ABOUT YOUR THERAPIST

The ability to move is fundamental to a majority of the things I enjoy in life. Being in nature has always been one of my top priorities. I love to surf, spearfish, mountain bike, snowboard, rock climb, and hike. I also spend a ton of time gardening; cultivating vegetables, fruits, herbs, edible and ornamental flowers. I've been a beekeeper, I've even made my own maple syrup! I enjoy foraging, for mushrooms and other wild edibles. My aim with all of these things is to create a life that is maximally integrated with nature and centered around my health and longevity.

I've personally had to deal quite a few injuries in my life: clavicle fracture, AC joint separation, wrist fracture, concussions, over a dozen ankle sprains, finger fractures, and chronic patellofemoral pain, to name a few. One of the most humbling things as a physical therapist is having a painful experience and realizing you're unequipped to solve your own problem. Realizing that maybe your approach is actually baseless, misguided and ineffective. This is what happened to me early in my career. 

While preparing for a sprint triathalon I experienced yet another serious ankle sprain. I hardly rehabbed the injury and proceeded to complete the tri. Shortly after, as I transitioned back into a lifting routine, I started to experience knee pain. I tried to ignore it. It worsened. I tried to rehab it with what I thought was the right approach...stretching, theraband exercises, glute activation, quad exercises, all the PT classics. Ultimately, I had to open my eyes and acknowledge that I was just guessing. I had no framework from which to make decisions about my own care. I had no understanding of how my assessment findings were connected or even relevant. This meant I had no framework to help my patients either. This was monumental. I knew I had to get better as a clinician if I wanted to actually help others, and help myself. When I started as a PT, I thought you improved by adding "tools" to your "toolbox". I've since realized that principles are what matter. Tools are useless if you have no framework of when and how to use them appropriately. Over the last few years I've been continuing my education through Bill Hartman's Unified Health and Performance Continuum, Integrated Kinetic Neurology, the Postural Restoration Institute, Moment Education, AMP Performance and Rehab, Gary Ward. I've spent hundreds of hours reading and consuming podcasts on all things health, exercise, nutrition, physiology, quantum physics, fluid dynamics, biomechanics. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm far better equipped to help my clients than I was a few years back and I'm far better equipped to help my clients than a majority of the traditional physical therapy clinics.

My ultimate goal with Explore PT is to provide a rehabilitation experience founded on universal principles of movement that acknowledges the complexity of the human organism; to facilitate your ability to explore the world without feeling limited.

- Chris