Since 2001, I’ve worked as a physical therapist. Over the years, I’ve seen trends come and go—modalities rise and fade, fads grip the profession, and new research reshape old assumptions. But there are two days, two pivotal moments, that truly changed everything for me. They transformed how I treat, how I think, and ultimately, how I help people live pain-free and strong. These moments didn’t just shape my career—they defined it.
It was a normal day in the clinic. I was performing an ultrasound on a patient when a student I was mentoring asked, “Why are you doing that?”
They weren’t challenging me. They weren’t being rude. They were simply curious—trying to learn, just like I once had. And I froze.
I didn’t have an answer.
In that moment, I realized I was doing something out of habit—not because I knew it worked. That was the last time I used ultrasound. And it was also the last time I used hot packs, cold packs, iontophoresis, or any other passive modality.
That one question launched me into a new era of my practice. I began asking why about everything. Why this exercise? Why that treatment technique? Is it based in science? Does it help people actually get better?
That curiosity led me away from the "because we’ve always done it this way" mindset and toward something far more meaningful: hands-on therapy, functional movement, and results-driven care.
The second moment came years later when I met Peter—a student of mine at Nashoba Valley Medical Center.
We clicked instantly. We talked about what PT could become—not just treating pain, but helping people become stronger, more mobile, and more resilient. We shared ideas about blending strength and conditioning into traditional rehab. We discussed the role that mobility, weakness, and movement dysfunction play in pain and injury.
We dove into the work of Gray Cook’s Functional Movement Screen, and the philosophy of Kelly Starrett: that pain and injury often stem from incomplete movement. That the way we move—the way we’ve trained ourselves to move in a desk-bound, sedentary world—is far from how we were meant to move.
It made sense. And it worked. When we helped people move better, gain strength, and reclaim their natural range of motion, their pain improved—and stayed improved.
These two moments—one where I questioned everything, and one where I rebuilt my approach—are the foundation of what we do at Whole Health Solutions & Sports Performance.
We believe in hands-on treatment, smart strength training, and helping people move the way humans were designed to move:
Squatting to the ground
Crawling, rolling, tumbling
Reaching overhead
Twisting and bending
Using strength in real-world, functional ways
And contrary to what the internet might tell you—your knees can go over your toes, your back doesn’t always have to stay perfectly flat, and your joints are meant to move.
If you’re going to PT and most of what you’re doing is sitting with a hot pack, using a machine, or lying still while something is done to you instead of with you—ask why.
Ask your therapist, “Why are we doing this?”
If they don’t have a clear, confident, evidence-based answer, it might be time to find someone who does.
At Whole Health Solutions, we’re not interested in fluff. We’re here to help you feel better, move better, and build strength that lasts. That’s the kind of physical therapy we believe in—and it’s what you deserve.