Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Gartland.
Hi Sara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Throughout physical therapy school, I had multiple clinical experiences, and in nearly every setting, the focus was on treating pain and helping clients recover from an injury or diagnosis. Although we learned about preventative care, I noticed that it was not commonly incorporated into these clinical settings. I began to wonder: Why wait until someone is in pain to see them when we can provide them with the tools and education to reduce their risk of injury in the first place?
That idea stayed with me throughout physical therapy school and after graduation. After four years of working with clients, I decided I wanted to create a different type of environment—one that emphasized prevention, recovery, and treatment. I wanted to offer services such as mobility and strength training, recovery strategies, and education to help people move better, recover effectively, and reduce their risk of injury. At the same time, I recognized that some injuries cannot be prevented, so traditional physical therapy focused on pain and injury recovery would remain an important part of our services.
I also noticed that traditional physical therapy settings could sometimes focus too heavily on the specific area of pain. A client is more than their “shoulder pain” or “knee pain.” They may be a mom, an athlete, a teacher, or someone balancing countless day-to-day responsibilities that can influence their recovery. Additionally, pain in one area does not necessarily mean that area is the root cause of the problem. This led me to take a full-body approach, looking beyond the site of pain to understand how the entire body may be contributing to a client’s symptoms and movement.
Recovery was another area I wanted to incorporate into our services. Being active and performing at your best is not just about training—it is also about how you recover. We wanted to provide clients with strategies and education to support recovery, whether that means improving mobility, managing training volume, understanding the importance of rest, or using other recovery techniques such as dry needling and cupping to help them feel and perform their best.
Another important component was testing and measurement. Physical therapists are taught a variety of ways to assess strength and mobility, but many traditional strength assessments can be subjective. I wanted to incorporate objective strength testing using technology commonly found in collegiate and professional sports settings. This technology allows us to better understand a client’s current abilities, identify areas of weakness or imbalance, and use that information to guide treatment. We use these measurements with both clients recovering from pain or injury and those who are looking to reduce their risk of future injury or improve their performance.
Ultimately, these ideas led to four main areas that define the services we wanted to offer:
1. Preventative Care – Providing strength and mobility training, education, and other tools to help clients move well and reduce their risk of injury.
2. Recovery – Helping clients better understand and optimize recovery through individualized strategies, education, and appropriate recovery techniques.
3. A Full-Body Approach – Looking beyond the location of pain to understand the individual as a whole and identify factors that may be contributing to their symptoms.
4. Advanced Technology – Using objective strength and performance testing to better assess clients and guide individualized treatment.
Over the past year, we have also placed an emphasis on creating a more personalized experience for each client. When scheduling, I consider which therapist may be the best fit based on the client’s goals and interests. As a recent mom, I particularly enjoy working with moms who are looking to return to exercise and movement. Our other physical therapist has a strong interest in running and works with many of our running clients. While we work closely together, we recognize that building a strong therapist-client relationship is an important part of the overall experience.
Our goal is to provide more than treatment for an injury. We want to help people understand their bodies, move with confidence, recover effectively, and have the tools they need to stay active and healthy for the long term.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges we have faced has been navigating insurance coverage. While insurance often covers treatment related to pain or injury, it typically does not cover preventative care or recovery services. As a result, we have had to offer these services as cash-pay options. Unfortunately, this can create a financial barrier and make these services less accessible to some individuals.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a physical therapy clinic that focuses on more than just pain. We offer wellness sessions, recovery sessions, and traditional physical therapy, with the goal of helping our community stay active, healthy, and able to do the activities they love.
We work with a wide range of individuals, from high school athletes to mothers looking to return to exercise, from clients experiencing jaw pain to adults looking for guidance on how to stay active and reduce their risk of injury. No matter where someone is in their journey, our goal is to provide individualized care based on their needs and goals.
Along with strength training, mobility training, hands-on treatment, and education, we also offer dry needling. This can be a helpful component of care for clients who experience occasional headaches or migraines, as well as those recovering from the physical demands of a major race or event.
One of the things I am most proud of is our involvement in the community. While we work with many people individually, we also believe in getting outside of the clinic and giving back to the community that supports us. Whether it is visiting local high schools to teach students about force plate testing, hosting free pickleball events that are open to everyone, or leading exercise classes for moms looking for a space to move with their little ones, we make an effort to connect with and support our amazing community.
What makes you happy?
Knowing that I am helping people continue to do the things they love is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. There is nothing better than hearing a client say, “I ran three miles without pain,” “I went down the stairs without pain,” “I’m feeling stronger while golfing,” or “I can lift my grandkids without a challenge.”
Those moments are a reminder of why I do what I do. Helping someone return to an activity they enjoy is rewarding, but helping them continue to do those things throughout their life is even more meaningful. Knowing that I can play a role in helping people stay active, confident, and capable motivates me to continue learning, improving, and finding better ways to serve my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://betterdaysphysicaltherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterdays_physicaltherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Better-Days-Physical-Therapy-and-Wellness-61557086286176/
