By Jane Lebak

Move Well Physical Therapy is changing the way patients experience physical therapy.  It starts with a 45-minute appointment held in a private room which ensures undivided attention from the physical therapist. Michelle Donohue founded Move Well Physical Therapy at the Rama center in Norwood in October of 2018 and believes their treatment philosophy is truly patient focused.

Donohue says, “It is common practice in most PT clinics to have 30-minute treatment sessions where often each therapist is attending to more than one patient at a time. You’ll find many treatment tables with patients lined up. There really is no privacy, and this doesn’t allow for a lot of individual attention.”

Donohue has made these changes to better focus on the clients’ needs. “We want to really be present with our patients, to hear what they’re saying and understand their goals.” Donohue feels the extra time allows for better communication and less rushing. She says, “We connect with you. When you’re in pain, that’s important.”

Often physical therapy is a misunderstood area of medicine. Many think physical therapists just focus on exercise like a personal trainer or just do massage. In reality, physical therapy covers an array of health issues with a variety of treatment options performed by highly educated individuals with many years of schooling. Donohue states, “Through the years, PT programs have transitioned from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree, and now people graduating have their doctorate in physical therapy.” This really allows them to be the expert in rehab services. 

Physical therapy can help people recover from overuse and sports injuries, but also can help people regain mobility after surgery or preserving skills after a stroke. However, very often it’s the everyday aches and pains that force people to seek out a physical therapist. “We commonly treat people with back or neck pain, knee pain, et cetera,” says Donohue, “but we also treat people with headaches and balance issues.”

Physical therapy techniques go beyond prescribing exercises. Donohue says, “In addition to personalized exercises, we use our hands or even stainless-steel instruments called Graston to improve soft tissue and joint mobility. We can also use other modalities like kinesiology tape and dry needling to help with healing.”

Dry needling uses the same type of needle used in acupuncture, but the philosophy for using the needle is different. By inserting a thin filament, the PT can create a twitch response in tight bands of muscle. This relaxes the muscle and relieves pain in a localized area. Donohue says, “Dry needling can treat headaches, knee pain, neck pain, and swelling, just to name a few.”

Very few people know that physical therapy can also help people with vertigo and dizziness, but it’s something Move Well specializes in.

Vertigo often results from a malfunction of the balance system deep in the middle ear, called the vestibular system. Move Well performs a thorough assessment to determine the problem with the vestibular system. In some cases, the problem is with crystals in the ear canal, which can then be resolved with a series of head and body movements, with relief often in one session.

“Some patients can also have weakness in their vestibular system that may come from a viral infection, and these people benefit a different movement-based approach to resolve their symptoms,” says Donohue. “Vertigo is truly an awful feeling that can disrupt your life. So, when you can resolve someone’s vertigo, they are so appreciative.”

The State of Massachusetts allows individuals to self-refer for physical therapy, so patients can book their first appointment themselves, either online at Move Well’s website, https://www.mw-pt.com, or by calling 781-269-5850 today. Isn’t it time to not just to move, but to Move Well?

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