Mission Statement

It is the mission of Shoreline Physical Therapy, LLC, to provide excellent quality physical therapy and occupational therapy services for patients while supporting the professional development of all staff members.

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What patients can expect from us:

A real person will answer the telephone. You’ll receive prompt and helpful communication from our front office staff.

All therapy services are provided by fully licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. We do not employ aides to work directly with patients. Patients are scheduled one at a time, so that therapists are not juggling between patients.

Therapists use the latest research to facilitate your recovery. Evidence based therapy helps us to gain maximum recovery in the shortest number of visits.

We make every effort to schedule you with the same therapist for each visit. However, as schedules sometimes require, you may find it convenient to work with more than one therapist.  In those cases, we communicate well, and find that a collaborative approach is very helpful.

We recognize that providing evidence based physical therapy and occupational therapy  intervention is the most effective strategy for rehabilitation. This allows us the benefit of research using sound scientific principles and the experience of a large number of patients to help us determine which treatments will provide the best outcome in the fewest number of visits.  Toward that objective, we subscribe to professional journals and use the American Physical Therapy Association’s Hooked on Evidence site. We participate in continuing education through pursuing advanced degrees, sitting for advanced competency exams, reading professional journals, and through short term Once a week, we schedule an hour for a roundtable discussion. This time is spent reviewing the literature, presenting case studies, and reporting on courses taken. 

You can expect us to communicate with your referring physician on a regular basis. After your first visit, we send a report so that your physician knows that we have begun therapy. We send progress reports every 30 days or as needed, so that your physician keeps abreast of your status.

You can expect us to educate you about your diagnosis. We’ll make sure you understand the causes of the dysfunction, and ways to avoid a recurrence. This will include description of anatomy and pathology and how the body works. We’ll strategize to prevent recurrence through analysis of your work station, sports techniques, hobbies, and furniture. We’ll provide a home exercise program to strengthen and stretch the involved area.

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Student Program

We affiliate with several universities which offer a doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) and masters in occupational therapy. Once these students have completed a bachelors degree and one or two years of graduate school, they spend 8-12 weeks in our clinic. They work side by side with our staff therapists to provide care to our patients.

This relationship with the universities helps us to keep up with the latest research and treatment techniques.

For more information about our student program, or for frequently asked questions that we hear from students, click here.

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Research

We are currently studying the role of physical therapy in the management of plantar fasciitis. In particular, we are looking at the relationship between hip anatomy/weakness and the incidence of plantar fasciitis.

Other studies completed here include the role of physical therapy in the management of Lyme disease and in benign hypermobility syndrome.

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Community Outreach 

We enjoy being a part of the community in East Lyme and southeastern Connecticut. We try to respond to needs within the community as they arise. Some memorable outreach activities have been:

• Wrapped Christmas gifts for children of prison inmates

• Guest lecture in public schools for students and faculty

• Care and Share, adopting a family at Christmas time

• The Moveable Feast, preparing 85 meals for homebound folks at the holidays

• Bake sale fundraiser for one of our young patients with cancer

• We sponsor a senior girls softball team through the East Lyme Little League

• Foxwoods Casino: Produced videotape designed to reduce injuries for dealers

• Ocean Surveys: In-service to reduce back injuries

• Bethpage: Training for all employees in back care, providing exercises for mentally retarded clients, transfer techniques, selecting equipment

For educators:

• Orthopedic intervention in pediatric patients, to the therapists in the Hartford school system

• Team building strategies, Together We Will Conference, 1996

• "No More Therapy in the Living Room" - on natural environments. Together We Will Conference, 2000.

• Sterling School: Sensory integration

• US Submarine Base Day Care Center: School readiness: Fine and gross motor skills

• Guest lecturer, University of Connecticut School of Physical Therapy: Rheumatology

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Community Education

We’ve provided lectures on these topics to the public on these topics:

·       Arthritis

·       How to modify your home for the lifespan

·       Golf Injuries

·       Preventing cheerleading injuries

·       "Muscles Alive!" Careers for Girls in Science and Math. Sponsored by LEARN

·       Body type and sports: East Lyme 4th graders

·       Urinary incontinence

·       Aquatic exercise

·       Back pack assessment

·       Back school

·       Orthopedic considerations during pregnancy –CT PT Association

·       School nurse group – assessing playground injuries

·       Lifting techniques – group home staffs

·       Handwriting preparedness – pre-school teachers

·       Fitness for the Caregiver (DVD)

·       Shoulder exercises prior to thoracic surgery (DVD)

·       Balance Seminar- East Lyme Senior Center

We’d be happy to speak to your community group on a topic related to physical or occupational therapy.  Contact us at 860-739-4497.

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