Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Hess.
Hi Teresa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Teresa Hess is the owner of T1 Physio LLC a home based physical therapy clinic in Whispering Pines, NC. Primarily treating orthopedic manual therapy on the spine and extremities. The name came from a play on Tier 1 and most everyone knows me by my nickname “T”. I’m not sure most of them even remember my real name. I attended an accredited manual Physical Therapy School in the Netherlands, which I was recruited to go to, while I was waiting to get into a school in the US. Circumstances put me in the right place at the right time which had never happened to me before, so I believe it was meant to be. After I graduated, I did extensive traveling therapy in Hawaii, CA, CO, AZ and NC for about 15 years with a couple of short permanent positions in between there. I worked with multidisciplinary teams and in varied inpatient and outpatient neuro/vestibular and orthopedic settings of physical therapy, working with everyone from extended care facilities, neuro trauma centers to collegiate and professional athletes in outpatient and club settings.
One of my traveling assignments was at WAMC at Fort Bragg, working with the military, which I really enjoyed, met some wonderful people and fell in love with NC! So, when I was given the opportunity and honor to work with the Special Forces at Fort Bragg, I jumped at the chance to get back to beautiful NC, settle down for a while and excited for the new challenge of working with that elite military population; emphasis in multi-trauma as well as human performance. I cared for these amazing people for 8 years, learning a great deal, before starting my own business out of my home: T1 Physio LLC.
I wanted to give people a private, relaxed comfortable and safe environment during the height of Covid in 2020. It also allowed me to work for myself, giving a very high quality of care and using all of the knowledge and tools I’ve learned over the years. I treat with honesty, ethics, and integrity, not governed by anyone else’s philosophy, or insurance restrictions, time constraints, etc. Many times I believe there is both equipment, tools and resources that are available to high level athletes or high level fitness or military training facilities that would benefit the general public that people just aren’t aware of. I try make this knowledge available to everyone and then get people into therapy and get them better quickly and back to doing what they love to do. I wanted to make it easier for people to get good quality care quickly, without the stress of waiting to get in, or long tedious recoveries that are unnecessary for simple diagnosis. I do my best to tailor my therapy to the needs of the patient and get them back to living the life they want in a timely manner and not driven by their age, insurance, etc. I treat everyone as an athlete and I teach exercises and corrective techniques that make it easy for the patients to follow through and continue to improve without being at the mercy of myself or any other health care professional.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up and being raise by my single mom, in a rural ranching/farming community in CO was amazing. However, with limited financial resources and as the first member of my family to go to college, it was a learning curve on the process to get to college, and how to pay for it. Fortunately, I like many, had an amazing coach and mentor that helped me find my way. After some life lessons and and a lot of curve balls I managed to get to this point relatively unscathed. I was accepted into a very good manual PT school in the Netherlands (an American accredited school), however, coming from the US, you quickly realize that it was not a democratic institution and definitely some social and occasional language barriers. So while I got an amazing education, there were certainly some adjustments and struggles that went with it. Character builders for sure!
Once I came home to start my new professional life, I was informed that despite going through an American accredited school, certain states were going to make us jump through months and at times up to a year of political red tape to actually be able to sit for the physical therapy exam and get our license to practice (despite having gotten the all clear with the APTA board in the state I planned to live in prior to agreeing to attend this school).
It was a very challenging time. However, it made me a stronger and more empathetic person, and made me more determined than ever. I believe that initially traveling around several countries, learning different cultures during my time in The Netherlands and then traveling to different states and being blessed with the opportunity to learn from each facility and variety of therapists with different trains of thought, made me a better, more well-rounded therapist. I am thankful.
Starting a business with absolutely no business experience, has been the ultimate challenge! What was I thinking? However, I seem to be making my way, with very limited advertisement and mostly word of mouth referrals, which I am truly thankful for and blessed. I believe in what I do and I’m honored by the people that choose to come to me to help them in this phenomenal TriPines community.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The newest edition to my clinic is Class IV Laser Therapy. Not the gimmicky things you see on TV infomercials but the real deal. Its regenerative, non-invasive, pain management throughout photo modulation. The result is increased vascular endothelial growth factor, molecular blood flow and angiogenisis. Basically reduces the pain and inflammation, increases circulation and enhances tissue healing. It not only helps with musculoskeletal injuries but also neuropathy. It’s been a great addition and tool to use for rehabilitation to add to the rest of my treatments.
-Certified in Spinal Manipulative Therapy (Spinal Manipulation Institute American Academy of Manipulative Therapy)
-Board Certified as Orthopedic Specialist
-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
-Completed Certification Level II Original Strength Coach
-Completed Level 1-IV HVLA Thrust manipulation (Spinal Manipulation Institute American Academy of Manipulative Therapy
Completed 6 courses for level I-III upper and lower quadrant courses for NAIOMT (North American Institute of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy)
Certified LI-II advanced Dry Needling with Kinetecore
Certified 1080 Movement Specialist
Certified (FRC) Functional Range Assessment and Conditioning Mobility Specialist
Certified ASTYM and Graston
Certified Active Release Technique (ART)
Certification in Body Tempering
Concussion Management
LI-II Kinesio taping
Cupping
Blood Flow Restriction
Postural Restoration
Gary Grey 3 D Maps and Chain reaction movement assessment and tx
SFMA and FMS
Introduction to Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
What are you most proud of?
Attention to detail. Treating all of my patients with the same care and dedication to getting them back to what they love. Observing their tolerance to treatment, but also not limiting them based on age, or perception and treating with honesty and ethics and integrity, giving them the best of my ability. I thoroughly evaluate and then treat the person holistically, not the just the symptom and then I teach people techniques that empower them to help take care of themselves.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Learn as much as you can not just from the same type of professional, but all of the people around you have something to offer as a learning tool. Everyone has value.
Don’t get stuck in one school of thought and keep your mind open to new possibilities. Research articles on a technique, theory, tool, etc. are great. However, I find that I have to try something out myself before I buy into it, whether it be a technique, modality, or gadget. There’s so much out there and the possibilities in this career are endless!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.t1-physio.com
- Instagram: @teresa.hess.923
- Facebook: T1PhysioLLC
Image Credits
@Rachelgarrisonphotography
