A gifted, knowledgeable healer who also happens to be a super nice guy? Yes, please!…read more
I came to Rehab Zone because I was looking for a physical therapist who was a Certified Functional Manual Therapist -- David and Lauren are both certified by the Institute of Physical Art. Unlike most physical therapists, who can guide you on your healing journey with stretches and exercises, CFM therapist take a more hand-on approach -- literally. I mean, they use their hands to help get your body realigned or to relearn how to function properly.
Let me give you an example. I came to David with some serious foot/ankle pain. Now, I'm a distance runner who has a chronic neural pain conditions, so I'm used to a little discomfort at all times. But man, this sharp pain in my ankle had me in bed the two days before I came to David. I could not shift weight from from my heel to toe at all, and bearing any weight at all took some fortitude of character. And I had about a month to get ready for a marathon...
After the usual 1st-time-patient paper questionnaire, watching me trying to walk/limp and do a pretty pathetic attempt at a squat, and some strength tests, David also felt my feet and shins ad found that the problem was not really just the feet: my fibula head was out of alignment! This was apparently causing the bottom of my fibula to aggravate whatever my appallingly flat arches were doing (or not doing).
Getting the right diagnosis is key -- I had been to other healers recently, but none had detected this as the root problem. Beyond insightful diagnostics, David also knew exactly what to do to help the healing process along, and he showed me a few simple things I could do at home
So he did a few manual adjustments using a strap and his hands and BOOM! My fibula head was back on track! He showed me how I could mimic this at home with a rolled hand towel, and this has been a huge help in self care. He also manipulated and pressed on my feet, ankles, and shins, to get everything loosened up, realigned, and functioning properly.
By the time I left, I could bear more weight on that foot and transition weight a little more easily. My ankle was noticeably more mobile, and my squat was much deeper. Most importantly, the pain was significantly less.
One week later, my foot was almost back to normal. This time, I he showed my how to do more self-manual-care so I could make sure my fibula stayed mobile. When I left after my second appointment, I could almost do a full squat and shift weight from heel to toe and back again with almost full weight!
So what is functional manual therapy? You can try Googling it, but I found the IPA website unhelpful. But here is my take: to a bystander, it may look like a massage. In my mind, it is not unlike Rolfing, but it is different, it seems, in its approach and methods. Basically, I think David uses his hands to remind my muscles and bones of where they are supposed to be and how they are supposed to be moving and relating to one another. Sure, if I had done the exercises and stretches that a traditional PT would have assigned me, my fibula eventual would have come to realize its wrongdoings and maybe even come to repent for its sins on its own. But CFM's "hand-on" approach helped my fibula figure this out much more quickly so I could achieve healing more quickly.
Thanks to David, his intelligence, and his gifted hands, I think my feet will be in fine shape to run that marathon in 3 weeks.
I've been to lots of physical therapists around the country for both my neuropathy and for running-related issues. I'm gonna have to say right here that David Haas is one of my favorite PTs. So very glad I found the Rehab Zone,
