Mobile Physical Therapy Services in Vermont

Return to the life you enjoy with Kokua

Why I Believe that Insurance-Based Physical Therapy Keeps You Stuck in Pain

I would say that most people who end up working with me have tried physical therapy before—maybe through their insurance or at a clinic—and they haven’t gotten the relief they were hoping for. I mean, I get it. The insurance-based system has some real limitations that, frankly, work against your recovery.

Here is why:

❌ Rushed Appointments

When you’re limited to 30-minute sessions and your therapist is juggling two or three other patients at the same time, there’s just no way to give you the focused attention you need. I’ve seen too many people who spend more time with assistants than with their actual physical therapist. That’s not really therapy—that’s just going through the motions.

❌ Cookie-Cutter Protocols

Most insurance-based clinics use standardized exercise sheets based on your diagnosis code, not on what’s actually causing your specific pain. It’s like getting a prescription without a proper examination. Your lower back pain might be completely different from someone else’s, but you both get the same printout of exercises because that’s what the system allows.

❌ Symptom Band-Aids

Here’s what I see all the time: people get temporary relief during treatment, but the pain comes right back because no one took the time to figure out what was actually causing it in the first place. It’s like putting a band-aid on a cut without cleaning the wound first—it might feel better temporarily, but it’s not really healing.

❌ Limited Visit Caps

This is probably the most frustrating part for my patients. Insurance decides when your treatment ends, not whether you’re actually better. I’ve had people come to me who were told their insurance wouldn’t cover any more visits, even though they were still in pain and nowhere near their goals.

❌ Clinic Constraints

Think about this: if you’re having trouble getting in and out of bed, or going up and down your stairs, how is working on a treatment table in a clinic going to address those real-world movements? I need to see how you actually function in your home environment to understand what’s really going on.

alternative physical therapy in northern vermont

THE KOKUA METHOD

1. DiagnosE the root cause of your pain

2. Develope A Strong & Pain-Free Human

3. Optimize Your Active Lifestyle

The Path to Pain-Free Movement Through the Spirit of Kōkua

I would say the biggest difference in my approach is that I actually have time to figure out what’s wrong. When I work with someone, that first visit is about two hours, and we spend it really diving deep into your medical history, your personal history, what you’re doing on a daily basis, and how this pain is affecting your life.

And we do this in your home, where I can actually see how you move through your real environment. I mean, if you’re having trouble getting up from your favorite chair or navigating your stairs, I need to see that. I can’t help you with your daily function if I’ve never seen how you actually function daily.

The Kokua Advantage:

✅ 2-Hour Comprehensive Evaluations

Instead of rushing through a 30-minute assessment, I take the time to understand your complete picture. We sit down, we talk, I observe how you move in your actual environment, and I perform the kind of thorough examination that gets to the root of what’s causing your pain.

✅ In-Home Convenience

You don’t have to drive somewhere when you’re hurting. I bring all the equipment I need directly to you, and I can assess things like how you get in and out of bed, how you navigate your stairs, how you move through your daily activities.

✅ Root Cause Focus

I’m not interested in just managing your symptoms. I want to find out exactly what’s causing your pain and fix that. It’s like being a detective—I keep digging until I find the real culprit, not just the obvious suspect.

✅ Board-Certified Expertise

I’m a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, which means I’ve passed a six-hour exam that tests advanced knowledge in diagnosing and treating complex orthopedic conditions. I’ve also got specialized training in things like the McKenzie Method for back pain and custom orthotic fabrication.

✅ Unlimited Time for Healing

Your treatment isn’t limited by insurance authorizations. We work together until you’re actually better, not until some insurance company decides you’ve had enough.

✅ Real Results

Most of my patients see significant improvement within 8-12 sessions. Not months of slow progress, but real, measurable change in how you feel and how you move.

mobile physical therapy that works

Our Three-Phase TreaTment approach

1. Relieve YOUR Pain & Reduce YOUR Inflammation

2. Build YOUR strength, mobility & stability

3. Restore functional movement patterns

Our Services

Mobile Physical Therapy

I bring comprehensive physical therapy directly to your Vermont home, which eliminates the burden of traveling when you’re in pain and gives me a much better picture of what’s actually going on with you.

When I show up at your door, I’ve got all the equipment I need in my van—massage table, therapeutic tools, everything necessary to provide the same quality of care you’d get in a clinic. But here’s the real advantage: I can watch you navigate your stairs, get in and out of your bed, or move around your kitchen. Things that would be invisible in a clinical setting become obvious when I see you in your actual space.

I would say this approach allows me to create treatment plans that are truly personalized to your life, not just your diagnosis. And there’s something powerful about healing in your own space, where you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

If you’re like most of the people I work with, you’ve probably been to several healthcare providers and you’re frustrated because you’re not getting clear answers or lasting relief. That’s exactly where my specialized training as a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist comes in.

I use advanced diagnostic techniques that most general physical therapists don’t have—things like the McKenzie Method for precisely diagnosing back pain, or the Selective Functional Movement Assessment to identify exactly which movement patterns are causing your problems.

Your body is incredibly complex, and pain can come from sources that aren’t always obvious. Maybe your knee pain is actually coming from your hip, or your shoulder pain is related to how you’re breathing. I’ve got the training and experience to trace these connections and get to the actual root cause.

Sports Physical Therapy

Vermont’s outdoor lifestyle is incredible—the skiing, the hiking, the mountain biking—but when you’re injured, it can feel like you’re missing out on everything that makes living here special.

What I do differently with sports injuries is look at the whole picture. Sure, we need to heal whatever got hurt, but more importantly, I want to understand why it got hurt in the first place. What movement patterns or strength imbalances led to this injury? Because if we don’t fix those underlying issues, you’re probably going to get hurt again.

Here’s something most people don’t realize—often, going through proper sports rehabilitation actually makes you better at your sport than you were before the injury. We’re not just getting you back to baseline; we’re optimizing your movement patterns and addressing weaknesses you didn’t even know you had.

Performance Physical Therapy

This is for the active Vermonters who aren’t necessarily injured but know they could be performing better. Maybe you’re training for your first marathon, or you want to improve your ski technique, or you’re just tired of feeling like your body is holding you back.

I would say this is where things get really interesting, because we’re not just fixing problems—we’re optimizing everything. We look at your movement patterns, your strength, your mobility, your cardiovascular capacity, and we create a comprehensive 12-week program designed specifically for what you want to achieve.

The thing about performance optimization is that it’s about discovering what your body is actually capable of when everything is working together properly. I’ve had people discover they can do things they never thought possible, just by addressing limitations they didn’t even know they had.

Custom Hand-Crafted Orthotics

A lot of foot, ankle, and knee pain comes from anatomical variations—basically, the way your foot is shaped or how your bones are aligned. These aren’t things you can fix with exercises alone; you need something that corrects for these structural differences.

What makes my orthotic service unique is that I fabricate them right here, on-site, during your appointment. I’m not sending impressions to a lab and waiting weeks for something to come back. I’m molding thermoplastic directly to your foot, building up the orthotic based on your specific needs, and having you try them on so we can make adjustments right then and there.

The process takes about two hours, and you walk away with orthotics that are perfectly fitted to your feet. The difference between what I make and what you can buy at the store is like the difference between a tailored suit and something off the rack.

mobile physical therapy in northern vermont

What do our PATIENTS say about us?

See the Kokua Advantage

	Insurance-Based PT	Kokua Physical Therapy
Initial Evaluation	❌ 30-45 minutes, often rushed	✅ 2 full hours of focused attention
Treatment Location	❌ You drive to clinic while in pain	✅ We come to your home with all equipment
Therapist Attention	❌ Shared with 2-3 other patients	✅ One-on-one, exclusive focus
Treatment Approach	❌ Generic protocols based on diagnosis codes	✅ Completely customized to your unique situation
Session Length	❌ 30-45 minutes, often cut short	✅ 90+ minutes, as long as needed
Visit Limitations	❌ Insurance caps, often arbitrary	✅ Based on your actual progress and needs
Focus	❌ Symptom management and basic function	✅ Complete resolution and optimization
Typical Timeline	❌ 3-6 months of slow progress	✅ 8-12 sessions with significant improvement
Expertise Level	❌ General PT, often new graduates	✅ Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist
Education	❌ Basic exercise instructions	✅ Comprehensive understanding of your condition

counties, cities & towns we serve in vermont

Become pain-free in the comfort of your home

Chittenden County

Burlington, VT
Essex, VT
Jericho, VT
Milton, VT
South Burlington, VT
Underhill, VT
Westford, VT
Williston, VT

Lamoille County

Belvidere, VT
Cambridge, VT
Hyde Park, VT
Jeffersonville, VT
Johnson, VT
Morristown, VT
Morrisville, VT
Stowe, VT
Waterville, VT