From Hedley,
I tore my ACL, Medial and Lateral Meniscus, and had a microfracture of my tibia while playing soccer. I had my surgery in December 2015 and started going to rehab right away. Six months later I was still limping and was still in a great deal of pain. I began to wonder if I was going to even walk right let alone get back to playing soccer. That’s when I decided to switch physical therapists. My new therapist Michael was a magician. He was very knowledgeable and patient. He would spend each 40-minute session monitoring my exercises and making sure that I was doing them correctly and using the right form. We carefully adjusted my workouts and added new steps gradually. The difference on my knee was instant. I went from limping to running, sprinting and cutting within three months. Now almost a year later I started playing soccer and basketball again. Thank you Michael…for helping me with my recovery.
From Jane
I worked with Michael for about 20 months before and after my knee surgery. I originally came in because my knee-cap was slipping from dislocations, every few steps creating a discomfort and irritation in the area surrounding it. In this first year, we worked on many exercises to strengthen the muscles and tracking of my knee-cap to make sure it stays in place. This work included retraining the way my knee moved while walking and movements. We did a lot of tissue work trying to eliminate the swelling to help build the muscle back. In this time, Michael trained me to do every exercise and stretch on my own so I could be successful without him. About a year after seeing Michael consistently, my knee dislocated again, and it was noticeable that my knee-cap was not tracking as well as it could. Michael knew that something more needed to be done, so he recommended me to a great surgeon in Seattle to take a look. It turned out I needed extensive surgery to fix the knee-cap and the damaged cartilage caused from so much movement and repositioning in order to give more stability.
Even though my condition and needs changed, I knew I needed to stay with Michael as I felt comfortable to go through the next very difficult recovery process with him from the rapport and relationship we formed. After surgery, I had to learn how to bend and walk again. On top of that I lost muscle in my thigh and I needed to build that up from the bottom. The first few months were brutal. I had to get my leg forced to bend against its will. Michael was a huge encouragement. Even when he was pushing me to the very edge, I felt safe. He built my confidence up, showing me that I am so much more capable in what I can do than I thought. In time, with electric therapy and many many squats and lunges my function in my knee came back. From his confidence, knowledge and complete interest in my life and who I am, my trust in him build exponentially. I continued seeing Michael. 9 months after surgery. I gained a lot of pain in my hips and back from the recovery process and going to college full time. And he was so patient with me, encouraging me and teaching me. I never once felt like I didn't know much or belittled. It was all by encouragement and pushing me in a healthy way. In the future if I need any more services I know who to call. I wouldn't be where I am physically without his training. And I know that he is a therapist to trust and rely on through any difficulty.
From Ali
I started working with Michael shortly after I was involved in a car accident. I was rear-ended at a stoplight and felt almost immediate low-back, neck and shoulder pain. I started working with Michael within a couple weeks of my accident and was immediately impressed. He was very helpful in addressing my pain from the accident while educating me on the things to expect while I am healing. He was also extremely helpful in giving me small exercises at first, followed by progressively more difficult exercises to help heal the joints and muscles in my neck and back that had been affected by the accident. He even went above and beyond to identify issues with my posture and things that I was doing during the day to worsen my posture and ultimately slow down my healing. He always made me feel like he was preparing me for the worst-case scenario and giving me tools to deal with my back pain or neck pain if it does come back. I can’t say enough about Michael’s approach to healing and his commitment to my entire person and well-being. He is extremely knowledgeable at his craft and is someone that I would trust with any injury.
