LifeForce Physical Therapy & Wellness

LifeForce Physical Therapy & Wellness

Quality treatment time is important. You will not be handed-off to an assistant, aide, or tech, because we don’t employ any. You will not be doubled up with another patient or treated as part of a group. Your entire 45 min physical therapy appointment will be with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We will take time to listen to you, hear your story, and learn your goals. We believe every patient is unique and we strive to provide and individualized approach.

Neuro-Musculo-Skeletal Health is our specialty. The "neuro" part of the term "neuromusculoskeletal" refers to our nervous system that coordinates the ways in which our bodies move, operate, and process pain.

We excel in pain relief and return of function. If physical therapy, chiropractic, surgery, or exercise has failed you in the past, we will change that. One of our specialty areas is working with those patients who have racked up a history of failed treatment. Further, we strive to empower you to become engaged in the process.

Specialty and post-professional training is important for our providers. All of our therapists have Doctoral degrees AND post-professional credentials.

We focus on 1 location, and do it well. We have a state-of-the-art medical gym and private treatment rooms equipped with electric high-low treatment table for your comfort. (Our location, equipment)

Physical therapist owned. We earn every patient. The vast majority of our patients come to us via word-of-mouth recommendations from happy patients. Doctor-owned or hospital-owned physical therapy services enjoy automatic referrals from owners to keep and promote “business in-house”. We have no such relationships.

Make us part of your team. We welcome referrals from your provider and provide them with our evaluation reports, treatment plans, progress and discharge communications.

At LifeForce, we take the time to understand the cause of your problem and don’t just treat the symptoms. All treatment is provided by a Doctor of Physical Therapy so that treatment is constantly delivered at the top of the skill-chain. If prior musculoskeletal treatments have failed you, consider the LifeForce approach.

Advanced hands-on evaluation and treatment of the joint and neuro-musculo-skeletal system to determine any interplay between joint restrictions and compensations. Manual therapy is typically not a stand-alone treatment, but is most powerful when used within a comprehensive physical therapy treatment approach. We look at the TOTAL picture.

A treatment technique that uses small, filament type needles to release trigger points that accompany acute and chronic pain. Filament needles are not hollow, so nothing is injected—hence the name. Dry needling is typically not a stand-alone treatment, but is most powerful when used within a comprehensive physical therapy treatment approach.

Small-group exercise classes consisting of custom exercise circuits tailored to each individual participant, led by a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Simply put, you get what you need, and avoid what you don’t need. This class addresses: Motor control, stability, mobility, balance, posture, and function.

Our research-based devices work best when coupled with physical therapy to ensure optimum results by addressing joint mobility, total leg strength, and gait/running biomechanics. We often find that once these issues are addressed, a more optimized custom device can be fabricated, or may not even be needed. We also make sport-specific devices or custom in-shoe padding for golf, skiing, hiking, cycling, and dance.

Liz Henry, PT brings decades of experience with the New York City Ballet, Westside Dance PT in NY, Carolina Ballet and others to LifeForce. Dance injuries and optimizing the body for dance is one of the things we do best for all kinds of dancers, not just professional ballet dancers.

We can help you with all aspects of running including injuries or running optimization. We have helped the gamut of elite-level runners all the way to those whose goal it is to walk a 5K. Advanced running analysis and musculoskeletal evaluation addresses your total running profile.

Our physical therapists are fellowship trained and have certifications in manual therapy, orthopedics, sports medicine, and other specializations. We do not use aides, techs, or assistants.

Whether your problem is an acute injury or a chronic issue, we believe you will find great value in the LifeForce approach to musculoskeletal care. Our services have been shown to be highly effective, low-cost, and low risk compared to other musculoskeletal treatments such as medications and surgeries.

Her treatment approach is patient-centered, which means no 2 patients with the same diagnosis are treated exactly the same. And why should they be? They may have different goals, injury history, body type, health status, learning styles, pain processing, etc. Best evidence includes pain neuro-science education, advanced manual therapy skills, motor control training, core stabilization including treatment of inhibited muscles that do not have the ability to strengthen despite correctly applied strengthening routines. Best of all she teaches the patient/client how best to self-manage.

Theresa earned her Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC. While in school, she utilized movement screens on active duty military at Ft Bragg to help reduce the risk of injury. For her final clinical rotation, she was selected to attend a full-time clinical rotation at Walter Reed National Medical Center to treat active and retired military. At Walter Reed, she was able to further develop her skills treating complex orthopedic conditions.

In addition to her clinical rotations, Theresa was also part of a rigorous one year research project studying ACL tears in college soccer players.

Theresa is certified in Trigger Point Dry Needling and is in the process of furthering her education and training by becoming a Certified Manual Physical Therapist (CMPT) through The North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT).

Prior to attending physical therapy school, Theresa graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree and played Division I soccer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Summer is a Certified Manual Physical Therapist who has worked in the field of physical therapy since 2013. She earned her Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) from the University of St. Augustine with high honors. In 2017, she earned her Manual Therapy Certification (MTC), a prestigious achievement earned by those who have taken the comprehensive amount of advanced coursework and demonstrate the expertise required to become certified. Prior to that she did her undergraduate work at University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2010 graduating with a Bachelors in Athletic Training.

With Summer's ATC background, she has training in immediate care for athletic injuries, rehab for return to sport and ACL injury prevention. Summer enjoys working with the active population with emphasis in manual therapy, orthopedic injuries and return to activity and daily living. Her clinical experience includes the evaluation and treatment of a variety of diagnoses including, cervical and lumbar spinal dysfunctions, lower kinetic chain dysfunction, motor control and postural dysfunction, pre and postnatal care/women's health, chronic pain conditions and the promotion of overall health and wellness.

Summer has received extensive training in manual therapy, neuro re-education and therapeutic exercise techniques for the spine and extremities. She has taken continuing education courses heavy in manual therapy, visceral manipulation and movement re-education. Summer is certified to practice Trigger point Dry-needling and utilizes this throughout her practice. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and plans to further her education in orthopedics as well as women's health specialties.

Summers main goal in treatment is to provide patients with the knowledge to support a safe and active lifestyle to facilitate long lasting improvement in functional deficits. She applies an evidence-based, one on one approach to treatment, with a strong influence of manual therapy and postural/core stability to enable patients to reach their optimal outcome.

Summer lives in Wilmington with her husband, Daniel, and their two dogs, June and Abbey. In her spare time she enjoys running, yoga, going to the beach and live music.

Jennifer earned her Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) along with her Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) from New York Medical College. As part of her doctoral project, she provided physical therapy care to an underserved community in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. She also worked in the Biomechanics Lab at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, where she helped patients with amputations learn to function with a prosthesis.

This background provides Jennifer with extensive experience in treating various pre- and post-surgical orthopedic injuries, chronic pain conditions, and postural dysfunctions. She also enjoys treating the endurance athlete and active population.

Jennifer is trained in Trigger Point Dry Needling and Graston techniques. She plans to further her education in orthopedics working towards becoming a Certified Manual Physical Therapist (CMPT).

Prior to attending physical therapy school, she completed her undergraduate work in her home state at the University of Florida, graduating with a Bachelors in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology.

Having recently moved to Wrightsville Beach from Michigan, Jennifer can be found outside of work on the water on her SUP, running the trails, flowing through a sequence on her yoga mat, or enjoying some quality outdoor time with her boyfriend, Art, and their dog Oreo.

"I saw Dr. Henry for over a year regarding myo-functional purposes and her consulting on a potential jaw surgery. She gave me progressive exercises to strengthen my tongue, jaw, and general posture to prepare me for the surgery. Within a few months of the exercises, I saw improvements with overall mouth strength and even nasal breathing. I can’t speak highly enough regarding Dr. Henry’s professionalism and expertise as she worked with me throughout the entire process. I left LifeForce PT not only more healthy, but more confident about future medical decisions. Thank you!"

"I would like to thank Elizabeth Henry for her role in my rehabilitation following a traumatic aggravation of an old knee problem. As a high school and collegiate soccer player, a hunter, golfer and skier, I know what rehabilitation requires. As a physician I also know how difficult it is to educate the patient who requires rehab. Her approach to my case is a textbook example. After her initial evaluation, she determined that I needed to reorient my lower body alignment first; then proceeded to show me how to accomplish that. Next she started me on a series of individual muscle and muscle group exercises to improve range of motion. From there we proceeded to muscle strengthening and eventually to endurance training. As a fellow of the Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy, she has the background and inclination to assist athletes in the continuation of their careers. As of now, I have significantly improved my range of motion and lack only a few degrees to match my bad leg to my good one."

"I came to Liz Henry with a frozen shoulder after my condition deteriorated over 4 years. My range of motion had become so limited that I couldn't lift my arm overhead without pain. Using soft tissue work and manipulation, in forthwith creative and inventive ways, I responded and healed quickly. Liz has an uncanny ability to assess a problem and customize intervention to solve the unique problem…no cookie cutter approaches here! After treatment, I was completely cured with no lasting pain, and have free range of motion. Not only is Liz a competent technician, but she is a pleasure to work with. She is accessible, sympathetic and respectful."

"The LifeForce physical therapists approach therapy from the entire body aspect, not just the area being treated. My feet were impacting my lower back and legs and all needed to be treated at the same time to get optimum effects. Most therapists work on a specific area and that's it. I chose LifeForce because they think differently and think out of the box. I learned how to maintain my therapy from home and that's important to my overall health. These therapists offer amazing results!!"

"I came to Summer Price at LifeForce with two issues: an intense burning across my upper back whenever I carried even a light bag of groceries and a "golfers" elbow/tendonitis that had been with me for months - a product of my CrossFit workouts. After two "dry needling" sessions, the burning in the upper back was gone, and I had significant improvement in the elbow. But what's even more important is Summer saw things in my posture and engrained movement patterns that were the likely source of these issues. She gave me specific postural cues and movements to work on to correct these lifelong bad habits. PS: Don't let the phrase "dry needling" scare you. It's like a flexible, very thin piece of wire that they use to do it."

"I have always enjoyed physical fitness and challenging my mind and body. When recurring pain began to interfere with my day to day life, I knew I needed to seek the help of a professional. Summer at LifeForce PT was knowledgeable and understanding. She took the time to fully assess the problem and use a treatment that was highly effective. LifeForce PT helped me to get moving pain free again so that I can do the things I love! I highly recommend them to anyone seeking to move better or reduce pain."

"I called LifeForce PT due to progressive painful muscle spasms after a rib injury. As well as releasing the spasms with dry needling and various stretching and strengthening, my therapist began to "peel back the layers" of my chronic posture problems, too. As a physical therapist myself, I appreciated the wisdom behind all treatments and being given manageable home exercises. I highly recommend LifeForce due to the excelent hands-on therapy from Summer Price for my acute and chronic muscle imbalance."

"After experiencing sleepless nights with hip pain for almost a year I had the good luck to have a friend tell me about her positive results from being treated by Liz Henry, I was delighted that Liz immediately recognized my problem, had a quick answer for relief and a long term plan to strengthen and support the weak area. LifeForce offers a great program that combines PT sessions and samll group therapist guided weekly exercise ides. This is the perfect opportunity for me to correct old habits, patch little problems before they are big and to stay strong while also improving balance. I have been treated by Liz and Summer. I am grateful to have a professional, caring, effective and fun team to help me become and stay my best. Thank you Liz, Fred and team for your support and healing touch."