Testimonials

"Sometimes in life it’s not what you know, but who you know. I’m grateful that I know Dr. Alina and I recommend Full Distance when you really do need to go the full distance."

"They have a genuine interest in clients' improvement. I recommend any therapy to give Full Distance a try because you will experience improvement. They are a very professional staff."

"I want to thank Full Distance PT for helping me regain considerably more motion in my normal everyday movements. From shoe ties, to getting up and down more efficiently."

"I have less pain in my back, shoulders, and hips now after doing Physical Therapy with Full Distance. I also exercise at home via a daily exercise program. I knew the therapy program would be beneficial."

"I'm a big fan of Full Distance at the Mariners Landing location. I've been taking personal training with Jason, yoga with Lisa, Debbie, and Alina and have found all the classes to be helpful and life-changing. My health and body are changing for the better. Highly recommend!"

"I am so happy to have the opportunity to attend exercise classes. It is my favorite way to exercise. The instructors are knowledgeable and dependable. I feel healthier and I am also getting to know more people at Mariners through Full Distance."

"Dr. Alina Dawson invited my husband and I to come in for mobility and strength evaluations with her team.... Both of us have benefitted immensely from the physical therapy. My husband’s mobility and confidence have improved greatly. I feel stronger and have learned exercises that I can do on my own to improve balance and strength."

“Shanti has been my physical therapist for two years . I am impressed with her skills in reducing pain all over my body. She continues to increase her skills by further education and certifications and she has brought her new skills to me. I have been guided in purchasing items that have improved my stability and mobility. Her cheerful and positive personality is helpful and encouraging in therapy sessions. Shanti listens to me and responds making our sessions a team effort.”

I have found REAL PHYSICAL THERAPY. I am a retired family physician and have been plagued by back pain and limited mobility. I have seen multiple physicians and a pain medicine practice. I have been on meds and had multiple injections and procedures. It seems for every injury or musculoskeletal symptom the reflex is to order non-specific physical therapy as an afterthought. I have been to several therapy offices where the physical therapists twice a week would watch me do a few minutes of exercises, with little or no improvement at all. Finally, I listened to a friend and went the few extra miles to Full Distance Therapy at Mariners Landing, in Huddleston, VA at Smith Mountain Lake. My goodness what a difference! The physical and occupational therapists take a holistic approach to each patient. They are thorough and professional. They actually DO THERAPY. They will climb up on the treatment table and stretch my hamstrings, piriformis muscles, and my whole back. They recommended a home exercise program and supplement it with their full one-hour therapy sessions. It has been great and I have improved. I still have scheduled major spine surgery, and the therapists have been working with me to prepare for surgery. If you are looking for real therapy, I can highly recommend Full Distance Therapy.

"My journey with Full Distance began 2 days after I had hip replacement surgery. I could barely stand or walk and never imagined I would be using a walker so early in my 'senior years'. I'm a mere youngster of 66. My 3-week at home physical and occupational therapy sessions started immediately. My 2 physical therapists, Josh Mullen and Joel came twice a week. My occupational therapist, Elizabeth Davidson Allen, came once a week. They focused on my immediate basic needs of standing, walking, getting in and out of bed, the shower, etc. and restored my confidence. After a week and a half, I graduated to using a cane and became much more mobile. At week 4, I started to go to therapy at Full Distance in Mariners. By week 5, I no longer needed to use a cane. My therapists continue to work with me on my balance, strength, and endurance, and my abilities are now back to 85% of where they were prior to my hip injury/surgery. I owe my excellent outcome to the knowledge, commitment, professionalism, and encouragement that I continue to receive from Joel, Josh, and Elizabeth. I highly recommend Full Distance to everyone who is in need."

"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'."