting appears longer than it otherwise might.  Just think about how it feels when you’re line hopping at the grocery store and you are anxious about whether you really choose the best checkout line.  Standing there waiting for your turn to check out seems like it takes forever and you’re sure it would’ve been faster somewhere else.  Or, maybe you’re at the airport and you have to wait in line to go through security.  You’re anxious about the process of whether you’ll be pulled aside for additional screening once you’ve sent your wallet, keys and laptop through the x-ray machine, or whether you’ll get to your gate on time, and that makes the wait seem to be interminable.

Chances are that your patients are already anxious while sitting in your waiting room.  Most reasons for heading to a doctor’s office leave people with some level of anxiety.  So, since you know that your patients are anxious and you now know that anxiety makes waits seem longer, it’s important for you to remove as many of the other seven factors noted here that add to wait anxiety as you can in order to improve your patients’ experience.

4. Uncertain waits are longer than known or finite waits. It’s been shown that when a person knows how long they can expect to wait, they are less anxious and the wait time seems to pass more quickly and less unpleasantly.  Think about how you feel again at the airport.  If you arrive an hour before your flight and get to the gate 30 minutes before departure, you are fine with the wait time because you know what to expect and can pass the time accordingly, doing whatever you want or need to do before the flight leaves.  But, if you are sitting at the gate for just a few minutes past the scheduled departure time and you have not been told when the plane will board, you immediately get very anxious and the minutes tick by like hours while you sit at the edge of your seat growing more and more anxious.

The same holds true for theme parks.  If you see a sign that is posted about how long the wait time will be, the time seems to go by much faster and with less stress than when you’re standing in a line that appears to not be moving very fast and you have no idea how long you can expect to be standing there.

So, it is important that your staff provide specific information related to how long patients’ waits will be.  If your staff just says “the doctor will see you soon”, the patient may assume your staff is lying or bluffing and will automatically be in a more anxious state.  That’s because when we don’t know how long a wait is, we become more agitated and less patient.  Time moves by at a snail’s pace.

But, if we know the exact amount of time that we will have to wait, we can settle into a new reality.  It frees us from the anxiety of the unknown and allows us to control what we do with the time we know we have to wait.  We can read a magazine, make a phone call, check some emails or even step away for a cup of coffee, rather than watching the constant tick of the clock, wondering when our wait will end.

5. Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits. The second we are told why we are waiting for something, we usually relax a bit.  For example, if we are sitting at an airplane gate and the flight is late but there is no agent at the gate or we are provided with no reason for the delay, we get frustrated and anxious and the wait time seems to take forever because we’re not really sure why we have been made to wait.  But, if the airline agents are there and they explain the reason for the late departure, we come to a level of understanding and our frustration level is somewhat reduced.

I often see reception staff in doctors’ offices managing patients’ inquiries about delayed appointments by using “white lies”.  The front desk staff may say things like “the doctor is at the hospital” or “the doctor got called into an emergency”, but without a valid explanation about why the doctor is delayed and how long the patient can expect to wait due to a specific situation, patients get annoyed (and rightfully so).  Sometimes, the patient doesn’t believe the explanation (or it’s an untrue explanation), but even if the reason for the delay is valid, a patient that doesn’t receive a fair explanation of the situation will feel frustrated, anxious and will perceive that the wait is taking forever.

6. Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits. When we are waiting for something to occur, we are very sensitive to what we deem is unfair or unbalanced.  Think about a time when you were sitting at a restaurant waiting for your order to be taken or food to be served, only to see a party you know walked in after you enjoying their food before you.  Even if you had no issue with waiting up until that point, you suddenly feel like you’ve been waiting too long because it is unfair that they were served so quickly and you are still waiting for your food, so you immediately get agitated and start looking for your waiter to get some answers about when you can expect your food.

Similarly, if you are sitting in a waiting room at a doctor’s office and someone else that walks in after you is taken back before you, you view this as being unfair and it makes you more agitated.  Chances are you’ll head to the front desk to immediately make sure that they didn’t “forget about you” or to find out why you weren’t taken first.  That’s why it is so important to make it very clear to patients why their wait may be different from another person’s wait.  For example, if there are multiple practitioners in the office, your patients deserve an explanation that some patients may experience different wait times dependent on each individual practitioner’s schedule.

A triage nurse or the person who greets patients at the front desk can manage any expectations of fairness by providing information about variations in wait times with a valid explanation.

7. The more valuable the service, the longer the customer will wait. This may be the one point regarding waiting that leans in a physician’s favor.  I have had to wait several hours to see a particular specialist after it taking me months to “get in” to see the doctor in the first place.  So, even though the wait was extremely long, I wasn’t about to give up my appointment and walk out, only to have to possibly wait several more months to get back in to see this specialist.

However, although this point might provide a reason for your patients to grin and bear it while they wait for you, it still is not good for business in general to make your patients wait.  So, this may buy you some time, but don’t rely on it as a reason to validate your constantly backed up schedule.

8. Solo waits feel longer than group waits. When you’re waiting in a restaurant, an airport or an amusement park, there’s no doubt that time seems to pass much more quickly when you are with a group of people.  You’re talking, laughing and having a good time and, unless the wait is egregiously long, you tend to hardly notice.  When you’re alone, wait times generally feel much longer because you are more focused on the passage of time and are not as distracted from the actual act of waiting.

Now, I’m not advocating that you have your patients show up with a big group of friends so they have people with them to make the wait go by faster, but in the absence of companions, I suggest again that you keep your patients distracted and entertained with things like iPad minis, up to date magazines, or a TV tuned to a popular program.

I challenge the physicians that I consult with to minimize wait times.  It is simply the one best thing that you can do to improve the perception of your practice.  If your patients come in and are seen on-time they will certainly rave about you to their friends.  Your competitor most likely isn’t seeing patient’s on-time; instead of lowering your practice to what has become standard, long waits, set your practice apart by seeing your patients as scheduled.  It is the easiest way to differentiate your practice.

Adam Banks is CEO, NY SportsMed, and consults on practice development, management and marketing. He can be reached on Twitter @adamabanks.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

NY SportsMed RUN - A Running Program Led by Physical Therapists

NY SportsMed proudly announces the launch of NY SportsMed RUN - a running program led by physical therapists that is specifically tailored to the New York running community. With three locations throughout Manhattan, the initiative is the first standardized, city-wide physical therapy program for runners. Combining cutting edge science with the latest in biomechanical methodology, NY SportsMed RUN is a comprehensive approach consisting of in-depth video analysis, a running group headed by members of the NY SportsMed staff, and a program of continuing education and community outreach.

Long a leader in the treatment of sports-related injury, NY SportsMed aims to be the gold standard for the runners and triathletes of NYC. "We saw the need for an expansive, comprehensive program here in our city," says Wendy Rhodes, a NY SportsMed physical therapist who is the Program Director of NY SportsMed RUN. "Our goal is to be the outpatient physical therapy resource for runners of all levels. We are therapists, exercise physiologists, and coaches. By utilizing the latest in research and technology, we're able to assess a runner's form and identify current biomechanical errors and potential injuries down the line. Once we understand the exact needs of each runner, we can understand their needs and help them move more efficiently."

The video analysis component of the program parallels physical therapy care, and is often included in the treatment plan. "Capturing motion on video, frame by frame, displays deviations in movement that are more difficult to see full-speed. It's the best method for diagnosing any problems that may exist, and it helps us more accurately devise a plan of attack based on the exact needs and goals of the individual" says Rhodes.

A free weekly running group is also offered. The group is open to anyone in the community and helps provide further motivation to those who want to step up their game. By having a medical professional on hand to interact with, runners can better assess those areas that may need correction.

As many of the staff teach at the professional level, they know the value in arming their patients with the right information. As a result, they stay up-to-date on the most recent medical evidence for their practice. "Evidence-based medicine keeps us current on the most effective practices for our patients. It makes our staff the most knowledgable in the city."

NY SportsMed has long been active in the New York running community. The physical therapy practice has their own NY Road Runners team, proudly sponsors New York races, and actively participates with running organizations such as Back on My Feet.

Anti-Inflammatory Steroid Injections Now Being Offered by NY SportsMed and Physical Therapy at NYC's Gramercy Surgery Center

NY SportsMed is pleased to announce that Dr. Suzanne Gutiérrez Teissonniere now offers anti-inflammatory steroid injections to our clients at the esteemed Gramercy Surgery Center here in New York City. Like all of the providers at NY SportsMed, Dr. Gutiérrez emphasizes a rehabilitative approach to healing through strengthening and conditioning whenever possible, but understands the realities of more serious injuries and chronic degenerative conditions. When combined with physical therapy performed in NY SportsMed's state-of-the-art facility, these powerful anti-inflammatory injections can often relieve much of the pain and discomfort in those patients who once thought that surgery was their only option.

A board certified Diplomat of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Gutiérrez performs injections at the spine (Lumbar-Caudal, Transforaminal, and Facet Lumbar), hip (Sacroiliac Joint), and/or shoulder (Gleno-humeral Joint) to those clients who've experienced medium to severe injury or wear in these areas. The medicine is administered under X-ray guidance (called fluoroscopy), which ensures the correct placement of the needle and thus a much higher level of safety and comfort. The procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia, and take just a few minutes to complete. The results are dramatic and offer the clients of NY SportsMed yet another tool in their quest for effective healing and a return to a pain- free, active lifestyle.

The Gramercy Surgery Center is a fully accredited ambulatory surgery center made up of 150 world-class, nationally and internationally recognized physicians. The doctors maintain affiliations with many of the region's best hospitals and strive to stay current by educating themselves on the most up-to-date technology and procedures. Like NY SportsMed, the center is dedicated to providing the best experience possible to all of their patients through a skilled combination of expert medical staff and the best, most modern equipment available. To learn more about The Gramercy Surgery Center visit: http://www.gramercysurgerycenter.com.

Dr. Michael J. Neely named Castle Connolly Top Doctor

January 23, 2012

NY SportsMed is proud to announce that Dr. Michael J. Neely has been named one of the best physicians in the New York City metropolitan area by the prestigious "Castle Connolly Top Doctors Guide." One of America's most trusted sources, it identifies top medical practitioners, both nationally and regionally, based on an extensive nominations process and review by a physician-led research team. Castle Connolly's motto is "top doctors make a difference," a mantra Dr. Neely lives up to each and every day in his role as medical director at NY Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy.

Besides overseeing a staff of new york city's best physical therapists, Dr. Neely plays an integral part in the lives of his own clients as well by providing the utmost care in the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries. “The first step in treating an injury is to spend time listening to the patient,” he often says. It's that kind of thinking that makes him such an effective and well respected physician. In fact, the people he treats are often surprised by the time he puts into diagnosing the root cause of the pain and, just as importantly, finding the the most effective way to treat it. "Unlike some doctors, I don't shy away from additional testing. At the end of the day, it's ultimately up to me to create a better life for my patients- it's a responsibility I take very seriously." In addition, Dr. Neely stresses the importance of patient education. "The best way to speed recovery, and to prevent an injury from reoccurring, is to educate the patient about the condition, and to make sure that the patient truly understands and is comfortable with the treatment plan."

A trusted physician for some of the country's top professional football, basketball and baseball teams, Dr. Neely enjoys helping the weekend warrior as well. "An injury is an injury- whether it's a professional running back with a torn ligament, or an accountant with a bad tennis elbow, pain is pain." He prides himself on his ability to provide care to athletes from all walks of life and emphasizes a non-surgical approach when at all possible. Through continuing education on the newest medical techniques and advanced technologies, he's able to deliver the most state-of-the-art and effective treatments available, ensuring a successful return to an active lifestyle for his patients.

Dr. Neely received his medical degree from the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a specialty internal medicine track internship at South Pointe Hospital of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Dr. Neely is an avid runner (he recently completed two marathons), scuba diver, downhill skier and snowboader. He personally understands the importance that athletes place on their ability to be "on their game”. And as the Castle Connolly guide honors only those doctors "at the top of their game," we here at NY SportsMed congratulate Dr. Michael J. Neely once again for this prestigious accomplishment.

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NY SportsMed Physical Therapist, Allison Lind, Competes in the Ironman Competition

October 13, 2012

NEW YORK, NY –The spirit of the Ironman race is about passion, athleticism and perseverance.  Allison Lind embodies this spirit and showed herself to be a fierce competitor in this year’s Ironman competition. The NY SportsMed (NYSM) physical therapist completed the esteemed Ironman World Championship in a time of 10:34:55. Lind placed 12th in the women’s age 30-34 category. Allison received a champions’ welcome upon returning to her position at NYSM in Manhattan. “We couldn’t be prouder of Allison’s accomplishment at Ironman Kona this year. She’s an awesome athlete and an incredible asset to the NY SportsMed team,” says Adam Banks, CEO of NY SportsMed.
 
Amazingly, Lind started running at 10 years old. She then went on to run cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track during her studies at Florida State.  Not wanting to be sidelined after suffering a pelvic stress fracture, Lind took up swimming and biking and transformed herself into a tri-athlete. As one of the facilitators of NYSM’s Running Club, therapists guiding patients recovering from injury through training runs, Lind was able to help others while also preparing for her big competition.
 
Allison holds a doctorate of physical therapy from Columbia University and has worked as a physical therapists for over 5 years. Her athletic career as a tri-athlete has been a tremendous asset in helping her effectively diagnose and treat patients. “I have no doubt that my own struggles with injuries and the desire to compete has helped me to become a better therapist,” says Lind. Lind’s own injuries have made her a big proponent of cross training. When treating athletes she utilizes gait analysis and customized fitness regimens to get them back on track. She also encourages cross training to help patients avoid injury. Lind maintains an intense training regimen and continues to prepare for the “next big race,” wherever that may take her.

Ny SportsMed Physical Therapist Featured In Project Hope Documentary

Armed with only a solar powered backpack, a headlamp, a t-shirt, his TRX and his favorite book, Project HOPE volunteer and physical therapist Claude Hillel set out to make a difference in Haiti. Having viewed the devastation of his homeland on television and having lost relatives in the earthquake, Hillel felt compelled to go to Haiti to help. “I knew that I had something that would be of value at a moment like that,” explains Hillel of his desire to go to Haiti. As a senior physical therapists at NY Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy (NYSM) in Manhattan, Claude knew he could be of help to those suffering from orthopedic injuries as a result of the horrific quake.

Project HOPE has been in existence since 1958 and has served some 35 countries worldwide with the help of medical volunteers like Claude Hillel. The Haitian native’s remarkable volunteer experience in the earthquake ravaged country was documented by award-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel. The release of this film, entitled HOPE on Film, marks the third in a series of short films documenting Project HOPE's incredible, life changing work around the world. Seftel’s past work has aired on PBS, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, and A&E and has also been featured at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Claude specializes in treating pathologies of the spine and their contribution to dysfunctions of the extremities. As a result, the NYSM physical therapist was able to provide skillful care and assistance to many injured Haitians. In the documentary, Hillel tells of one of his most rewarding experiences working with a 28 year old mother of four who lost both her legs. Through her strong will and Hillel’s expert guidance, the young woman was walking with the help of prosthetic legs in 7 weeks’ time. “I was a therapists in some ways, but she was my therapist because she was such an inspiration,” remarks Hillel regarding his experience. To view and share the film, click the following link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-p-howe-iii-md/haiti-earthquake-documentary_b_1682812.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

ABOUT PROJECT HOPE
Since 1958, Project HOPE has worked to make health care available for people around the globe. The organization is committed to long-term sustainable health care. Their work includes educating health professionals and community health workers, strengthening health facilities, fighting diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and diabetes and providing humanitarian assistance through donated medicines, medical supplies and volunteer medical help. To learn more about Project Hope visit http://www.projecthope.org