Lisa graduated from Duke University with a Master’s in Physical Therapy in 1999. Understanding the value of education, she had the opportunity to complete the requirements for the (at that time) newly instituted Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Duke and obtained her Doctorate in 2000. She began her PT career in Sports Medicine at Duke University, but because of her passion for children, sought a position in pediatrics at Duke.
From 2000 to 2014, she gained a depth of knowledge of pediatric physical therapy in the acute care setting (hospital), home health (in the child’s natural environment), and also in the outpatient clinic at Duke’s Lenox Baker Children’s Hospital. She has a wealth of experience with many diagnoses of childhood and developmental delays. She was able to work closely with pediatric occupational therapists at Duke and has a thorough understanding of the importance of addressing sensory processing while addressing gross motor limitations.
Her dedication to treating the child with neurological impairments led her to pursue certification in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), which she completed in 2009.
Lisa obtained national recognition with her certification as a pediatric specialist offered by the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) achieving the credentials of Pediatric Certified Specialist, (PCS) in 2010.
She obtained the Preliminary (C1) and Advanced (C2) Schroth scoliosis certifications in 2013 and 2014, respectively. She has been treating young people with scoliosis since with some promising results. (See blog on scoliosis bracing)
Because of her understanding of her own postural asymmetries and chronic back/joint pain that did not respond to traditional PT, she became a patient who was lucky enough be treated by a PT who is certified by the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI). Her dramatic improvements in back and joint pain lead her to acquire more knowledge of PRI. She took her first continuing education course in Postural Restoration in 2009, and was certified as a PRC in 2014. She has been studying the adult-based philosophies with continued course work ever since and has been applying them to children. She has seen some great results in teenagers with musculoskeletal pain and in children who walk on their toes for no apparent reason. (About Toe Walking)
Lisa is one of a few clinicians in the country with the unique combination of certifications in pediatrics and postural restoration as well as training in NDT and the Schroth Method for scoliosis. Other populations of interest include, but are not limited to: the prevention of surgery in children with scoliosis (combining both Schroth and PRI principles), performance improvement in young athletes, children with undiagnosed pain that has proven to be difficult to manage with traditional forms of physical therapy and gross motor incoordination/ gross motor delay.
“The unique thing about using PRI with children is that we can teach them early how to prevent the formation of chronic, detrimental patterns of movement and breathing before they are more difficult to change!” Read more about what Lisa does with children at her website: www.ptforchildren.com.
