About Us
About the profession and our mission
Physical therapy is a special profession that is designed purely to help people. It takes four years of undergraduate work and three years of graduate school to become a doctor of physical therapy. A skilled physical therapist is able to provide individual treatment to solve movement disorders, reduce pain, and restore functional ability.
However, the skyrocketing cost of healthcare and copays makes the current treatment paradigm inefficient and expensive. After over ten years in the profession and seeing these inefficiencies first hand, we believe there is a better approach to help people.
There are certain baseline treatments related to every physical condition that are requirements in restoring normal function. When a patient comes to our clinic with a certain condition, we know we will be providing these baseline treatments for that condition. We want to provide our baseline treatment protocol, along with a list of the equipment we would use in the clinic for the most common conditions we treat.
It is our hope that by providing the knowledge and equipment that is most important for treating these common conditions, that people can reduce their healthcare costs and get better quicker. Our mission is to provide an easily accessible and highly reputable source of physical therapy information for everyone. We want people to feel confident they are getting the best content and equipment that will help to reduce their pain and restore them to their highest functional potential.
About our owners and main content authors
Education:
Andrew Harkins, DPT, earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University. He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Duquesne University, where he graduated top of his class. According to the physical therapy department chair at the time, Andrew was the first person to ever achieve a perfect score of 800/800 on the National Physical Therapy licensing Exam.
Experience:
Andrew Harkins, DPT, is a licensed physical therapist and works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Rehabilitation Institute. He has worked for 10 years in the field of physical therapy and specializes in treating orthopedic and sports conditions.
Andrew has a special interest in treating conditions related to the knee, shoulder, hip, and foot/ankle. He participated in the knee osteoarthritis booster program at UPMC. The goal of this program was to maximize outcomes for patients with knee osteoarthritis, while reducing costs to the healthcare system.
Additionally, Andrew has worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. He instructed in the musculoskeletal and orthopedic coursework for the DPT students.
Expertise:
Andrew Harkins, DPT, is an American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) since 2016. He has demonstrated expertise in treating orthopedic conditions throughout the body and works as a mentor for fellow clinicians in his role as a Senior Physical Therapist.
Andrew is also a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT). He studied under one of the premier physical therapist in the country, Mike Timko, for the specialized treatment and management of patients with dysfunction in the spine. Additionally, Andrew has gained his Direct Access Authorization in the state of Pennsylvania.
Andrew has been a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) since 2012. He specializes in formulating exercise programs for rehabilitation as well as for fitness. Andrew has been participating in and creating programs for CrossFit for over a decade now. His favorite hobby is working out and expanding his garage gym.
Licensed Physical Therapist
Doctor of Physical Therapy from The University of Pittsburgh
Bachelor of Science in Natural Science from The University of Pittsburgh
About our contributing content authors
Education:
Matthew J. Strano, DPT, earned his Bachelor of Science from Westminster College and his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Duquesne University.
Experience:
Matthew has been practicing physical therapy for over ten years and has primarily worked in the outpatient clinical setting. Additionally, he has experience working in skilled nursing facilities, home health, and the hospital inpatient setting.
Expertise:
Matthew recently obtained a level 1 Certification through the Titleist Performance Institute in order to better help evaluate and treat conditions related to the sport of golf. Additionally, he is a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist and previously held a certficate in strength and conditioning through the NSCA. He enjoys implementing unique and creative treatment approaches of manual therapy and therapeutic exercises to achieve the best results for his patients.
“A body in motion, stays in motion.”
Sir Isaac Newton