Testimonials:

Long Term Soccer Injury

I play soccer about 7 days a week. Sometimes, more than once a day. I play for a club team in Long Island, as well as for my school team. I hate missing practices or games. So I was extremely alarmed when I began having pain in my lower back. I would play through it, thinking I was just sore and it would pass. The pain worsened to the point where I began missing practices. My coach didn’t believe me but my parents expressed major concern. Eventually, it hurt so much to walk, it was all I could do to keep from crying.

Frantic, my mom forbade me to go to school. I purchased a heating pad, took Advil and lay flat on my back for 2 days. I saw a massage therapist and acupuncturist, both whom stocked me up with homeopathic herbs. I saw my regular doctor, whom, as wonderful as he is, shrugged his shoulders and suggested that I sit it out for 6 weeks. The alternative medications worked at first, but my pain gradually began to come back.

I had 2 really big games coming up. Desperately, my mom called Southwest Physical Therapy where Mike and Aracelli saw me immediately. I was given stretches and ball exercises to do and they were clear about what the problem was and how they were going to go about healing it. My mom asks me every day how my back pain feels on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being the severest. Today, after my appointment, she was relieved when I said “1”.
-Elsa Hardy

Karate Injury

"I received treatment from Mike Boals and Aracelli Gonzalez of Southwest Physical Therapy for two weeks (three physical therapy sessions) for a sports injury which had been causing me daily pain for about two months, and which had caused me to miss a week of work. After the three one-hour sessions, and after following a few suggestions related to self-care of the injury, I was significantly improved to the point that I was able to stop taking pain relievers and to resume exercising. (I expected that I would have to return for one or two more treatment session, because the severity of the injury, but found that it was simply not necessary, as the injury had healed.)

Besides their obvious technical expertise as therapists, Mike and Aracelli made me feel very comfortable, mentally as well as physically, with their relaxed and friendly personal demeanors. They explained my injury and how it was affecting, or being affect by, different things (like certain movements) and they were always clear and made sure that I understood the injury, and how their treatment was helping. Mike and Aracelli made me feel like they were truly working with me to help me get better, and to help me get back to being able to play sports, [Karate] without pain or worry."
- Kevin -

Surgery is Not the Only Solution

"I came to Southwest PT with a condition called 'acute exertional compartment syndrome' of the shins, an injury caused by overexertion. The way it manifested itself was that during exercise (fast walking or running) the fascia didn't expand with the pumped-up muscle, so it was pressing on nerves, starving the muscle of oxygen and nutrients, and causing a sharp pain that forced me to stop the activity. An orthopedic surgeon (a sports medicine expert) I consulted and the medical literature say the solution is surgery. Aracelli and Mike performed full-body Myofascial release on me. Following the third treatment I took out my shins for a test drive. Result: for the first time in 5 years I completed a run around Prospect Park without being stopped midway by acute pain.
Thank you, Aracelli and Mike, for the treatment and the pleasant atmosphere you create in the office. I'll be baaaack."
- J. Boms -

Marathon Runner

"I came to Southwest Physical Therapy in extreme pain, and very skeptical. As a runner, I logged many miles on unforgiving pavement, and while training for, and completing the 2005 NYC Marathon I severely strained my lower back and hip.

At times, I could barely walk, and what was once an active lifestyle became a routine of pain-management. Over the course of two years I visited countless chiropractors, physical therapists, and orthopedists and endured endless treatment programs, tests, x-rays, and MRIs. Nothing helped. Disillusioned, I was convinced that I was doomed to lead a sedentary lifestyle, and would never run again.

My first visit to Southwest P.T filled me with a sense of hope and relief. The therapists spent quality one-on-one time getting to know me and understand my injury and goals. Focused and innovative treatments not only helped heal my back and hip injury, but also served to restore overall balance to my body. Chronic aches and pains that had nagged at me over the years began to dissipate with each treatment session, leaving me stronger and more flexible.

After only a month at Southwest, I was running two or three miles at a time: and, to my utter disbelief, completely pain-free. My therapists understood and encouraged my physical fitness goals, and encouraged me to realize them. I am thrilled to be in training again, for the 2008 NYC Marathon, and plan to run stronger then ever. I could not be back on my feet, without the help of Southwest."
 - Marzena Fercz -

Up and Running

I've been a runner for 23 years (since 1985) and I have overcome my own share of injuries. This year, for the first time, I sustained a stress fracture in my left hip, as well as torn labrum (cartilage) as I trained for the Boston Marathon.

Before PT, I was on crutches for a month. Working with Aracelli and Michael, they were able to help me unwind the injury while I worked on strengthening the areas around it. Each week, we regrouped and they tailored that day's PT to suit specifics of my progress. On top of that, I was impressed with Michael and Aracelli's relentless pursuit of new information on MF release which enhances their practice.

The yellow ball was great for me to do my own Myofascial Release at home, so that I was making progress between my sessions. Aracelli and Michael understand that progress is something that YOU must participate in. It comes from you. That spirit makes the PT what it ought to be. Effective. I'm on my feet, up and running and aiming for Boston next year. Preventative PT with regular visits in the future is a likely part of my future training.

Thank you Aracelli and Michael. I'll see you at the finish line.
- Tim Monti-Wohlpart