THE PEAK of PERFECTION

Walk through the door and you’re greeted by name with a friendly smile as you sit down to enjoy the charismatic crackle of the fireplace. It sounds like you’ve just settled in at a friend’s place for some good conversation and company. But for patients at Apex Physical Therapy and Wellness Center, this warm, personal welcome is a regular occurrence. It’s how the company does business, and it extends from their atmosphere to their treatments.

The Starting Point

Apex is a West Fargo outpatient physical therapy clinic that, since its humble beginnings in 2008, has kept its vision for the ideal patient experience a key priority.

“Kameron and I knew each other from grad school, and as we began to enter the professional world we realized we shared the same values and vision for what we thought physical therapy should entail,” says Brooke Erstad, coowner with Kameron Ihry Hodem and one of six physical therapists at the facility.

Ihry Hodem, also a physical therapist, recounts how their idea of the perfect patient experience began to take shape. “We both lived in Fargo and worked in Breckenridge, Minnesota as therapists and commuted there daily over the course of nearly two years. Needless to say, we had plenty of time to talk.”

The West Fargo practice now includes six physical therapists, two massage therapists as well as a personal trainer. And the company’s roots have even extended to the owners’ hometowns, LaMoure and Jamestown.

What they do is hands-on, literally, but the therapists at Apex see beyond tissue manipulation and strength-training treatments.

Setting The Stage

“We know patients need our hands-on expertise, but they also want that same level of attentiveness when it comes to their physical therapy experience as a whole,” Erstad says. “And our facility and staff are what set the stage for this.”

Whether it’s the person welcoming you into the warmly lit atmosphere or your therapist discussing your concerns, that elevated patient experience means getting to know you as well as your condition, history and goals. It also means being the best resource for patients that they can.

In a time where the typical clinic visit happens in the blink of an eye, Apex takes a different approach, spending as long as an hour with patients during each visit to hone in on the individual’s needs.

“Physical therapy is not a Band-Aid type of treatment. It’s most successful when you take the time to get to the root of the issue and work through the treatment with patients, giving them as much time as they need,” Ihry Hodem says. “Ultimately our goal is to set people on the path to self-management and give them a greater quality of life.”

FINE-TUNING PERFECTION

Apex treats a wide range of conditions, from ankle and lumbar strains requiring acute rehab to degenerative and chronic disorders, such as migraines. But again, Apex brings more to the table, and its treatments are no exception. Every therapist at the facility has spent a great deal of time gathering the tools needed to perform some of the most innovative treatments within their realm of specialty, whether its women’s health, orthopedics or pediatrics. The therapists at the facility, including Erstad, bring unique services to our region.

Erstad is one of just two therapists in the state who specialize in pelvic rehabilitation for men, women and children. This can include a host of conditions, such as bed-wetting, bladder issues, painful periods, painful intercourse and post-vasectomy issues — often conditions people may not even realize can be treated with physical therapy.

“With our realm of medicine there are a lot of conditions many people just don’t know our treatments can help them with. And it’s not just pelvic rehab,” Erstad says. Migraines, dizziness, general back pain and post-chemo fog are just a few other examples of the types of issues the physical therapists at Apex can help improve. And they’ve dedicated a lot of time fine-tuning the tools in their belts to take it all on and ensure patients get the most out of every visit.

Ihry Hodem holds the only Manual Therapy Certification in the state of North Dakota, a feat that required passing 19 tests over the course of six days to accomplish. For therapists at Apex, these tools are more than designations, they elevate the physical therapy experience to another level.

Erstad adds that physical therapy is often very different from therapist to therapist. They all come out of school with the same basic set of skills, but each can have very different approaches to treatment.

“Physical therapy can be a relatively creative field,” Erstad says. “And we’re always looking for ways and encouraging our therapists to learn and try new techniques, which is just one more thing we can do to add value to the patient experience.”

Reaching The Peak

The definition of “apex” is the highest point, and Apex Physical Therapy and Wellness Center lives up to that definition. They strive to be among the best, so they can give patients an optimal physical therapy experience that leaves them at their best.