Patient Testimonials!

 We are sooo thankful for the amazing patients we get. Have you checked out our facebook page? We got a great testimonial this week and wanted to share that along with other testimonials we have received over the years.

"Chris Ford, you are my HERO....I came into your office with a hurt neck, back and a horrible headache X 4weeks and your miracle ways made me a new woman. I left your office with a wider range of mofion and NO headache...yay! Thank you again for giving my quality of life back!"

"This is an approach that works. The techniques Chris uses make sense. He uses solid biomechanical logic to effectively treat low back pain. His interventions have enabled me to return to vigorous martial arts workouts, and to my job with significantly less pain. He provides the education that allows you to truly understand and manage back pain with pursuing an active lifestyle."

"A big hello! Only a little note to thank you again for the way that you have helped me-In a very short time, my physical being has improved way beyond what I expected. Your patience, kindness and chiefly your sense of humor lessened the sadness that was in my heart when my doctor recommended your clinic to me. Thank you a million 10x3 times-I'll always value the excellent care you gave me."

"I was experiencing terrible pain in my siatica area on the left side. I went to an oesteopath to find out what was wrong but after several months of prescription painkillers and an MRI the doctor was no closer to finding out what was wrong. In fact, he was trying to tell me that there was nothing wrong and he mentioned he thought I was making it up. I finally sought help from a different doctor in physical medicine. He knew right away what was wrong and referred me to ABC for Physical Therapy. I cannot tell you what a miracle it is to be free of pain like that. It interferred with every activity of daily life. It is a slow process but TOTALLY worth it. Plus there are added benefits to this kind of therapy. It actually fixes the problem/not covering it up. You heal better with less drugs, you sleep better without pain, and after working out all those knots I was a 1/2 an inch taller than I was before. Thank you ABC I am on the road to recovery."

"After suffering with much upper back pain for a week-I recieved almost total relief in one session with Chris Ford. I had been three times to the chiropractor with very little in the way of improvement. I was impressed with Chris's knowledge and professionalism and gentle delivery of therapy. I have passed his name along to many other RN's whom I work with."

"The 'WOW' factor! Thank you! I hadn't slept for years. I walked out of this office on my first visit feeling virtually pain free, and have slept fully every night since!"

"Getting proactive with the back stretches and exercises enabled me to walk the 39plus Avon Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco. Thank you Alternative Back Care! :)"

"It has become a way to relieve a migraine headache. I've gone in with a headache, had treatment and walked out with relief!"

"Within 2-3 visits with treatment and instructions for caring for my SI joint, I am now able to do more things inclucding walking 2 miles with my dogs where as before my first visit my symptoms prevented me from walking more than 1-2 blocks."

"I have tried a variety of treatments for my lower back pain and nothing had any real impact on my condition. My back was sore most of the time and when I got out of bed, or drove my car for a long time, I could barely stand up. I was basically handicapped and couldn't function without great difficulty and near constant pain. After one visit with Chris Ford my condition improved about 90%. It was really miraculous. I was literally better overnight. I have continued to follow Chris' advice, worn the SI belt, and done the stretches I was supposed to do and have continued to see improvement. This is by far the best lower back treatment I've ever run across. I would, and already have, recommended it to anyone experiencing lower back problems."

"The techniques are very effective for my needs."

"I leave better and better each time I come in."

"Very kind and informative. Look forward to coming back again."

"All about care. They are knowledgable about their 'craft' and encourage gently and positively!!"

"They use their hands to heal instead of pneumatic tools. I have a personal description of the difference between an ABC physical therapist and a chiropractor. *ABC physical therapist->artist sculptor. *Chiropractor-> a mechanic."

Back Pain and Lost Work Days

Did you know that back pain results in about 149 MILLION lost work days a year? Or that the cost of back pain in the United States is estimated to cost about $50-$100 billion per year? Read the link below for an astonishing research study "Back Pain Prevalence in US Industry and Estimates of Lost Workdays."

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/89/7/1029.pdf

At Alternative Back Care Physical Therapy we tend to see the worst case scenarios. We see the person who has been suffering from back pain for decades, as well as those who are experiencing back pain for the first time. Since back pain and migraines are our specialty, we do see first hand the physical, financial and emotional hardship that our patients go through.

Our mission is for our plan and philosophy of care to change the way the medical community sees back pain and migraines and that less time and money will be spent for those who suffer from it. Our goals are to get a book out on back pain, continue franchising our business model and technique and bring relief to a wider audience. 

Advance Article, Leg Length Difference and Heel Lifts

The latest edition of "Advance for Physical Therapy and Rehab Medicine" arrived at our clinic today. It's a wonderful national physical therapy magazine with great articles for those in the Rehab field. We have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival since our owner and therapist Chris Ford, MPT was interviewed about leg length differences and if heel lifts are a proper way to combat this issue. Our answer is no.

So today we got our copy of Advance, and boy! Our philosophy is very different from many others. We are looking forward to the debate. Chris Ford states that in his years (17 plus now!) of working as a Physical Therapist the only true leg length differences he has seen are from improperly healed fractures or a patient with polio. He has been able to correct leg length differences using no surgery and no heel lifts with the Leveling Technique.

See the latest article here: http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/Archives/Article-Archives/Need-a-Lift-It-Depends-on-Whom-You-Ask.aspx 
 
I guess we are used to looking at Physical Therapy from "outside the box." It is how Chris Ford, MPT came up with our name Alternative Back Care Physical Therapy, because what we do is truly alternative.

Below we included the "Long/Sit" test. It's a way to determine if the person has a sacroiliac dysfunction if the rotated pelvis is creating a functional leg length difference but not an actual leg length difference.

We were also interviewed last summer by "Advance for Physical Therapy and Rehab Magazine." When they did an article on the sacroiliac joint, they called us to speak with Christopher Ford, MPT. His leveling technique helps patients across the country with back pain and migraines. Read that article here: http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Content/PrintFriendly.aspx?CC=227090

New website up and running!

Finally the day has come! Edits are in and website is up! We have been working with Rusty George Creative to do the full website remodel, giving us a much needed update. It looks great!

Check out our new and improved website remodel here: http://www.abcphysicaltherapy.com/

We hope to add a bigger section on migraines, since what we do with migraines here has had such a big impact on our patients. Using our Leveling Technique, we are able not just relieve back pain, but also reduce or resolve migraines and headaches, usually in the first session the patient is seen.


What do you think of the new website? We are really happy with the layout and website design, all done by Rusty George of Rusty George Creative. He does amazing work, check out his website here: http://www.rustygeorge.com/ He has worked with some of the biggest names in Tacoma for graphic and website design. Thanks again Rusty George for the website remodel!

Postcard from Italy!

One of our patients sent us a beautiful postcard from Italy!

"Dearest friends, Thanks to all your good work on my behalf, going up and down the Roman hills and walking everywhere has been just fine after the first couple days. Great bus, subway and train systems. Beauty in museums and flowers everywhere. Am so very grateful to you. More later :) "

We are so excited to hear about the trip when they return! We have such awesome people we get to work with everyday and we are really glad to hear she is having an amazing and pain free time! It looks so pretty we wish we were there too!

Our first blog post!

No Joke! This April fool's day was our tenth anniversary of Alternative Back Care Physical Therapy.

We were discussing all the amazing things we have seen and done in these last ten years and everyday-we witness a new miracle. We get the worst case back pain patients. People who have suffered for twenty plus years, who have seen every specialist possible, who have have had numerous surgeries, seen doctors, neurologists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, you name it-without any relief. And on their first visit they are able to get significant and immediate relief.

We have had patients come from all over the country. The East Coast, Chicago, California, Georgia, Oregon, California, Florida, Alaska and more. We have had inquiries from all over the world with people suffering from back pain and migraines. The main question we get is-do you know anyone who does what you do in my area? Unfortunately no.

Our tenth year will be a busy one. We are working on creating seminars and continuing education courses to bring our leveling technique to others. We are growing and getting ready to franchise. Its been an exciting ten years and the next ten hold even more possibilities.

We plan on posting our patients stories and keep you updated on our growth. Any suggestions or questions-let us know!