Empowering You: Hands-Off Physical Therapy with Dr. Lindsey Himmel

June 22, 2020

Empowerment is key for our milestone 10th episode of Lift U Up: Inspiring Health Stories, where we welcome Dr. Lindsey Himmel, DPT, OCS, Cert. MDT as she shares the philosophy behind her physical therapy practice, Align Physical Therapy – designed to empower and equip patients with the tools to heal themselves.

After getting hit by a car on her second day of college and appreciating just how important having a healthy body is, her passion is now focused on keeping her patients active and pain free in order to enhance their quality of life. In Empowering You: Hands-Off Physical Therapy, Lindsey shares her approach to physical therapy, why it may look different from traditional PT sessions, and how recent social distancing during COVID-19 might have actually helped her practice.

As a graduate of the University of Miami, Dr. Lindsey Himmel pursued her passion of studying the body, eventually leading her to open her very own practice, Align Physical Therapy. She has a certification in Pilates, is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist, and is certified in The McKenzie Method.

Lindsey has always loved to move, and as a professional dancer since age 11, health has always been a part of her life. However, she never quite appreciated movement until one life-altering moment. On the second day of her freshman year at the University of Miami, she was crossing the street on her way to class, and she was hit by a car, sending her to the hospital.

After four months in a back brace, and foregoing many college experiences, like participating in the University’s Sunsations Dance Team, she was able to heal completely. However, this injury opened her eyes to how much she appreciated a working human body, and the things she would normally never think twice about – getting dressed, brushing her teeth, and other day-to-day movements.

Today, she feels very strongly about the way she works with her own patients, equipping them to identify and treat their own pain. Once a patient walks through her door (or more recently, logs on to a virtual session), they don’t leave her care. She works one-on-one with them, encouraging them to guide their progress. Her hands-off method of physical therapy, influenced by The McKenzie Method, means that she only touches 10% of her patients. For her, physical therapy requires teamwork, and her patients are a huge part of their own success.

“It I the best career I could have hoped for,” she says, “I look forward to it everyday.”

What else can you expect in this episode?

How she was introduced to The McKenzie Method, why she is passionate about her hands-off approach, and how that works for her patients.
How the pandemic opened up the option for Telehealth in physical therapy, and how it was a natural fit (and a blessing) for her practice.
Her visual explanation for how the spine can cause pain in the body (check it out by watching the video podcast above!)
Her advice for keeping your body pain free and how balance is a big key to it.