http://www.thrivephysioandwellness.com/

Thrive Physio and Wellness, Dallas, TX (2025)

12/06/2023

In honor of my (FORTY SIXTH...yes I AM SHOUTING) birthday...

First, I am NOT one of those people who will not tell you how old I am. I believe we should all be proud of what age we are. The number really doesn't mean too much...some of us are 35 but we feel 70, some are 85 and feel 50...and then some never leave the age of 10, lol I think the most important thing to remember is...not everyone makes it that age you are at today, so stop take a minute and let that sink in, and then really appreciate that you made it this far...regardless of what number it is; it should be something that is celebrated, not something to hide.

I feel like now is a good time to reintroduce myself.

Hi 👋 I'm Dr. Jill, physical therapist and health coach, and owner of Thrive Physio and Wellness.

I help hikers and backpackers THRIVE in their adventures. Whether you're new to hiking, or you're an old pro, I can help you.
Whether you're injured, have some minor aches and pains, or you have recently recoverd from a surgery (knee replacement? and you've already completed your PT?)...I can help!
Maybe you have no injury or pain issues (or least ones severe enough to complain about)...you just want to reach your next big summit, I can help!

I have been a hiker all of my life. It's my FAVORITE thing to do. I've also had injuries and aches and pains A LOT in my life (being a physical therapist does not exclude you from getting these issues; we just know how to handle them and then we too even need help from a professional). So I understand what it means to not be able to do the thing that you love and what keeps you whole and living your best life. I've also worked to achieve a goal like climbing Long Peak or Mount Whitney, so I thoroughly understand all the aspects that you need to successfully train to accomplish the next thing on your bucket list.

A bit more about me though....
Why do I do what I do? Well, I truly believe that hiking is therapeutic, both good for the physical, the mental and the spiritual. I believe in the hike for the thrill of accomplishing the next big goal. I believe in hiking as a way to help my mental health, both anxiety and depression. I believe in hiking as part of my way to be closer to God. (but I also believe it can be spiritual for others who have different beliefs). I believe that nature is healing (and really this can mean many different things).
I also truly understand what it means when you can't hike. And I understand that the physical limitation goes so far beyond the physical. It affects your whole being. I GET THAT. And I'm on a mission to help you get back to your hikes and get back to YOU!

I also believe that physical therapy can help EVERYONE. (unfortuantely, I don't think everyone really understands the benefits of physical therapy so that is part of my mission is just to increase understanding) but I believe physical therapy helps SO MUCH and really everyone can benefit from consulting a physical therapist, whether you have an injury or a little minor ache, or you have no pain whatsoever, but you want to improve your performance. I also think that not all physical therapy is created equal and so if you've had physical therapy before and it didn't help you, I want you to try it again ...because this will be different! (want to know how it will be different? Set up a free consult call and we can chat about it and your specific issue and your goals!!).

So to celebrate my 46th birthday, I'm offering 46% off an initial evaluation AND the first follow-up visit. That's over $200 in savings! This offer is good for the month of December; please be sure to mention this post when you schedule. Also now is a good time to use your FSA or HSA funds...which we can accept both!

I want everyone to celebrate their age today! If you want to give me a gift today...Comment below with your age and what you love about this period of your life!

I'll go first.

I'm 46 (YAHOO!!!) (if you hadn't gathered that already) but what I love about this stage of my life (and maybe it's also having lost several loved ones in the last few years (and I think also having an aging parent plays a role) is REALLY appreciating the things (even the really small things) that I had growing up and even thinking about where my parents were when they were my age and truly appreciating all that they did for me. How the heck did they do that?!?!? Thank you Mom and Dad. (for reference, when my mom was 46, I was around 9-10 and when my dad was 46, I was around 8...I can tell you 100% for certain at the age of 8-10, I had no comprehension of all the things my parents did for me). No this is not unique to 46, but then does 46 really feel all that different than 43 or 44? So let's just go with your decade of life lol.

As your birthday gift to me today, I'd HONESTLY would really love to hear your answer...whether you're 19 or 90. I think there's insight from all answers.

I hope you enjoy this day of December 5th!

11/24/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! However you decide to spend your day, I hope you enjoy it! And appreciate what you have to be thankful for!

Steve, Rocky, and I are hitting the trail in Arkansas!

I have many things to be thankful for this year....in no particular order...
I'm VERY thankful for Steve, who loves to hike as much as I do (well okay maybe not as much as I do...he might choose his bike over hiking sometimes).
I'm thankful for Rocky, my almost 9-year-old doggo who loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful for Miss Mabel who loves to cuddle and knead biscuits as I sit and drink my coffee in the AM (she is not participating in hiking...I said she could come if she wanted to...she said hell NO).
I'm thankful to carry a piece of my Dad on every hike I take.
I'm thankful to still have my mom in my life, wanting to know my whereabouts and making sure that I'm safe.
I'm thankful for friends and family.
I'm thankful to have grown by leaps and bounds this year in my business and thankful to all my clients who put their trust in me to help them get back on the trail or back to the activity they love.

What are you thankful for?

Pictures from our last Eagle Rock Loop backing packing trip...you'll have to stay tuned for new ones! :).

11/18/2023

Why isn’t my pain improving? Why am I unable to hike? What am I missing?!?!

Are you having any of the following: Achilles pain? Plantar Fasciitis? Knee pain? Hip flexor pain? Back pain? Are you struggling with your hikes?

Have you tried EVERYTHING?!?!?

Maybe you're actually focusing on the wrong area.
Let's take your knee...maybe it hurts, but it's just the victim, maybe the true culprit lies elsewhere. If you don't actually identify that root cause, wouldn't it make sense that your knee would continue to hurt?!?!?

Learn more about regional interdependence or what I prefer to call victims and culprits in our latest blog. Link in comments!

Follow us for more great tips! Learn how to get to the root cause of your pain. Or maybe you have no pain but are struggling to advance your hikes to longer hikes or harder hikes. The answer could also lie here.

Follow us along on IG to help you in your quest to reach the summit!
Comment below with what issue you're struggling with and we'll be sure to address it in a future post!

10/31/2023

Last day for PT month!
To celebrate we're bringing content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!
Have you ever wondered what actually will happen in physical therapy?
Does PT really stand for "pain and torture"?
First and foremost, physical therapy should start with a thorough EVALUATION that includes a history taking that delves deep into what brings you to physical therapy (typically pain or injury) and your medical history including previous injuries (as they can often play a role and give the therapist a huge clue with examination) as well as talking with you about what YOUR GOALS are.
Then the evaluation proceeds to look at your WHOLE body (not just the source of pain), assessing things such as range of motion, strength, joint mobility, biomechanics, muscle imbalances, etc.
At that first visit your physical therapist will create a plan of attack (also known as plan of care lol). Your treatment plan may include manual therapy: hands-on care (may feel like a massage to you but it's targeted toward certain muscles), dry needling, cupping, and instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques. It definitely should include therapeutic exercises with exercises that are targeted towards areas of weakness identified during your evaluation as well as exercises that target muscle imbalances.
Traditional physical therapy that is dictated by insurance often does not actually include staying with you to return you fully to your chosen activity. So it is possible that you may be discharged from physical therapy before you are entirely back to all of your activities (this in large part can be dictated by your insurance).
However, there are physical therapists who do treat outside the confines of insurance and CAN help you get back to full activity and help prevent re-injury! This is often termed wellness because you are not actually dealing with a present injury, you are trying to get back to your recreational activity fully (and then surpass where you were pre-injury!).
Probably the biggest part of physical therapy is EDUCATION. Education on how to recover, education on proper exercise techniques, education on how to manage your symptoms should this occur again, education on how to progress slowly and appropriately with your activity so that you don't have a setback.
Have you been to physical therapy before? Can you identify all these parts in the treatment that you received? Or do you feel like there was something missing? Comment below with your experience!
Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

10/30/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

To celebrate we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!

Have you ever wondered if physical therapy would work for you? Check out this blog with 6 reasons why or why not!

https://www.thrivephysioandwellness.com/.../will-physical...

Do you have any other burning questions about physical therapy that I can answer for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

10/30/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

To celebrate we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!
Today we're bringing you more information about physical therapy in particular.
Today's post is super simple but I've actually been asked this recently, so thought I'd answer this.

Did you know that physiotherapy is the same as physical therapy? Physio, physical therapy...all the same profession. If you're in the US, you've likely most often heard it referred to as physical therapy. If you're from outside the US, physiotherapy is more often used. However, if you haven't noticed the term physio is starting to be used more here in the US, particularly with small business, private practice niche clinics.

Did you know this before today? Or did you think there was a difference? (If so I'm truly just curious, what difference did you think there was?). (Rocky wants you to know that his favorite part of physical therapy or physiotherapy is the HANDS ON

Do you have any other burning questions about physical therapy that I can answer for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

If you haven't already, follow us on IG at

www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

10/29/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

To celebrate we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!
Today we're bringing you more information about physical therapy in particular.
Continuing from Thursday and yesterday...we're talking about accessing your physical therapist DIRECTLY and why you absolutely want to do this.

Yesterday we covered a research study that showed that physical therapists' knowledge of the musculoskeletal system is second only to an orthopedic surgeon...that means physical therapists scored higher and had more knowledge than primary care physicians and general practitioners.

I realize that you may be thinking yeah but what if my pain problem is not actually a musculoskeletal one in nature but in fact something else more serious? Don't I need to see my P*P or GP before seeing a physical therapist for this very reason?!?!?
Good question!

Actually NO you do not. Save your time and your money. Physical therapists are now trained at the doctoral level for this very reason. We are educated to be independent providers and that training includes being able to determine what is in our scope of practice and when we need to refer you to a different provider.
Just think now you can address your issue more quickly by immediately contacting a physical therapist, you can save some money by only seeing that one provider but also rest assured that if the issue is not one that can be addressed by a physical therapist, we have the training and knowledge to refer you to someone who can help you.

There are many things about the healthcare system that are broken including the cost of things and also a shortage of providers as well as an over-reliance on heavy pain medications. This is one possible solution for all those things that are not being utilized enough. This not only saves you money but also opens up the schedules of general physicians so that they can help their patients with the issues they are well equipped to handle and leave the musculoskeletal problems to the experts in movement, doctors of physical therapy (DPT). (and then it also is a medication-free option that is much healthier and kinder to your body for your overall optimal health).

Did you know this information prior to today? Do you access your physical therapist directly? Let me know what you think either way pro or against in the comments below!

Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

If you haven't already, follow us on IG at

www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

10/28/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

To celebrate the end of this great month, we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!

Today we're bringing you more information about physical therapy in particular.
So to continue from yesterday...why you would want to go see your physical therapist directly (WHICH YOU CAN in case you didn't know!)

In two different studies, the first one ranked physicians ranging from specialists to medical students and tested their knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and ranked who had the most knowledge. Not surprisingly, orthopedic surgeons ranked at the top. (completely understandable).

In a subsequent study which then used data from the first study for comparison, physical therapists were tested on their knowledge of the musculoskeletal system.
Pay attention here...the results were this: Physical therapists scored 2nd place in knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, just under orthopedic surgeons. They surpassed primary care physicians, general practitioners as well as other specialities and medical students. Even physical therapy students scored higher than all of these.

SO WHAT IS THE TAKE AWAY?!?!? Physical therapists are highly skilled and trained at the doctorate level to treat your musculoskeletal issues. By having direct access you are immediately reaching someone more knowledgeable in terms of treating musculoskeletal problems than having to go first to your primary care physician or general practitioner. That saves you both time and money!

(if you're kinda nerdy like me and want the research article, you can see the link below!...there's a great graph that ranks them in order as to the results).

Stay tuned tomorrow for more helpful information about physical therapy and we'll cover a possible objection you might think of to this info presented today. Don't miss it!!

When you have a pain or nagging problem, what do you typically do? Comment with your answer below. Do you seek out a provider right away? If so, who is your go-to when you have a problem? Or do you DIY and try to work it out yourself? It's okay...I do it too sometimes!). Let me know what you do below!

Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

If you haven't already, follow us on IG at

www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

Rocky wants you to pay attention to this information (and also he's telling you to not stop petting him as he knows that manual therapy is therapeutic!).

10/27/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

To celebrate we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!

Did you know that you can access your physical therapist directly? All 50 states now have some form of DIRECT ACCESS. Meaning you can save time and money by going to see a physical therapist directly, instead of first stopping at your primary care physician or general practitioner.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another reason why you want to access your physical therapist directly! You'll be blown away by this piece of information.
Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

If you haven't already, follow us on IG at

Www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

10/26/2023

October is Physical Therapy Month!

HEY HIKERS and BACKPACKERS!

Did you know that physical therapists can help you stay on the trail and reach the summit? We can help you with a multitude of different issues!

Here are some of them!
Plantar Fasciitis
Achilles Tendonitis
Turf toe
Runner's knee/IT band pain
Ankle sprains
Hamstring strains
Piriformis syndrome
Patellar tendonitis
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS)
Any type of knee pain (on the uphill or the downhill and no you should not feel and deal with that)
Post-hip and knee replacement-return to hiking!!! (yes it IS possible...however, no you may not get there before you finish your traditional post-op PT...but know that you CAN get there and I can help you!)
Low back pain…(so bad when you wake up in the tent in the AM)
Sciatica
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Shoulder pain

If you haven't figured it out yet, we can help with pain and injury to just about any area of your body...(and no you don't necessarily have to stop hiking!)

Other areas you might not think of...but where PT can help!
(Maybe one of these is keeping you from doing what you love!)
Recovering from COVID
Cancer
Fibromyalgia
Incontinence
Headaches
Dizziness
Concussion
FALLS!!!
(YES YOU CAN DECREASE YOUR RISK OF FALLING ON THE TRAIL. And YES you CAN improve your balance, even if you think you have "horrible balance")

We can also help you when you no longer have any of these issues but you’re still not where you want to be with your hiking…we can help you perform better with your hikes!

Do any of these surprise you?

Is there something that is preventing you from getting out on the trail and reaching the summit?

Let me know in the comments below.

Are you struggling with an issue and wondering if physical therapy can help? DM me and I can help you figure out what the best next step is for you!

Www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

10/25/2023

Hey, it's the last week of October...did you know that October is Physical Therapy Month?!?!
To celebrate every day, we’re coming at you with content and knowledge to empower you in your journey towards what we are all striving for…optimal health!
So to get started…did you know that physical therapists are the PERFECT providers to help you in your health journey?
We are the original health coach!
How can we help:
-injury prevention: we are movement experts and we can observe your movements and identify dysfunction in how you move that may predispose you to injury. We can help you identify areas of concern BEFORE they become problems. Whether you're new to hiking or an old pro at it, no one wants to be sidelined from the trail by an injury. Consulting a physical therapist can keep you on trail!
-improve your performance: similar to injury prevention we can identify factors that may be impeding you from reaching your goals or help you break past a plateau to move more efficiently. So think of hiking bigger mountains, hiking faster, hiking longer.
-recovery: we can help you to recover more quickly both through hands-on treatment and also educating on proper recovery with both self-treatment and also appropriate exercises to assist in your recovery, which also ultimately means you will perform better.
-education and coaching on a healthy lifestyle and implementing such changes.
-accountability to keep you moving forward (this not only gets your to your goal but also prevents you from developing an overuse injury with an appropriate plan for your next upcoming goal or summit).
And that’s just to name a few!
Have you ever used a coach to reach a health goal?
Have you ever consulted a physical therapist for either an injury, aches/pains or to achieve a bucket list goal?!?
What IS your next bucket list goal?
Let me know in the comments below!
Www.thrivephysioandwellness.com

Thrive Physio and Wellness

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