Going Beyond the Expected

Allison Henderson relies upon an uncomplicated yet comprehensive approach tailored to meet a client’s specific needs and wants in her physical therapy practice. 

“I believe in keeping things very simple and doable so that people feel more empowered and in training people in things they can start doing at home,” she said. “So not only are they coming to me, but they're also going to be doing things on their own and be empowered to kind of take control of their life a bit more.”

She’s also a believer in going beyond the standard concept of physical therapy by incorporating the whole person, the tangible and the intangible, in her work with clients. 

“I love the holistic approach, and I just want people to live more vibrantly or healthfully and to have a better quality of life,” explained Henderson. “I really believe that they can regain their function and a good lifestyle if they learn ways to manage stress or emotional stuff going on in their lives.” 

Beginning in early May, people in the Marco area will be able to start utilizing Henderson’s services on the island at Skin Renewal Systems Salon and Spa. A physical therapist for 18 years, she had been employed in a corporate setting. However, she decided that striking out on her own would allow for treating clients in a more relaxed fashion, free of the time constraints set by a company. 

“I want to be able to have more time and creativity to do what I would like to do, which is to address a person more holistically than in a traditional physical therapy setting,” she said. “We don't always have the time. We tend to be pretty busy and we're seeing multiple patients. I want to have time to spend with people to go deeper, to work on physical therapy needs, as well as holistically address other needs, kind of a mind-body approach, looking at lifestyles and bridging the gap between how a person is living and how they're doing physically.”

Henderson said that during her career, she’d encountered physical therapy clients who were so overall unhealthy because of lifestyle issues that she wished there was time to also help in that area. However, the traditional physical therapy setting didn’t afford such opportunities. 

“We have all kinds of documentation, paperwork, so many extra administrative things that we don't always get all of that time with a person,” she said. “For me, I'd like to see one person an hour to have more one-on-one time to understand a person's lifestyle a bit better and get them in overall better health, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. 

Examining how someone is managing the component parts of their daily life; nutrition, exercise habits, hydration, sleep quality, mental state, and relationships, these are but a few of the elements that fall under the umbrella of her holistic approach. However, the decision on whether that broader approach is employed is left up to the client. 

“That's going to be optional,” said Henderson. “If people want that or if they just want to work with improving their physical condition. I'm going to give the option for whatever people would like to address because really it's going to be tailored to what they're wanting and their needs.”

She also plans to offer health behavior coaching to clients who may be having a difficult time maintaining good health. 

A native of New Jersey, Henderson has lived in Naples for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physiology from the University of Arizona. She received a master’s degree in physical therapy from Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey. 

Hamilton said that much of physical therapy involves figuring out the route of movement dysfunction, getting to the root of the issue, and improving movement quality, flexibility, strength and alignment. 

“There's a certain quality of movement that your body needs to function at its best,” she added. “So it’s really analyzing that and looking for areas where it's not functioning properly, and then corrective exercises depending on what those needs are. So it’s some Pilates-based exercises, a little bit of yoga-based exercises and just general physical therapy-based exercises, as well as other modalities needed to help with pain, such as massage-type techniques.” 

For more information about Allison Henderson, visit simplezenwellness.com/. Skin Renewal Systems Salon and Spa is located at 1000 N. Collier Blvd. in the Heritage Square Plaza. For more information, visit skinrenewalmarco.com/ or call 394-1083.