This week’s Meet a Mom interview is with physical therapist Dr. Helen Reich, owner of Rehab It Physical Therapy, a boutique-style service where every patient is a “VIP”. When you go to see Dr. Reich, expect a full 60-minute one-on-one session where she will not only work to alleviate your pain but also address the cause of it, including emotional factors that may be contributing.
Dr. Reich is also a specialist in treatment of sports and orthopedic conditions—including extra certifications to help golf and tennis players maximize their potential and play pain-free. Out of the office, she’s a Greenwich Mom of one—her daughter, Mikayla, will turn one-years-old on December 9!
We spoke to Dr. Reich about her practice, starting her family in Greenwich and more.
Can you please tell us a bit more about yourself?
I moved to Greenwich from England with my family when I was six years old. I attended North Street, Central and GHS and made many life-long friends. I loved growing up here so much that my husband, Andrew, and I moved back in 2020 to Riverside to begin our own family.
Yes, Happy First Birthday to Mikayla! What do you love about Greenwich?
We love Greenwich for the amazing community. Greenwich families come together to help support each other and elevate you to be the best version of yourself. We love spending time with our friends and family, going to the playground, Binney Park and walking around the neighborhood seeing friendly faces. It says a lot about a community when such a large percentage of people who grow up here choose to return to raise their own families. It truly takes a village when raising a family and I can’t imagine being part of any other village.
Love that! Can you please share some of what you offer at Rehab It Physical Therapy?
Rehab It Physical Therapy is a mom-owned, boutique-style physical therapy service that strives to put the compassion back into physical therapy. With about 8 years of sports and orthopedic experience we have seen it all – from your weekend warrior injuries, to your sports injuries, post-operative rehabilitation and those random aches and pains that seem to come out of the blue. We offer private, one-on-one sessions inside of Sportsplex gym where we have the benefits of both a private space and an entire gym’s worth of equipment.
In addition to your traditional physical therapy needs, we also offer Golf Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified and Tennis Racquet Fit Certified assessments. During these sessions, you can expect to undergo a full body assessment so that we can tease out physical limitations affecting your golf or tennis technique and provide you with a customized program to target these deficits. After all, you can work on your technique as much as you want but if your body can’t physically get into the right position your success will be limited.
For those patients who live out of town, are not comfortable resuming in-person services or just prefer the convenience of a telehealth option we also offer virtual physical therapy sessions.
What else separates your business from similar ones in the area?
We care for you, like we care for our own families. Rehab It Physical Therapy was born in order to offer a VIP physical therapy experience for every patient – the physical therapy experience that I would want for myself and my family. I am proud to be able to offer a one-of-a-kind, premier service designed to be highly customized to the individual needs of the patient resulting in more efficient and long-lasting results.
After working in a traditional outpatient physical therapy clinic, I personally experienced and saw the frustration of patients first-hand. Patients are often packed into facilities and spend no more than 15 minutes with the therapist before being passed off to the assistant.
We pride ourselves on four main principles: 1) you will spend 100% of your session with a Doctor of Physical Therapy; 2) you will receive highly customized treatment 3) you will have 24/7 access directly to your physical therapist to answer any questions and provide support between sessions – we know that life and injury management doesn’t stop at the end of a treatment session; and 4) the combination of compassion and expertise will provide you with long-lasting results helping you reach your goals more efficiently.
Sounds great. What can clients expect from a first visit?
During your first visit, you can expect to spend at least 60 minutes one-on-one with me. We start by taking a detailed patient history – we want to hear everything, from that injury you had 10 years ago to any emotional stressors related to your current issue. It all plays a role in who you are and helps to design a truly customized treatment plan. Then you can expect a thorough full-body physical assessment. Research-backed range of motion, strength, neurological and functional assessments help diagnose the injury, figure out the underlying cause, and design your customized treatment plan. We then explain the results of the assessment, review the recommended treatment plan, discuss your goals, prognosis, and expectations for physical therapy, and answer any questions you may have. We will end the session by beginning to implement your treatment program and creating a starter set of exercises for you to do at home in between your sessions.
Have you seen any changes in your practice due to the pandemic?
We are seeing an uptick in postural issues largely as a result of patients working from home with an ad-hoc work station. One of the first things we discuss during sessions for neck, back and shoulder patients is their ergonomic set-up at their computer. We review their specific set-up and how we can make changes to help support their bodies better during the work day. Small changes to their desk set-up have a big impact on recovery for these patients.
Patients are also especially appreciating the one-on-one setting which helps to ensure that physical therapy is a safe space. It makes it easy to stay on top of necessary sanitation of tables and equipment, and reduces the exposure to groups of patients exercising in close quarters.
What are the most common reasons Moms come in to see you?
As a new Mom, that had a c-section, it is fresh in my mind how difficult pregnancy and post-partum can be on the body and how many changes our bodies go through. Low back pain is one of the most common issues that Moms struggle with. The combination of bending, lifting and caring for a baby with a core that is weak from 9 months of pregnancy makes Mom’s very high-risk for low back issues. Moms who have had c-sections or unresolved diastasis recti (separation of abs) tend to struggle most. Luckily, physical therapy is extremely effective in fixing these issues in Moms. I work with Moms to design an effective treatment program that can fit into that Mom-busy schedule we all know too well.
Awesome! What’s one common misconception about PT?
That you should or need to stop exercising while you do physical therapy. I strongly believe that movement heals and I welcome working closely with my patients, their fitness instructors or trainers to help keep them active and exercising while recovering from their injury.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Sessions are covered by the majority of insurances. We will submit all of your insurance claims to your insurance on your behalf. If you have any questions about whether your insurance will cover your sessions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
If people want to learn more, what is best contact for you?
If you have any questions or want to learn more about Rehab It Physical Therapy, please email [email protected] or visit our website at rehabitphysicaltherapy.com. We’d love to hear from you!
This story is sponsored by Rehab It Physical Therapy.
