FlySpace Physical Therapy

Did I love spending time at this week working with aspiring Horton Teachers?!

🫶🏻🔥🙌🏻 I absolutely did!!

Will I go back next week and do it all again?!

❤️😍☀️Without a doubt!

Thank you for having me!!!!!

FlySpace PT hosted its first continuing education course this past weekend!

A total 16 PTs became certified Emergency Medical Responders! Most of the PTs who were present this past weekend specialize in treating performing artists. It’s safe to say that we all feel much more equipped to handle backstage/on-site emergencies and inspired to start conversations about emergency action plans and protocols to better protect our artists.

For me, what was most exciting was the opportunity to meet so many performing arts PTs who practice in the city! There are so many local performing arts PTs (and ATs and physicians!) and we rarely have the opportunity to connect and share. I so enjoyed exchanging stories/ experiences and learning from one another. My brain is already going at a million miles a minute trying to figure out how to facilitate more opportunities for conversation!

A huge thank you goes out to Laura Schmitt and Tara Jo Manal for teaching the course! The course was incredibly engaging and chock full of stories to help put course content into perspective. You two are fabulous!

More is coming! FlySpace is not only dedicated to educating its staff and patients, but we’re excited to continue to bring quality continuing education to the community!

Next up: April 21, 2024 - MOVEMENT ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF CIRCUS SHOULDERS: WORKING WITH TRUE OVERHEAD ATHLETES with Emily Scherb, PT, DPT

Check out the link in our bio to register and stay tuned for more information!!

I love my Friday afternoon office 🫶🏻🙌🏻

I feel lucky to call these clinicians colleagues!

Sending a belated but sincere cheers as we welcome 2024! 🌟 This year has been marked by significant moments that have shaped me in unexpected ways.

I transformed my workshops, shifting from a purely musculoskeletal approach to emphasizing respectful self-advocacy and health literacy for performers. Thanks to the Kennedy Center Dance Lab, Steps on Broadway, Alvin Ailey, the Lasley Centre, Metropolitan Ballet, and others for the opportunities to share this valuable information.

Co-chairing the Performing Arts Medical Association Annual Symposium in NYC was a profound experience, teaching me the art of creating an enriching program for dance medical professionals.

Discovering my daughter's passion for dance brought me joy – she's fallen in love with concert dance, and the world better be ready for her!

Professionally, structuring and coordinating musculoskeletal care for the cast and crew of Amal Walks during their US tour was both challenging and rewarding.

This year marked a significant milestone as we moved into an incredible new clinic space on the Upper West Side, expanded our team, and gained some excellent partners.

As I bid farewell to 2023, I'm filled with gratitude for the lessons, opportunities, and the wonderful individuals who supported me. Here's to new spaces, expanding our team, and the exciting journey in 2024. Thank you, 2023! 🙏🎉 "

One of my favorite places to end a work week!

Ciao ciao! I’m headed out of office and will catch everyone when I’m back in the office on 11/27. Have a most wonderful Thanksgiving all!

Basking in the glow of Friday evening! Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Congratulations to on a joyous opening! On behalf of , we’re honored to be a small part of what looks like a remarkable season ahead. We ❤️ working with you!!

There’s been plenty of conversation in our house regarding if and when Beverly should start dance classes (or any extra curricular activities for that matter) One thing is for sure, though… Beverly LOVED her first dance class and performance at today! She told me over and over that she wanted to be a ballerina and see more performances. So there you have it! Thank you to for making sure we had the best time ❤️❤️❤️

To Ballet Hispánico- thank you for an excellent event today and congratulations!!

To Kevin Wynn, the man whose class pushed me to stop finding trying so damn hard and just dance… Ultimately, your movement gave me wings. Thank you for the incredible light you brought to us all and for making me feel special when I often wondered if I was.

Rest in peace, Kev 🫶🏻

Thank you to Sarah Komar for reaching out and including me in your article “Dancers’ Wellness Has Become a Higher Priority. But There’s a Long Way to Go” for the Columbia New Service.

The more I contemplate care for performers and creating systems that support their longevity, the more I believe that we need to focus our attention on schools and training environments.

The answer is not just about providing onsite care for performers on top of schedules that are already super demanding. I believe that we need to invest in creating wellness programs to simultaneously care for, educate and empower the next generation of performing artists so that they are not only more resilient athletes, but so they can advocate for the systemic change we need to see.

FlySpace Physical Therapy is hiring!! See below for description! If you’re interested in learning more, please email: [email protected] and I will send you job responsibilities and compensation.

Position: Part-Time Physical Therapist (3 days/week) with Potential for Full-Time Transition

Location: FlySpace Physical Therapy – 252 W 81st St, Basement, New York, NY 10024

FlySpace Physical Therapy is a vibrant and dynamic clinic in New York City specializing in the care of performing artists. Since our establishment in 2021, we have collaborated with various theater and dance companies, as well as dance schools. This unique environment allows our therapists not only to work in our clinic but also offers opportunities to provide care in diverse off-site locations. In these off-site settings, our physical therapists often serve as the primary point of medical contact. Therefore, candidates for this position must possess:

- Exceptional triage and examination skills suitable for a fast-paced backstage or onsite environment (20-minute sessions)
- Proficiency in concise communication with doctors and clinic managers to facilitate timely decisions regarding patient care, class participation, rehearsals, and performances
- Strong manual skills (IPA certification preferred)
- Familiarity with classic dance terminology and vocabulary
- Openness to receiving and implementing feedback
- A strong passion for continuous learning and active participation in annual continuing education
- The ability to thrive in a collaborative, team-centered environment

We don't exclusively serve performing artists! We welcome both performers and non-performers alike. Moreover, several of our therapists are highly experienced and certified in pelvic floor physical therapy.

She’s giving birthday vibes 😎

Happy birthday to me 🎉🫶🏻!

Celebrating another trip around the sun. Thankful for all I have and all that is to come!

Another few days joining Little Amal as she walks across the United States. Thank you for welcoming Amal, DC!

Traveling down south to join up with Little Amal as she visits Washington, DC

It’s pretty dreamy working with these guys every day!

Go Team FlySpace!

On year ago, I met the incredible Little Amal team and this week, I am spending several days up in Boston to help kick off the Amal Walks U.S. tour! I’m honored to be a small part of this amazing company.

Amal is a 12-foot tall puppet of a Syrian refugee girl. She has walked the globe, met with millions, and is an incredible symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. 

I will be helping to coordinate physical therapy services for the company as they travel across the U.S. I'm joining them in Boston, D.C. and L.A. and a handful of other therapists will be meeting them in other cities.

For this tour, I have endeavored to create an infrastructure that supports the company as they embark on what will be a challenging tour. My most lofty goal is to create continuity of care despite having multiple therapists covering different legs of the tour. This summer, I set up a system that is designed to tackle these challenges.

I’m excited to experience what lies ahead and am looking forward to learning from the outcomes.

A weekend in the Catskills with is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Love ya, Hope!

Full house, full heart

It was bring your daughter to work day earlier this week with . Thank you to Hope and all the HBD dancers for making this mama feel supported and making Beverly feel welcomed. I am grateful!

Come Join us at FlySpace on August 23rd as our awesome pelvic floor PTs and .v.o present: Postpartum Pelvic Floor Pep Talk.

The Postpartum Pelvic Floor Pep Talk is a 1-hour postpartum educational class and mini workshop. It is ideal for parents who are approximately 6 weeks postpartum (post cesarean or vaginal birth) and have been given the 'green light' from their medical providers to partake in gentle movement and exercise. In the class, therapists will cover topics like:

* Reconnecting with your core and pelvic floor after baby
* What's normal and what's NOT so normal postpartum
* Navigating common postpartum pelvic floor concerns and issues like incontinence, back and pelvic pain, diastasis recti etc
* Q&A session for participant's specific pelvic health postpartum concerns.

Here are a few other things to know:

When: August 23, 2023 from 1-2pm

Where: FlySpace Physical Therapy - 252 W 81st Street, Basement, NY, NY 10024

How to sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/postpartum-pelvic-floor-pep-talk-tickets-688381757367?aff=oddtdtcreator

👋🏼Hey massage therapists, acupuncturists, PTs or OTs! Are you interested in renting the back room of our Upper West Side office?!

The room is 11x11 and located on W 72nd street. If you’re interested hearing some more details, DM me or email me at [email protected]

Workout views!



Come visit my new office :)

Thank you to and for having me teach this year as part of your contemporary week! What a blast!

(Plus I love a little reunion 🥰🥰🥰)

I’m ready for another afternoon !!

Can you tell I love treating in our new W 81st street location?!

Today is my last day treating at our W 72nd St FlySpace location! I’m grateful for all that has happened in this little space and I look forward to what’s to come at FlySpace 2.0!

PART 2
I was evaluated by multiple reputable surgeons and who discussed my options with me. I was completely overwhelmed and after visiting with multiple physicians who made me feel more like a machine than a human, I opted to have surgery closer to home with a surgeon who was not only well sought after, but also treated me with kindness and compassion. This was a decision that both felt right and allowed me to recover at home with my parents which was an absolute necessity.

For seven weeks, I recovered out of the city. Slowly, I increased my activity and gained enough confidence to return to working and studying in NYC.

Though mine was not the surgery or technique that everyone would have elected to perform on me, it changed my life and for the better.

The process of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery stoked my desire to return to school and study physical therapy. It instilled in me a desire to learn more about the body so that I might help others become advocates for the needs of their own bodies and return from injury stronger and better for it.

Most importantly, my surgery has allowed me to live without constant pain for the last decade. It’s supported me through my career as a student, a trainer, and as a physical therapist and it saw me through pregnancy. It’s given me the ability to empathize with my patients as they work through their own trials and tribulations and has given me an invaluable perspective on the culture within certain dance environments.

While I wouldn’t elect to have another back fusion 😉, I am grateful - in a strange way - for the one I have. May it keep me feeling good for another handful of decades to come and may it continue to help me learn and grow both as a person and a clinician!

PART 1
10 years ago this week, I had a lumbar spine (and right sacroiliac joint) fusion to correct a spondylolisthesis. It was a surgery that changed my life.

I had first fractured my back seven years prior while dancing at school. For several weeks I saw a chiropractor for rehabilitation by the recommendation of one of my professors. Though I went multiple times a week, I don’t remember learning what was happening with my body, why I was injured or how to care for my instrument. Interestingly, I never thought to ask.

I improved enough to continue dancing, but had annual or semiannual debilitating discomfort that was a result of re-injury. I was encouraged to continue to dance through pain and trained myself to think nothing of my mounting discomfort. (It’s amazing what you can’t feel when you don’t allow yourself the opportunity…)

It wasn’t until my first year after graduating college that I registered something wasn’t quite right. Through my work as a personal trainer, I took a continuing education class which briefly discussed pain. While we didn’t go into the depths of pain science, I began to have a sense that what I felt in my back wasn’t typical.

Halfway through the course, I was asked to demonstrate for an open masterclass in the city. Halfway through, I was asked to perform a battement derrière with a cambre back and I heard something snap. I was able to make it through the rest of class, but as soon as I went back to work and sat down, I had immense difficulty getting back up again, not to mention an incredible amount of back pain.

This time, I sought treatment. I was evaluated by the instructor of my continuing education class and was sent for advanced imaging which revealed a spondylolisthesis with significant corresponding degenerative changes. He took the time not only to educate me about what was going on in my body, but also about how to care for it. He helped me to formulate questions to ask surgeons about next steps and guided me through the process of modifying my life and improving my movement patterns and strength to decrease symptoms of pain.