I’m a 72 year old woman who has bursitis in both hips, shoulder issues, neck issues, achilles tendinitis, carpal tunnel, and arthritis in my hands.  When I began my physical therapy with Dr. Alina Dawson and her team at Full Distance Physical Therapy at Mariner’s Landing in March 2022, I had Achilles Tendonitis so bad I couldn’t walk without severe pain. I also had poor posture, very tight muscles, arthritis in my joints, and difficulty getting up off the floor.   Since then, I’m able to walk 3-5 miles a day again and I have noticed a substantial improvement in my strength, balance, posture, and a reduction in the pain to my joints.  Dr. Alina Dawson is a geriatrics physical therapist who focuses on treating the whole body, not just one area of the body.  She incorporates yoga, strength training, and Massage Therapy (including Lymphatic system massage) and all forms of physical therapy, including occupational therapy, to improve posture, strength, and balance, and decreased pain. Dr. Alina and her team are responsible for me being able to have the strength and balance to do several “Yoga Sun Salutations”, which involves going from standing position to a plank to laying on your stomach to raising back to plank and then to a standing position several times in a row.  My posture has also greatly improved and my joint pain has been reduced and I attribute these improvements to the Full Distance approach to improving the full body through yoga, physical therapy, and massage therapy including Hinako Davis’ Lymphatic system massage that is the best.  I also have been working with Jason Mullens, Full Distance’s personal trainer, and have actually become a “Gym Rat”.  Elizabeth Allen, Full Distance Occupational Therapist, has helped me overcome a lot of the pain in my arthritic hands through exercise and suggested changes in the way I performed certain tasks. My main exercise prior to joining the Full Distance Team was walking (prior to my achilleas tendinitis), but incorporating strength training, yoga, physical therapy, and massage has made me stronger overall and improved my posture and balance.  I highly recommend Full Distance Physical Therapy, yoga, and strength training to everyone who wants to healthier, stronger, and more productive person.    I’ve taken physical therapy in the past but they always focused on just one part of the body, Full Distances Physical Therapy focuses on improving your Full Body.  In one word, Full Distance Physical Therapist are “Enablers”