Physical Therapy

What are our "Core Principles?"

  1. We are designed to heal. (Yes, actually designed. The more I learn about our design, the more I am in awe of our Creator!) Obviously there are some injuries that are just too severe to heal in the natural course of things, and I am thankful there are surgeons who can repair many of these. However, in my experience, the vast majority of painful conditions are caused by people either overusing their bodies, operating in abnormal movement patterns, or both. Sometimes an injury that normally would heal continues to nag or worsens for the same reasons.

  2. Physical Therapy will only work long term if we can address the underlying cause of the problem. Most of the time, my patients come to me in a good bit of pain. Pain by itself will alter movement patterns and the ability for muscles to work, so I will normally work to decrease the pain levels as much as possible first. Once the patient is able to move with less pain, we begin to work on the underlying issues that created the problem or prevented the injury from healing. The goal is to correct the underlying cause and prevent the problem from happening again.

  3. I would much rather prevent an injury than rehabilitate an injury. This is part of physical therapy that is often overlooked. I would love to see a world where people came to see their PT for a movement evaluation in order to work on problem movement patterns before they become injuries or pain. Core Principles offers private pay Pilates sessions along with wellness programs for those who are interested in preventative care.

Core Principles Physical Therapy provides physical therapy for many conditions including:

  • back pain

  • neck pain

  • shoulder pain

  • hip pain

  • knee pain

  • ankle and foot pain/ plantar fasciitis

  • carpel tunnel syndrome

  • lymphedema

  • balance issues

  • other issues

We are in-network for most insurances. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about your insurance or whether we can help your particular condition. We will be glad to help you in any way we can.

Lymphedema treatment

Dr. Johnston is a certified lymphedema therapist through the Norton School of Lymphedema therapy. She provides a complete lymphedema treatment program including manual lymphatic drainage, multilayer compression wrapping, and exercise therapy.