Category: MSPT Blog

How to Choose a Physical Therapist

1. Know your rights! If your physician refers you to a certain facility or clinic you ARE NOT OBLIGATED to schedule/attend PT at that facility. By law, you have the right to choose where you receive physical therapy treatment.
2. Choose a physical therapist and a physical therapy location/company who have a great deal of experience.
3. Choose a PT who is a Board-Certified Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association. These physical therapists have been recognized as having advanced clinical knowledge, experience, and advanced skills in their specialty area of practice. Most common in outpatient physical therapy are specialists in Orthopedics(OCS) and Sports(SCS). You can find specialists in your area at abpts.org or at choosept.com.
4. Choose a location that is convenient for you and have appointments that fit your schedule. This will increase your chances of attending your appointments and thus increase your chances for a positive outcome.
5. Ask if the physical therapy clinic accepts your insurance company. Receiving treatment from a participating physical therapist/clinic will minimize your financial burden.

*At Mountain State Physical Therapy we offer 6 convenient locations in North Central West Virginia: Fairmont, Mannington, Shinnston, Clarksburg, Weston, and Harrisville.

*We also proudly offer SEVEN Board-Certified Clinical Specialists, which is unmatched by any physical therapy facility in the area.

*We also offer Dry Needling at 4 locations including Kristen Maraney who is a Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Specialist (CMTPT) and Chris Moore is the only PT in the area certified in Post-Concussion Management(AIB-CON)

*We offer appointments as late as 6 pm and as early as 7:30 and we accept ALL insurance plans including workers compensation.

Remember, choosing a PT is your choice! Choose the Board-Certified Specialists at Mountain State PT!

Here at MSPT we are celebrating National Physical Therapy Month! We love serving and treating the residents of North Central West Virginia!

Mountain State Physical Therapy is proud to announce the addition of physical therapist Nick Landry to our staff at the Mannington location.Nick is a recent graduate from West Virginia University. In his 9 years at WVU, Nick earned his Bachelors of Science in Exercise Physiology, Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology and earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Nick has an interest in orthopedic, manual and sport physical therapy. During his free time Nick enjoys weight lifting/power lifting, golfing and exploring the wild and wonderful sites of West Virginia. To schedule an appointment with Nick call our Mannington office at 304-986-9007.

Another Mountain State Success Story! North Marion football players Blaine Duckworth and Tyler Curry were both down & out during their Freshmen year at North Marion High School. In “Part One” of this story we will focus on Blaine Duckworth. In June of 2019 Blaine suffered a torn ACL during the June live period and underwent ACL reconstruction surgery a few weeks later. Blaine began physical therapy at our Mannington facility with PT Chris Moore, who is also a board-certified specialist in sports physical therapy. Blaine made spectacular progress over the first 4 months of rehab, but due to an accident at home suffered a re-tear of his ACL. Blaine and his family were devastated. He underwent a 2nd ACL surgery in early December 2019 and began the rehab process…all over again.

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Blaine’s treatment consisted of knee/hip/core strengthening, hands on knee mobilization, soft tissue massage, and sports-specific drills.To his credit, Blaine put his mind and his heart into his physical therapy and by late June appeared ready to return to football activities. Blaine finally returned to the field on September 4th when North Marion defeated Preston County and has helped the Huskies to a 3-1 record to start the season. Congrats Blaine on your successful return to football! Your hard work, dedication, and mature demeanor did not go unnoticed!

Excited to share another Mountain State PT success story!Michael Murphy is 81 years old and loves to run. Approximately one year ago, he began having constant, severe low back pain that prevented him from doing what he loved. He had difficulty running longer than 7 minutes, as well as standing longer than 30 minutes, bending forward to put on a sock or shoe, and squatting. He soon became very discouraged. In May, he began physical therapy at our Shinnston clinic under the direction of PT Kristen Maraney.Michael presented with limited low back and left hip motion, global muscle tightness, and poor core and gluteal strength. Treatment began with manual mobilizations and myofascial release to improve his low back and left hip joint mobility. He also performed spinal stabilization, core activation, and gluteal strengthening exercises. These were gradually progressed from low to high intensity as tolerated. After months of hard work and dedication, he is now able to put on his sock and shoe without issue, squat, stand for longer than 1 hour, and run three miles without stopping. He also joined his therapist on July 4th in Morgantown to run a 4 mile road race called “4 on the 4th”. Congratulations Michael! To schedule an appointment with Kristen, call our Shinnston office at 304-592-5041 or our Fairmont office at 304-363-8543.