Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

It’s been around since 1982 and is one of the finest private Physical Therapy Institutions in New York State, but I only discovered it last month. I’m glad I did too, because STAR Physical Therapy did far more than fix my injured shoulder.

Dr. Marcia Miller, founded and developed this top shelf facility,  and she's largely responsible for highly trained therapy and fitness specialists, who claim that people can stay fit for life. Do you believe it? Actually, it was far more than S.T.A.R.’s state of the art equipment or their reputation for rehabilitating patients successfully … that caught my attention.

Laurie Wiese, my assigned physical therapist … modeled an amazing approach to physical rehabilitation that turned around my shoulder problem … and far more. How so?

Three distinctive brain based approaches made both Laurie's effectiveness,  and Dr. Miller’s Fitness Center both STARS … as I saw it:

1. Connections made …. Laurie appeared highly qualified from NY Physical Therapy standards– and every bit as skilled in human  relations. So throughout our weekly interactions, she constantly connected her vast cache of knowledge about shoulder fitness – to my limited marbles about bones, ligaments, movements and muscles. Because of her amazing links between what she knew and what I wondered about … you could say I grew new dendrite brain cell connections for shoulders in ways that got mine working again.  Not a bad result since I’m headed to Europe on business next week, and her insights will likely prevent future damage in the area.

2. Care for Laurie included multiple intelligences in action. Because of her unique interpersonal intelligence, for instance … she asked news about how my work specifically affected healing of an injured shoulder.  Along the way … Laurie also solved problems with the brain in mind.  In session after session until we saw visible improvement in my shoulder’s mobility … she asked two footed questions such as … What were you doing when shoulder pain returned?

3. Customized program designs ... all from working memory, stretched Laurie's skills into my takeaway. Tailor made fits rarely happen so well in rigid health systems today, where profits appear paramount to people. What made the difference here?  The three top exercises Laurie laid out initially may well have healed my shoulder far faster than the regimen I ended up with, except that they would not have worked for me. Most experts would have come back with …”Yes but…” . Not Laurie, she instantly custom designed three modified routines I could complete in the car, at my desk, and moving from one place to another. Laurie’s flexibility reminded me how adaptability can change the progress we make together. In brain based work for sports sciences we call it plasticity and it literally rewires the brain for more successful outcomes – just the way Laurie did all month at STAR Physical Therapy.

Thanks Laurie, Dr. Miller  and physical therapy staff, for shining your lights into our health community. The system needs many more stars just like you!