A month ago, I arrived at my club for our opening day tournament and I noticed a sign that said “Physical Therapist on site today”. I’m old enough and smart enough to know that getting stretched before one plays golf is a really good idea. A few years ago I was working with a talented LPGA player who did extremely well in the US Open the previous week. When she returned home, I asked her what made the difference in her game that week and she said, “My hips were tight and so I used a physical therapist before each round I played.”
When I saw that sign encouraging me to use the physical therapist on site that day, I did so. That’s when I met Dr. Kevin Alves, the owner of Recovery Physical Therapy in Garden City. He worked on me that morning and I immediately noticed a difference in the way I played. He is part of the new wave of physical therapists who are advancing the field.
He told me that golfers often have bad backs due to tight hips and weak shoulder strength. After he worked on me I was given his card and a gift certificate and I promised myself that I’d go to his new office at 910 Franklin Ave. right here in Garden City.
But as is always the case I got swallowed up in my life and put that gift certificate on my desk never to be thought of again. That is until I played golf with a friend of mine three weeks later and noticed how much better he was playing. He was hitting it longer and straighter.
I asked him if he was doing anything differently and he said “Yeah, I’m going to that guy who came to the club three weeks ago.” Alas, this must have been a sign from heaven offering me a reminder to get myself off the couch and go meet with Dr. Kevin Alves and get my body worked on.
So armed with greater motivation, I called up and asked to meet with Kevin Alves to get to know him more.
When I arrived at Recovery PT, I was greeted by a charming receptionist who was already expecting me. The look of this physical therapy facility is strictly high end and fits in well with the rest of the luxury stores and restaurants in Garden City. Dr. Avles then greeted me and gave me a brief tour of the place. There were two other physical therapists working on patients in a large spacious area with brand new spanking equipment.
We settled into his office and I learned more about him. He is a local guy, born and raised in Carle Place and educated at New York Institute of Technology, which is where he obtained his doctorate. His first internship established his attitude toward physical therapy when he worked with a PT who offered help to professional athletes who, in turn, expected the best treatment.
Kevin learned from this experience and when he opened his first office in Huntington he made sure he provided concierge treatment which focused on the individual. He was determined to make his practice more humane and not factory-like. He selected his staff carefully and pays them well, which insures that they will be committed to his practice and his style of work with an emphasis on personal attention and time spent with the patient.
He told me about his ACL Prevention Program, which is geared toward the young lacrosse, and soccer players to help them avoid injury. As a sport psychologist, a significant part of my practice deals with the depressed athlete who has lost his or her sport career due to injury and tears to ligaments in the knee, ankles, elbows or shoulders, so his focus on injury prevention is crucial. I would not be surprised if he finds himself employed by a few of the professional teams in the metropolitan area.
Much of Dr. Alves’ practice is covered by insurance and his calling card and slogan emphasizes three words “Stretch, Massage and Strengthen.”
His kind of concierge practice with its emphasis on special attention, sophisticated cutting-edge treatment and injury prevention will be future of physical therapy and we are lucky to have him right here in little old Garden City.
So if you are like me, an aging athlete with a sore back and tight hips, give this guy a call and watch your score improve as your pain recedes.
