Advanced Physical Therapy is continuing to expand their wellness programs according to Jack Wade, DPT, COMT clinical director at Advanced Physical Therapy (APT). “Since we first opened the community has so embraced what we are doing that we have been able to expand our programs and staff. We now have eight different programs we are offering to the community. One is our women’s health education program under the direction of my wife Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist and Physical Therapist Maria Wade. A lot of people may not know that there are physical therapy options for women with symptoms such as incontinence and pelvic pain. We also have a new hand therapy program with Marc Whitman who is the only certified hand therapist on the Peninsula at this time and is able to help people who may have arthritic conditions in their hand or carpal tunnel syndrome or may be recovering from a hand surgery or injury, so we have greatly expanded our offerings to help the community achieve wellness,” Wade told the Dispatch in an interview.

Although APT works closely with doctors a referral from a physician is not required in Alaska says Wade, “If you come by or make an appointment for an evaluation and we feel your symptom is important for your doctor to see we will communicate with them as well. Many times we let little things go longer than you need to deciding to live with pain or stiffness because we don’t realize that there are options out there to improve your quality of life, so we invite people to come in and see what is available to renew their energy and strength. Many times we have pre-conceived notions about symptoms that must be treated by surgery or invasive injections without knowing of other conservative options available. There are many gentle manual techniques which are very effective and have been experiencing a boom in the U.S. over the last few years.”

APT also offers Vestibular Therapy with Haley Bowen, DPT, COMT, “This is treatment of the inner ear for primarily balance impairment which can be caused by an imbalance in your inner ear and some gentle manual techniques can be used to re-position the inner ear crystals which can cure dizziness that has been present for six months to a year. Optimizing health in simple ways is what all our programs focus on here. With our massage therapy Sterling Rasmussen focuses on orthopedic massage which is more specific than a general massage you might find elsewhere. He has specific training in pathology and understands what a patient diagnosis requires and is an excellent addition at APT for continuing the physical therapy care that we offer our patients. I am more excited than ever about offering programs that have not been offered one on one to our community. We have stayed focused on dedication to patient care not the bottom line, we remain dedicated to getting people better and helping the community have a healthier quality of life,” said Wade. Advanced Physical Therapy is located on the Sterling Highway in Soldotna next to Trustworthy Hardware & Fishing. You can call Martha-Lucia Morgan for an appointment at 907-420-0640 or get more information on line at www.aptak.com.