Testimonials

I don't think I got a chance to tell you what a great experience the CFMT testing was. Preparing on my own prior to the test was intense and absolutely a necessity but I felt the review sessions were indispensable. The review was like a separate course tying everything together and can only be appreciated after the fact when you realize what you have just accomplished.

After the test I returned home to open the doors of North Island Physical Therapy, PC which has been doing great. The CFMT gave me the confidence to trust my skills and approach any patient with the knowledge that I can help them. There are too many factors to include on how much the CFMT and the Institute meant to my career as a Therapist and a person.

First, I attended FO I, taught by you [Gregg], in 1997. Talk about being excited about new techniques. I took FO I about a year after a life threatening car accident left me with some major L/S and LQ dysfunctions. I had PT for my injuries and progressed well but I still had significant pain and problems. Then, after FO I, I was treated by Karen Johnson, CFMT, in Baltimore which brought my function to a new level. It opened my eyes to treating and seeing patients in a different way. This encouraged me to take more IPA courses. Soon I found myself volunteering for and beginning to assist for BET with Vicky. Now, to have my CFMT, be a primary instructor for the Institute and to start a manual physical therapy practice does not feel like the end of the road. It is the beginning of an exciting journey and a desire to learn more and bring my skills to the next level.

I can't express my thanks enough to you [Gregg], Vicky, and all the IPA instructors that have had such a profound effect on my life and career.

The CFMT process starts from the first IPA course you take. For me it was PNFI. I took this course when I was a PTLA and hadn't even taken my State Boards yet. A friend of mine encouraged me to take the course and since then I was hooked. The one constant that has drawn me to the IPA courses is the tremendous amount of valuable and well-organized information as well as the dynamic and caring nature of the faculty. For the past 2 and ½ years I have taken , re-taken, or lab assisted all the courses in preparation for CFMT. During this time span I have been fortunate to have worked in a clinic that emphasized education and instilled in their staff the IPA philosophy of patient care. The CFMT process is a very challenging experience. Getting ready for certification really allowed me to bring all the courses together and broaden my understanding of the concepts I may have overlooked had I not prepared for CFMT. The most valuable part of this process is that it has allowed me to become a better clinician and give back to the patients I treat and colleagues I work with.

The last week in Steamboat was the most important week in my professional life. I don't remember when I learned so much in such a short period of time. You have to know that I am proud to be part of IPA. Last week helped me to realize who I am as a PT. Thank you for your energy, passion, and encouragement.

CFMT week and this entire process has been one of the most challenging undertakings of my entire life. But having competed it successfully has made me so proud of my profession and myself. My skills and critical thinking ability have grown beyond where I ever thought they could, and I am so excited to know I still have so much more to learn and master. I learned to trust myself, my hands, and my mind which was freed me in so many ways. Thank you for developing and following up with the process.

The CFMT is the benchmark for the most progressive manual therapy techniques that I am aware of.

Hi Gregg,
I wanted to update you on my clinic. I started seeing patients on 2/17/05 and hit 20 patients a day during my 7th week. I went out to a handful of doctors during the first 3-4 weeks and haven’t made direct contact with a new referral source since then. I’ve been trying to hold back referrals but I’m getting about 8-10 new referrals/week. Nice problem to have but it makes for long days. When I opened I prayed that God would send me the patients I could put a clinic together, especially this quickly. I couldn’t have done this without the training from the IPA. I have gotten a lot better this past year re-taking all the IPA courses and I know I have a long way to go. This has been a challenging year starting a new practice and getting ready for CFMT. I couldn’t have done this without my wife’s Cheri support, so please pray for her continued strength. Thank you and Vicky for all your support and encouragement. I’m looking forward to playing golf Tuesday of CFMT.
God Bless you and Vicky and everyone at IPA.
Sincerely,
Brad Hirl, PT

Dear Greg,
Thank you for a great FMLQ course! I wanted to share a few awesome results.

1) 21 yo female s/p MVA where she sustained a humeral fracture. Her bone was treated non-operatively and is healing well. She came into the clinic today with severe elbow pain that did not allow her to put her hair into a ponytail. After assessing her Slump (flexion), I located her pain with left leg knee extension/hip flexion and right upper extremity neural tension (abduction, supination, and wrist extension). With treatment in supine to restricted tissues around her elbow with FMPS and neural flossing her pain resolved in 10 minutes! I can't wait to take UQ.

2) 30 yo female s/p right ACL reconstruction with the use of patellar tendon autograft on 12/2005. She has lacked full terminal knee extension throughout her entire rehab with gait. (I inherited this patient from a therapist who left our clinic.) I went through the knee sequence with her today and discovered that her plica was the culprit. She now has full terminal knee extension with gait, and the patient reports that the little monster in her knee holding her back is gone! We still have a lot of NMR to do, but the patient is ecstatic.

3) 45 yo female on her second lumbar spine fusion. (The first one failed.) This lady has had 10 surgeries throughout her abdomen. I felt like I have been chasing her pain until today when I started the LQ sequence on her today. I discovered that her hip is very hypermobile. Her inominant doesn't move correctly. Her sacrum reproduce her glute and leg pain, and her pubic ramus reproduced her "nerve pain". Yes!! (She loved the abdominal sequence too.)

The list goes on and on. Sorry to be so lengthy. Thank you for this system. I feel like I am gaining the tools to be the therapist I am supposed to be.

I just wanted to share a little story with you. After being at the FMLQ course this week-end, I returned to work very excited about the future of my patient care. I have been using bits and pieces of FMLQ that Aaron has taught me for almost two years now So on Monday I decided to try out your systematic approach putting in all the pieces I had been missing on my first new patient that morning. I corrected her coccyx, worked on her sacrum and addressed her innominate rotation. The patient returned Tuesday very excited to tell me that she had been through every therapy and treatment imaginable including PT for ten years now and that the one treatment I had performed had helped her more than all of those other treatments combined. The doctors sent her to us just as a last resort and told her they did not know if PT would really help her. See, she fell on her coccyx in 1996 and has had back pain since that time. This course has really given me a systematic approach for treating my patient's. I am so excited. Thank you again for all of the hard work you have put into research and practice perfecting these techniques. You are really great.

A Sincere Thank You

2/22/2008

I have had a lot of experience with physical therapy over the years. My experience has been mostly in New York including a week at Mt. Sinai hospital rehab center in Manhattan.

You were recommended by the therapist I was currently using in Stony Brook, Long Island. I attended 3 sessions a week for approximately 3 months before coming to Boca in December.

I believe you are unique in the PT field.

You accomplish more with less, When I first walked into your location I was surprised at the lack of equipment normally present at a PT office, and I was ready to turn around and leave.

As you know, I stayed and was very happy about that decision. You told me you would challenge me and you did. More important you greatly improved my walking, balance, core strength and most of all, my confidence in my own ability.

Miri, I think you are the best Physical Therapist there is and I wish I could take you back to New York when I leave. The CFMT certification is unique in your field. I know that out of all of the PT's in this country at last count only 125 achieved the CFMT certification. Your results with me prove the worth of your training and dedication.

Thank You for improving my life and giving me the confidence and ability to continue down this path.

With Great Affection and Thanks

Just completed FOI yesterday and started applying the principles and techniques right away. Got fantastic results in the soft tissue with the basic cascade of treatments within minutes with less than the usual amount of forceful soft tissue mobilization from my end and less than the normal amount of discomfort from deep tissue release on the patients end of the treatment. I love being able to show patients something as a “home program” that is easy, practical and addresses the pain and function so directly and quickly. I look forward to taking many more IPA courses!

I started seeing a woman with diagnosis of posterior tibialis tendonitis. She had been told she had gout by her primary care MD, a flat foot by a podiatrist and a foot surgeon recommended a "Richie Brace", massage and iontophoresis. She was in acute pain for many months and loosing hope. We have been treating her with the principles and techniques you taught in FOII and FMLQ to restore proper mechanics to her foot. The most striking aspect of her progress is the changing shape of her foot. She went from a typical flat foot shape to structurally sound with a good arch and free movement in all planes. I just wanted to let you know her story and thank you for your belief in your teachings and that it is never to late to try to make improvements in our patients feet.