What Do You Do?

This is the number one question I have been asked by people since starting my own business. Most people have heard of physical therapy but I have learned that not a lot of people fully understand what a physical therapist does. Most people think physical therapy just something that someone has after having a surgery. While this is true, physical therapy is also much more than this!

In order to become a physical therapist, we are expected to have an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and how the different body systems work together. In fact, a study in 2005 found that physical therapists and physical therapy students scored higher on differential diagnosis and general orthopedic knowledge than all physician categories and physician students with the exception of orthopedic surgeons!

Childs, J.D., Whitman, J.M., Sizer, P.S. et al. A description of physical therapists' knowledge in managing musculoskeletal conditions. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 6, 32 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-6-32

So what does this mean?

This means that when I work with someone, I look at a multitude of components including joint mobility, strength, balance/stability, posture, and movement preferences and I use this information to figure out why they are experiencing their problem(s). Once we figure out what is causing your symptoms, we can formulate a game plan to get you feeling better! I do this through a combination of hands-on techniques (soft tissue massage/joint mobilization/instrument assisted massage), exercises to address mobility, strength, or balance deficits, modalities (TENS), and education on what you can do to reduce your symptoms and how to prevent them from coming back.

While all physical therapists receive relatively the same education in their graduate programs, there are multiple specialties within physical therapy. After graduating, a physical therapist can choose to specialize in pediatrics, geriatrics, orthopedics, sports, pelvic floor, neuro rehab, vestibular/concussion, and the list goes on. Physical therapists do not have to choose to specialize, however, more education and exposure to a subset of patients does allow you to become that much better at helping that specific set of clients. Since graduating, I have spent a lot of time educating myself and exposure to orthopedics, pelvic floor rehab, and perinatal and postpartum care.

With my practice, my main goal is to serve my community. People are always astounded when I tell them that I have to drive 10 miles to reach a gas station or 20 miles to go grocery shopping. There are not readily available services without driving for almost a half hour when you live between Duluth and the Iron Range. It makes it that much more difficult to schedule appointments because you are either making a special trip into town, taking time out of your workday, or delaying the time that you get home. I want to remove the barrier of time driving to appointments and taking time out of our busy work days in order to take care of ourselves by providing a service that comes to you! If you are someone who is experiencing pain, can’t figure out why an injury isn’t getting better, or wants to just improve your general fitness, my service is for you! If you are expecting a new baby this year and you are scared about birthing a baby, my service is for you! If you are pregnant or postpartum and you are dealing with leaking, back pain, pelvic pain/pressure, round ligament pain, or trying to figure out what exercises you can do through pregnancy or after baby, MY SERVICE IS FOR YOU!

My mission is to empower and educate my clients so that they can perform whatever activity they want without restrictions. Contact me to see how I can serve you!

Website: www.journeyphysicaltherapychildbirthservices.com (online scheduling available)

Email: ashley.williams.dpt@gmail.com

Call/text: 218-206-6644

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