By Bob Tagert

Get Fixed at The Physical Therapy Zone

Leading an active life can sometimes result in accidents where medical treatment is necessary and then physical therapy to return our bodies to the condition prior to the accident or incident. In 1968 I fractured my right femur in a motorcycle accident. I was six weeks in traction, six weeks in a body cast. The cast didn’t work so the doctors decided to insert a rod inside the femur and graft a portion of my hip bone around the break. When all of this was over, I could not have physical therapy to get my knee to bend more than 30 degrees for fear of causing a separation of the break.

Over time the break healed, the rod was removed and I became active again even to the point of wrecking another motorcycle (only broke a tooth) and learning to play rugby. By constant use I achieved 90 degree movement over the next 50 years. Seven months ago I had my knee replaced.

I was standing on the leg a day after surgery and even taking some steps. After the use of a walker for a few days, I was walking on my own but I had limited movement in the knee due to scar tissue. I needed physical therapy. Through therapy we got the knee to bend as much as 110 degrees and that is where it stands now. My therapy began in Calvert County near the hospital where I had the surgery but also near a friend’s house where I spent the first two weeks in rehabilitation. When I returned to Old Town I continued my therapy at The Physical Therapy Zone in Old Town.

Dr. Lori Alexander began her career as a physical therapist working for the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota after graduating from Boston University. During her five years at the Mayo Clinic she specialized in both outpatient and inpatient orthopedics, pediatrics and vestibular rehabilitation. In 2001, Alexander moved to Alexandria and worked for seven years at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington specializing in orthopedics. In 2008, she started her own home health physical therapy private practice. It was then that she noticed a shift in the practice of physical therapy – a move by many clinics away from a patient-centered practice, toward a model where patient visits included only a brief time with the physical therapist and the remainder of the treatment alone on a treatment table, with numerous patient’s side-by-side.

Dr. Alexander recognized the need for a better way to provide physical therapy, comprised of greater personalized care in a warm and inviting setting. In 2011, she opened her own outpatient physical therapy practice to provide this level of care.

When searching for the location of her new clinic she purposely chose Old Town Alexandria so that she could be in the middle of all the action and many of her customers could walk to the clinic. I happen to live three and a half blocks away.

After my knee replacement I was apprehensive about therapy, but realized for success it was necessary. The old adage “no pain, no gain” is true for physical therapy, but a well-trained therapist makes the work more efficient and reassuring. With each session I gained a little more flexibility in my knee…it is a slow process but worth the effort.

The team of therapists at The Physical Therapy Zone are very good at what they do and always seem to get that extra effort out of their clients. The Zone treats sports injuries and all types of conditions including repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain, motor vehicle accidents, work-related injuries, headaches, neck and shoulder pain, pain and numbness in the extremities, foot pain, and general joint discomfort.

The aforementioned services are only a small window into the services they offer. One of the most over looked problems is balance. When I got my balance assessment I was surprised how bad it had become. It may be my age or leg strength which is something I have to work on.

If you are in need of a good local physical therapist, remember that The Physical Therapy Zone is right here in Old Town, Alexandria.

Physical Therapy Zone

North Washington Street

Old Town Alexandria

703-847-0010

Physicaltherapyzone.com