Rewards of Post-Rehabilitation Therapy

When Christina Ricciardi (’03), LMT, CPT, guides her clients through their fitness routines, the space they are working in feels like a luxurious private workout room. The gym, part of H&D Physical Therapy on 46th and Madison, is a state-of-the-art facility, graced by floor to ceiling windows that let in energetic cityscape light. Instead of crowds on treadmills, there may be only one or two private sessions going on. Though the mood is more meditative than pumped up, the overall impression is one of thoroughness and quiet success. 

“I’ve been here for six months,” Christina explained, “and find it a very exciting place to work.” It’s not just the great space; it’s also the unique mix of physical therapists working with the group of personal trainers collectively known as Your BodyWorks. The group, all Swedish Institute alumni, offer both personal training and massage therapy services. People undergoing physical therapy may benefit from the addition of massage therapy, and when finished with physical therapy, they are often referred to the Your BodyWorks group for personal training.

“The physical therapist usually works with a specific condition—maybe it’s an injury or accident, a stroke or a hip replacement,” Christina explained. “But as personal trainers we take a whole body approach to fitness. We may continue with some of the specific exercises the physical therapist did, but we usually expand on that. We have a goal of overall fitness for the client, yet we keep the injury in mind and design a regimen around that. If I have questions about the limits of any individual, I can always talk to the physical therapist on staff. I really appreciate that aspect of working here.”

The space is uplifting, the level of therapist expertise high; does she see people getting better? “Oh, definitely,” she replied. “Progress is often remarkable during physical therapy. But post-rehabilitation will always vary with the individual. Healing will depend on the degree of the injury, a person’s commitment to fitness, and what shape he or she may have been in before. Some may have been elite athletes. But others may have never done a single biceps curl! That’s why it’s important to help guide people, especially when they start out, because not all fitness routines can be the same.”

Personal training has also honed Christina’s ability to target in on problem areas of massage therapy clients. “A client may come in telling me her neck hurts,” she explained. “And I can provide a massage which will help her feel better temporarily. But knowing how to work with muscles makes me sensitive to the fact that perhaps her neck hurts because her chest muscles are too tight. Or someone with low back pain may benefit from corrective exercises so he won’t get that pain anymore.” When asked if she was worried about putting herself out of business by helping people resolve their pain, Christina just laughed. Her level of income is about the same as when she was working in a corporate job as a real estate appraiser. But she’s much happier now. “There is a lot less stress,” she admitted. “And I’m really happy doing work that makes a difference in people’s lives. These people need us. I think there will always be people who need this kind of help, even if it’s just for a little while. That’s what we try to do—help people move to new levels of fitness as quickly, yet as safely, as they can. It’s a really rewarding work.”

Contact Christina Ricciardi at H&D Physical Therapy,  or 212.557.9642.

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