Manual Medicine Spine & Sports Physical Therapy

I had been suffering with back problems and sciatica pain for 8 years since I was a teenager. I was diagnosed with spondylolysis in my lumbar spine. I had some physical therapy then and it helped some, but the problem persisted. I am now 25 and the sciatic nerve pain continued to run down my back and down my leg. Some days were worse than others and when it was really bad, I could not move at all; I would just lie in bed and wait for it to subside. I also felt some tingling in my leg and weakness. I waited this long to consult with Trupti at MMSSPT because I thought the nerve pain would just go away on it’s own. I guess it was a combination of me being naive and then stubborn; until I came to terms with the fact that I needed someone to help me resolve this problem. I’m still pretty young and I want to be active, play tennis, and run. I also wanted to go out hiking and play basketball which I couldn’t. In the past, I never got the treatment that I needed, I was given sciatic nerve glides and some strengthening and it would help temporarily but it never completely fixed it. At MMSSPT, I get the proper manual therapy and manipulation, dry needling and hands on treatment that has targeted the problem at hand which has helped the sciatic nerve pain to go away. Trupti also explained that the structural instability in my lower back was what was causing the compression of my sciatic nerve ( it was not a disc related issue). With targeted and exercises tailored personally to my lower back/lumbar instability, I have now been pain free in my lower back and sciatic nerve for more than a couple months. I can now walk long distances, and I’ve done a lot of hiking without any issues. The back pain sometimes occurs if I have been sitting with bad posture and stressed for a long time, but it’s almost very rare. I’m still working on getting back to playing sports and looking forward to achieving those goals. What I like the best about coming here, is I feel really at home when I come for my visits, I feel really cared for. In the past with the other PT experiences I felt they were more corporate like or faceless, I felt like another drop in the bucket. And here I feel like the care is personal and tailored to me, with what’s going on with my back. I can be super honest with what I need and what I want to get out of my treatments. I would highly recommend taking the plunge and giving MMSSPT a try.

I went to the doctor due to pain in my leg and they were not able to diagnose what type of injury I had. I felt hopeless because I did not know when I would be able to exercise again. The doctors referred me to a PT and after only the first session with Trupti, I knew I would get better. Although I was only in DC for 2 weeks before I had to go home, Trupti accommodated me and gave me the guidance and confidence for my leg sprain to get better. Now I am going to Colombia and I am looking forward to follow my treatment with Trupti online and eventually heal completely.

I had a fall last Summer and used my right arm to break my fall. I didn’t think much of it as it was minor bruising and aching. I continued going to the gym, working out, lowered the weights but it was not working. I was experiencing a lot of pain in my shoulder for about a month. When I saw my PCP about it they recommended I see Trupti at MMSSPT for Physical Therapy. At that time I had a lack of mobility, pain with overhead movements, lifting weights, even sleeping on that side. The pain, especially at night, even when my arm was stationary was extreme. I was not able to lift weights in the gym like I wanted to, basic chores at home like vacuuming, pouring a cup of coffee was painful, so I had to use my left arm. At that time lifting my bike up and down the stairs, running and even stirring when cooking was painful. I was taking a lot of over the counter medication at that time to relieve my pain. My expectation was a quick recovery and I had hoped to stop taking medication. When I began PT with Trupti – she diagnosed it as a rotator cuff injury. She began doing hands on manual therapy and treatment for the shoulder. At the same time, because she suspected a tear in the rotator cuff, she referred me to a shoulder orthopedic doctor to get it evaluated. He felt it would be beneficial to continue PT and if things didn’t get better to schedule an MRI. After that, the treatment moved forward well, I began to have less and less pain and my mobility improved significantly, I was able to get a good night’s sleep without shoulder pain and did not need to take any pain medication after some months. I also was able to get back to lifting light weights, some running, and could lift my bike up the stairs. Daily chores became pain free. However, since this past month the pain has resurfaced and while I am continuing PT care, we have decided that an MRI is pertinent at this point. In the past some of my experiences with “the physical therapy shop” practices was not good. An hour of treatment with them is 5 minutes with a PT and then they tell you to do a specific exercise and then they leave you to do it. I would highly recommend care with Trupti because it’s more personalized. To get a professional opinion from her type of practice versus some of the “Physical therapy shops” that function like machines is very beneficial.

I waited longer than I should have. I had been experiencing a right upper back problem for years. Before I moved to DC I lived in Vermont and had tried multiple Physical Therapists, acupuncture, chiropractor, massage therapy. I’d say the massage and acupuncture were also somewhat helpful but not giving me long term relief. The last physical therapist that I saw was sometimes helpful but they didn’t seem to know what was going on with my back. When I spoke with Trupti on the phone (even before I went to see her in-person), she accurately gave me a diagnosis of what was going on with my back problem. My obstacle in going to see a PT when I moved to DC was in finding someone that understands my issue, what’s really wrong with my back and how to treat me. Each PT is different based on their experiences, but the PT in Vermont straight up told me he did not know what was going on with my upper back. So when Trupti was able to accurately assess the problem I felt much better about going to see her and committing to PT here at MMSSPT. I get this burning pain in my upper and mid back when I stand and walk too long. It became really bad where it was quite limiting; I could not walk very long, could not go on hikes, I had to skip a lot of things that I enjoyed doing. I was missing out on the confidence to go out and do all these things that I was invited to do with friends. I was hesitant, because I was not sure how my back would feel. After going to see Trupti I have been able to do more fun things with people and it has begun to feel a lot easier. We are still working on progressing my physical therapy. The dry needling has been very helpful even though it can be painful. But I look forward to it because it feels much better afterwards. For anyone who is skeptical or nervous, I would highly recommend having the free telephone consultation with Trupti because after I talked to her on the phone I felt less intimated to go see her in person for free the discovery visit. At least get started so you can find out for yourself if this is going to work for you or not. After seeing Trupti for a while now, I feel confident to do a lot more: I’ve been able to go for a long Halloween horror walk for an 1 hour to 1.5 hours, I went to an escape room a few weeks, and I was able to do that without even thinking about my back etc.

Toni testimonial: I was suffering with a Disc-Related Lower-Back problem for a year and a half. I could NOT sit for more than 15 minutes. I would have intense L4-5 disc pain. It was debilitating. I was filled with fear and worry. I did NOT know what to do!!! I had seen other Physical Therapists, and I felt like a number. They never treated the issue the way Trupti has. I was REALLYafraid to try another Physical Therapist after I didn’t have success with some including Chiropractors. Their treatment was very mechanical, surface level and treated me like another number. They did NOT connect with my body and the muscles, there was NO understanding of what the root cause of my problem was. I resolved to the fact that this is never going to get better - that I had to have surgery and many shots in my back, which I did NOT want to do, I didn’t believe that that would solve this problem. But then one of my clients referred me to Trupti. And I realized that there is LIGHT-YEARS of difference between her and the other physical therapists and chiropractors I have seen. Trupti is SOOO intuitive with the body, with the patient that she is with, and she was the ONLY person that was able to examine me, tell me what the root cause was and how to fix it. She connected intuitively with me as a patient and also my muscles, my back and the problem. It was AMAZING!!! For the 1st time, I felt that I have HOPE to resolve and heal my back. This disc problem would flare up 5-6 times a year. It was really bad. When it flared up I could NOT walk properly, I would walk hunched over, could not sit more than 15 minutes and it really got in the way of my work: sitting for prolonged periods, driving, showing homes to my clients. Also it was very painful so it was hard to concentrate on my job and life. If I got a bout of bad pain, I was on the floor; I could not even walk or drive for almost a week. I would totally pay to go see Trupti for a consultation just so you can get her to evaluate you and see what she can offer you with her expertise. You will KNOW & UNDERSTAND what I mean when you meet her and see her intuitive way of connecting with you and YOUR body. I have NO further bouts where my disc pain in my lower back has occurred. I can now sit for many hours, drive as long as I want to and do my job without living in fear. Now, I have NOT been as consistent with doing my back stabilization and strengthening exercises after the first several months and that’s something that I am working on daily. They REALLY helped me get better along with Trupti’s magical touch and manual therapy body work. But I DO plan on getting back to it because of the immense difference it has made in my life. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu Truptiiii!!! You ARE a Magician!!!

My knee felt blocked for a while during my holidays last Summer. At first my knee problem was not bad. I had a busy agenda so I did not do something about it. When it began to feel blocked – I could not use it properly; it was difficult to bend it, and also in standing/ walking it felt stiff and difficult to walk. I was also having difficulty playing rugby. I noticed when it got worse, my knee felt stiff after a long flight from Europe. It was hard to walk properly after that too. I had an ACL tear and surgical reconstruction 30 years ago in this knee after being active in sports. I had a second ACL tear in the same knee and also had a tibial plateau fracture in the other knee. After so many years of being active in sports, I began to have this knee problem last Summer. After seeing Trupti, and her doing manual therapy, dry needling, exercises to improve my knee mobility and also improve knee strength/ stability, I can now walk much better. My knee feels less stiff after she works with my knee with manual therapy and dry needling. I saw two orthopedic doctors and an MRI shows severe arthritis, loose bodies and wear/tear in my meniscus on both sides. I have also been able to play rugby although right now I am not playing as much. My knee stiffness has reduced significantly. I was also able to ski well this past Winter into March without any problems. My goal is to avoid a knee replacement and function on my current knee as long as possible (as I am in my 50s and want to avoid it at this age). Trupti has helped me achieve this and also explained to me what I will have to keep doing in order to keep it this active and mobile and prevent it from getting worse. If you are having similar problems and unsure about whether to give this place a try, my recommendation is to talk to Trupti and go in for a consultation. She will be able to look at your problem and give you expert guidance. It has helped me a lot.

"I injured my knee 7 months before I came to see Trupti at MMSSPT. I had physical therapy in the past, so I tried to do the exercises I learned in the past, but it was not ameliorating the pain.The symptoms just stagnated. I was experiencing sharp knee pain which impacted my ability to do long walks, hikes of greater than 15 miles. I could not run and do squats. It was a chain reaction within my leg because over time, my hamstring and my hip on that side also began to hurt. My walking began to feel more and more limited ( less than 3 miles) because of the knee, hip and hamstring pain. In my past experience with PT, I think the PT was stopped earlier than I should have. I had not quite gotten back to running distances. This time I feel we nailed down: where it was hurting, why it was hurting, what needed to be done to strengthen or fix the problem, and incrementally build up to my exercise goals. With Trupti, I really liked how "hands-on" she was with the treatment, checking and getting to my patellar tendon, hamstring, hip pain points, and explaining what each exercise was doing for me during the treatment. Also if I didn't have time to do the exercises, I never felt bad telling her that I could not do them. Also she was willing to ramp up the program with me as I was feeling better. I am now able to do very long walks again even with hiking equipment and weight on my back. I've built back up to running. I am not experiencing any hamstring, hip or sharp knee pain at all on my walks. I was doing well in the Summer and had built up to running 2-3 miles with no pain. However, of late occasionally I feel a twinge of pain with running so I am working on it with further guidance from Trupti. If you are suffering from a similar chronic problem I would absolutely recommend going to see Trupti at MMSSPT and at least start with the free discovery visit so you can get an assessment from her."

Dr. Trupti is a fantastic physiotherapist. We started my daughter’s treatment and immediately experienced an improvement. She explained in detail how she would conduct the session. It was a realistic timeline. Each week, we saw an improvement. We thank you for all your support and guidance.