Physical Therapy Products is proud to welcome Brian J. Adams, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, to our Editorial Advisory Board (EAB)! Newly added Physical Therapy Products EAB member Adams is a practicing physical therapist and owner at Adams Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy PC, Novi, Mich. As a member of the EAB, Adams will share his expertise and insight into a variety of topics in the physical therapy practice/business arena. His facility features approximately 2,500 square feet of clinical and administrative space located in a renovated warehouse space. It houses an open floor plan for clinical space, with a dedicated Bike Fitting/Exercise Physiology lab and Orthotics Fabrication lab.

Adams’ inspiration to open the facility stemmed from his peers, friends, and family while developing the plan to open a private practice.

“I have been able to draw upon experiences that were unique to my passions as a lifelong athlete. This, in turn, has been complemented by over 20 years in laboratory and clinical practice with some of the brightest minds in the sports medicine world (Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Michigan Sports Medicine Program),” he explains.

When it comes to advising other PTs who have or are planning to open a facility of their own, Adams emphasizes the importance of building on a foundation forged from a solid understanding of an individual’s clinical strengths and limitations, and advice from respected peers. Controlling overhead costs, starting small but keeping dreams big, and creating a community that reflects who you are as a clinician and a product you are proud of are also key, Adams says.

Fostering learning among student volunteers and developing clinicians that visit his facility is also important to Adams. Mentorship, through invitations to students from local high schools and universities that visit and observe/interact with Adams’ practice and its patients, help create “community” within the clinic on a daily basis, he notes.

Adams’ goals in research are shaped by his experience as an endurance athlete for the majority of his life (cycling, swimming, running). Adams reveals that he has a particular affinity for biomechanics and exercise physiology, and how this drives the rehabilitative process.

“I have a keen interest in the process of fitting an athlete to their bicycle, or addressing their swim technique and running gait,” he says. “While in private practice, I have taken a methodical and focused view of the relationship between a cyclist and their ‘machine.’ The impact of small mechanical/biomechanical changes can have a profound impact on the efficiency and comfort of the athlete. To understand this relationship, and confidently address it on a daily basis, can empower every athlete that walks through our doors.”

Adams adds that his clinical modus operandi rests on the idea that modern-day sports are meant to be fun, and for most, a recreation.

“We should strive to endorse this concept and enable our athletes/patients to remain as healthy, active, and injury-free for a long time.”

[Source: PTP]