Kaizen Physical Therapy

I suffered a lower back injury about a year and a half ago. I was 22 and an active soccer player and rock climber, so I thought the pain would fix itself if I just ignored it. So I did, but the pain only got worse until I was constantly in agony. I couldn’t do any of the activities I used to enjoy, and I couldn’t even sit without pain. I finally tried physical therapy at a hospital, but the exercises they gave me didn’t work at all. When I switched to working with Derek, my experience was completely different. From the very first session, the exercises began to alleviate my pain and I understood how and why the exercises were helping. That is one of the best parts of working with Derek - he takes time to make sure you understand your treatment, which is empowering after living with pain for so long. With back pain, Derek doesn’t focus on your back, he focuses on analyzing your body’s movement and understanding how it’s limits lead to injury and prevent recovery. For me, it was all about hip stability, and over the course of 6 months, we methodically strengthened my hips to the point where my back pain is completely gone. I am back to climbing and playing soccer now, and Derek gave me several exercises to keep my hips strong and my back healthy. When I started climbing again, I also began experiencing upper back pain because my shoulders had gotten so weak, but Derek quickly gave me exercises to fix this as well. Most importantly, I left my treatment with a robust knowledge of how to listen to my body and continue to treat it and prevent further injuries. Throughout treatment, Derek was kind, patient, and professional. I could not recommend his practice any more strongly!

I had been experiencing sciatica pain almost daily for 10 months. I was irritable and had difficulty walking, sitting and standing. I went to see Dr. Nielsen and he was very confident that he could help me be free of pain. I was somewhat skeptical, but after my third treatment , I was no longer feeling daily pain. He also helped me with my back and knee pain. I’m very happy to say that I now have no pain! I went on a trip out of state and had a very nice pain free experience! It’s been a blessing to be able to do all the things I couldn’t do before without pain. Dr. Nielsen is a very knowledgeable, caring, professional that I highly recommend to anyone who is experiencing pain.

Over the last 2.5 years I’ve dealt with knee pain. It limited me from doing specific exercises, hiking, and even walking up stairs.nnI tried masking the problem using a knee brace and K-tape but with minimal improvement.nnIt got to the point where I decided I needed professional help. That’s when I reached out to Kaizen PT.nnOver the last 4 months I’ve been seeing Derek roughly 2-3 times per month. He quickly found the root cause to my pain.nnHe provided me with exercises that took only 15 minutes per day. 4 months later and I am completely pain free.nnA matter of fact, I completed a backpacking trip which proved my knee is fixed.nnIf you suffer from knee pain, I highly recommend Derek and his services. I truly couldn’t be more happy with the results.

Dr.Nielsen is hands down the best therapist I’ve ever been to. I’ve tried multiple different physical therapists and chiropractors with little to no success for my back pain over the last 5-6 years. Every morning I would wake up with sharp back pain that would really hold me back from being as active as I want. Thanks to Dr.Nielsen’s customized program and his incredible level of compassionate care, I can proudly say I’ve been pain free now for 3 straight months! I can hardly even believe it.

The most important information that I can share is that Derek is patient centered and I was the main focus for treatment. One on one hour long sessions focusing on what I needed to get help. Asking specifics about the issue and them addressing them vs a standard approach. From having foot issues to some issues with my lower back muscles, they were all adjusted via the sessions and appropriate exercises. I purchased a series of six sessions and was actually able to complete the work in four sessions several month ago. A new issue came up and I was able to work with Derek again in just two sessions to clear this up. Highly recommend working with Kaizen Physical Therapy.