Bert showing off that SPEAR pride on Denali Mountain!

Climbing a mountain is no easy feat. It’s even more difficult when you’re suffering from multiple injuries! That’s the story of Bert Snarr, a 33-year-old extreme sport enthusiast and former SPEAR patient. Bert recently finished an expedition up Mount Denali in Alaska, the highest mountain peak in all of North America, and the third most prominent peak in the world! It was a long journey up the mountain for Bert, in more ways than one.

Always an active person, Bert spends much of his time mountaineering, running, snowboarding, fishing and hunting. Leading such an active lifestyle is very exciting—and can also be taxing on the body. Not only did Bert tear both his ACLs in his early 20’s, he also tore some muscles in his lower back during a snowboarding accident. Now, his frequent lower back and knee pain were starting to impact his active lifestyle and even his day-to-day activities. It was clearly time for a tune up—that’s when Bert turned to us for treatment, choosing to work with the brilliant Joshua Kaufman, PT, DPT at our W 44th Street clinic.

Bert fondly nicknamed his PT Josh “The Mad Scientist”, referring to his ability to push Bert outside of his comfort zone in a myriad of ways. “Josh designed an array of creative exercises to simulate the conditions I would experience on an upcoming climb,” he details. “He’s very knowledgeable, and put together a program that felt tailored to my injury and objectives.” Bert also appreciated the camaraderie among the clinic team, describing the feel of the atmosphere as “very positive – it’s a friendly environment both between the therapists and among the clients.” It’s much easier to complete the difficult work of improving your health when everyone is working together towards a common mission of bringing patients back to life!

 “Josh is an outstanding therapist – he clearly cares about getting you back to where you want to be.”

Bert’s goals prior to starting treatment were to be able to run long distances and climb again. With expert guidance from Josh, diligent persistence, and much patience, Bert reached his objectives—and far exceeded them! We are so proud and happy to see Bert embodying his adventurous zest for life, and can’t wait to see what he can do next!