Archives: 2019

On this Flashback Friday, we’re looking back at one of our past  patient success stories: 

Back in October of 2015, Whitney, an avid runner, was at her peak training for the upcoming marathon. After an injury left her unable to run for several months, Whitney longed to get back to the sport she loved. That’s when she found a passionate team of people at SPEAR’s E 84^th Street clinic devoted to helping her work through her injuries.

Whitney encountered many physical and mental hurdles on her journey back to life. Through her own perseverance, and with the team supporting her along the way, she began to notice improvements in her progress. “They helped me stick to a plan, have faith in the healing process, and believe that I would be strong enough to race again,” Whitney recalls.

And run again she did! Whitney was able reach her personal goal of running once more—she participated in the Timberman Half Ironman, crossing the finish line with a personal record time of 5 minutes and 33 seconds!

Whitney went from fearing she’d be out of the game for some time, to accomplishing a personal goal. She even went on to participate in the NYC Marathon for the first time, and as she excitedly put it, “race with intention”. Whitney’s physical activity level improved, and so did her mentality. “I know now that injury is just a reminder of that which needs to be strengthened. The SPEAR team has my back and that is a great feeling.”

Check out our other inspirational stories for a dose of motivation!

Treatment Options

A pelvic floor physical therapist can perform an evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles and help release and stretch tight muscles to improve pain and muscle tension. They will also create a tailored stretching, mindfulness, and mobility program to help maintain and facilitate pelvic floor relaxation.

Techniques for calming the nervous system and relaxing the pelvic floor on your own:

• Cat/cow: Come onto you hands and knees. Arch and hunch your back slowly, continuing to breathe throughout the movement.

• Happy baby pose: Lay on your back. Grab onto the inside of your feet or behind the knees and bring the knees toward your chest and out and away from your body.

• Pigeon pose: bring one knee bent in front of you and the other straight behind you. Use your hands to adjust the intensity of the stretch. You can fold forward onto your elbows if it is comfortable.

These stretches should feel gentle. Try not to push to the point of increased pain to avoid reflexive tension on the muscles. Continue to breathe throughout the stretches to facilitate relaxation.

If you are experiencing pelvic pain or are interested in learning more about treatment options, come see a pelvic floor physical therapist at SPEAR today. You can also learn more about how pelvic floor physical therapy can help you here!

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!

SPEAR is continuing our expansion in New York —we are pleased to announce the grand opening of our brand-new clinic right in Union Square!

Conveniently situated in the 1960’s classic building The Victoria at 7 E 14th Street, our newest location is over 4,000 square feet of space, providing ample room to give you the best treatment in comfort and style. The clinic is located right in the center of one of NYC’s most popular neighborhoods, making your treatment more easily accessible than ever before. It’s a hop and a step away from many major trains, including the 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, A, C, E, F, M, L, N, Q, R, W and the Path trains to various parts of New Jersey, including Jersey City, Hoboken and Newark. Union Square Park, just one block east, is a landmark area with plenty of fun, food and activities, including Barnes & Noble, the George Washington Statue, monthly Farmers’ Markets and the Annual Union Square Holiday Market.

Our stunning new clinic is led by Michael Virgile, PT, DPT, CSCS. Mike was previously the Clinical Director at our 75^th Street location, shifting his focus to spearhead and manage our newly built space. Mike grew up an avid soccer player and has a specific interest in sports medicine, focusing on helping others achieve their rehabilitation goals and on helping his patients improve their function and health.

“I’ve grown so much since I started with SPEAR, pushing out of my comfort zone to learn something new each week. I’ve learned how to put the right people in place to grow our (75^th Street) clinic from three team members, to 22 and counting. It was really cool to see the growth of the clinic, the growth of all our team members, and the growth in myself.”– Mike Virgile

We are so honored to be able to bring you this incredible new space! This clinic marks our 19^th location, specifically designed to create more opportunities for our incredible team of talented therapists to bring more New Yorkers back to life.

If you’re ready to schedule an appointment, you can do so by using our online request form, or by calling us at 646-973-5438.

Warm Up Dynamically Before You Run!

Most of us don’t like to warm up before we run. However, research has shown that a dynamic warm up is most effective in improving quadriceps strength, hamstring flexibility, and even vertical jumping ability.What is a dynamic warm up? It is series of sports specific movements that prepare the muscles for performance. Here are some ideas for what you can do on the streets of Manhattan before you run.