Hello, neighbors! I’m Dr. Katie Cusmiani Ten Eyck, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of BeachNY Physical Therapy. For the past 10 years, I’ve had the privilege of owning and operating my own physical therapy clinic, following five years of experience practicing as a staff DPT.
I’m excited to begin this column as a place where we can talk about something that affects nearly everyone at some point: how to keep moving, stay active, manage pain, and get back to doing the things you love.
Physical Therapy is About More Than Recovering From Surgery
Many people first think of physical therapy after a knee replacement, shoulder surgery, or serious injury. Rehabilitation after surgery is certainly an important part of what we do—but physical therapy can offer much more.
Physical therapists evaluate movement, strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, and function. We treat people with back and neck pain, arthritis, sports injuries, balance difficulties, muscle strains, joint problems, and many other conditions that can interfere with everyday life.
Sometimes the best time to see a physical therapist is before a problem becomes severe enough to significantly limit your activities or lead to more invasive treatment.
Our goal is not simply to make you feel better during your appointment. It is to identify what may be contributing to the problem, improve the way your body functions, and give you the knowledge and tools to help maintain those improvements.
Why Local, Independent Care Matters
After a decade of owning and operating BeachNY Physical Therapy, one lesson has become especially clear to me: physical therapy is personal.
No two patients are exactly alike. The same diagnosis can affect two people very differently depending on their age, occupation, activity level, medical history, and personal goals.
Choosing a locally owned practice can provide something increasingly difficult to find in healthcare—continuity and a genuine relationship with the people providing your care.
At an independent neighborhood practice, the person making decisions about patient care is also part of the community being served. We get to know our patients. We learn what they want to return to doing—whether that’s playing a sport, gardening, working without pain, walking the boardwalk, keeping up with grandchildren, or simply getting through the day more comfortably.
That relationship allows treatment to remain focused on the individual rather than simply the diagnosis written on a chart.
A Conversation
About Better Movement
In the months ahead, I’ll use this column to answer common physical therapy questions and discuss topics such as back and neck pain, knee and shoulder problems, arthritis, balance and fall prevention, sports injuries, stretching, strengthening, injury prevention, and when it may be time to seek professional help.
My hope is to make physical therapy and musculoskeletal health easier to understand and to provide practical information you can actually use.
After 15 years as a physical therapist—and 10 years as a local practice owner—I’m looking forward to sharing some of what I’ve learned with the community that BeachNY Physical Therapy is proud to serve.
Until next month, keep moving!
Katie Cusmiani Ten Eyck is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of Beach NY Physical Therapy.
