GREYLOCK PHYSICAL THERAPY
G
reylock Physical Therapy, located in Lanesboro, MA, offers practical and consistent testing tools to measure and assess all components of body function. They watch people move, identify their dysfunction, find out where they are successful in their movement mechanics, and build upon that success. This translates into an accurate and meaningful treatment program for their patients. Owner Lisa Baumgart, MPT, FAFS, says that patients can achieve healing with minimal or no discomfort with their individualized and unique approach to physical therapy.
Q: Lisa, please describe what you do.
A: I do things a little differently in that I combine traditional physical therapy practices with functional physical therapy practices. The latter technique utilizes an approach called Applied Functional Science® and it effectively identifies and treats the cause of symptoms and dysfunction. After observing and assessing a patient’s whole body movement patterns, I am able to formulate a treatment plan catered specifically for that individual. I still use traditional approaches as necessary because they are very beneficial, but I use them as an adjunct to the functional approach.
Q: How did you get started?
A: I initially started a career in law, working as a paralegal and legal secretary for a few years, thinking I would eventually go to law school, but I didn’t enjoy it. While still working for a law firm, I decided to take a course in anatomy and physiology and found my passion. I have always been interested in the human body and amazed at how all the different systems work together. I have also had a long-standing interest in finding the root cause of dysfunction. After graduating from American International College in 2001 with a masters in physical therapy, I felt really proud to have my degree and make it through such a rigorous program with excellent grades. However, I also believed there had to be more than just testing and treating patients on the table 16
Spring 2018 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com
and then sending them away, expecting them to function and feel better. I was fortunate enough to get hired at a clinic that focused on a functional approach to physical therapy and I worked there for five years. I felt there was a wide-open market for a more functional approach in my area so in January 2007 I took a leap of faith and opened my own practice.
Q: Please tell us more about functional physical therapy and when you incorporated it in your treatment plans.
A: After I started the business, I went deeper into movement science, which is based on the initial philosophy of Gary Gray of the Gray Institute. I attended a 40-week mentorship program that resulted in certification as a Fellow of Applied Functional Science®. This program taught me how to really look at my patients and treat the cause of their dysfunction. Traditional physical therapists typically treat patients on a table or in a sitting position, and utilize only a few standing exercises. Functional physical therapy focuses on performing hands-on mobilizations in standing positions called Functional Manual Reaction™, followed by standing exercises in all three planes of motion. Essentially, we are going after the cause of the problem, which is often nowhere near the manifestation of pain/limitation. For example, a patient recently came to me for treatment of left shoulder bursitis (an inflammatory condition). I watched him walk and move in all planes of motion and noticed something was not right with his right foot and ankle. After he revealed he had an old ankle sprain that never healed right, I determined that compensations throughout his body were directly linked to this old injury, ultimately causing dysfunction in his left shoulder. Specifically, I was able to see that his right hip stopped rotating (an unconscious compensation pattern he used to avoid rolling his ankle again), leading to limited thoracic/spinal rotation to the right, causing excessive compressive force (bursitis) at his left