Tinkleman
Anyone who’s ever gone through the physical therapy process could attest: it’s not an easy road. For ailing patients, finding the right clinic could make a world of difference as they look to get back on their feet.
Enter Body Dynamic, a Clarks Summit rehab center that’s been assisting patients achieve their personal best — physically and mentally — since opening its doors on Grove Street in 2009.
“Patients know that we are in their corner and will guide them and give them the tools to progress,” said Julie Tinkelman, the owner of Body Dynamic, the Best Rehab winner in this year’s Best of the Abington awards. “Assisting patients in achieving their personal best … this is so very rewarding and why we love what we do.”
Tinkelman’s background in physical therapy predates her residency in Clarks Summit: according to the Body Dynamic website, Tinkelman owned a successful physical therapy practice in Los Angeles before moving to Northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband Scott in 2001.
She said that her interest in pursuing a career in physical therapy began as a teenager.
“My personal interest in PT and the world of rehab began when I was in high school,” Tinkelman said. “I did some volunteer work as a physical therapy aide, and it really resonated with me that every physical therapist I worked with and spoke with at that time, really loved what they did and loved the personal interactions they would have with each patient.”
That mindset has stayed with Tinkelman through nearly 30 years of therapy practice, and it’s the mindset that Body Dynamic is based on and has thrived on over the past 13 years.
The staff at Body Dynamic are trained to handle a vast number of impairments in their patients, including sports injuries, patients pre-or-post surgery, neurological disorders and much more.
No matter what the issue, no matter what type of treatment it entails, one thing for certain is that Body Dynamic is committed to providing each patient with the time and attention that they need.
“What we do well, no matter the diagnosis, is give each patient one on one care,” Tinkelman said.
“This allows the licensed therapists the time and resources needed to provide various manual therapy techniques, quality assessments to detect faulty/compensatory movement patterns and we also specialize in utilizing Pilates methods, exercises and equipment in the rehab of most of our patients.”
The business has grown exponentially over the decade-plus it’s been in business, and with that, Body Dynamic’s staff has grown as well.
The Body Dynamic team includes seven physical therapy clinicians to cover appointment times, an occupational therapist (who is also a certified Hand Specialist), three Pilates instructors and a Speech Language Pathologist, just recently added to the staff.
As much as the goal is to help patients restore their physical health, the mental well being of each patient is also crucial to Body Dynamic’s treatment.
“There is definitely a mental component too,” Tinkelman said. “Pain, and particularly chronic pain conditions, are so discouraging and exhausting.”
Winners in the Best of Abingtons in previous years, Body Dynamic has clearly earned the love and support of the Abingtons community, and Tinkelman was very grateful for that support.
“The support of our local community means the world to us,” she said. “Patients have many physical therapy options in a five-mile radius and our growth since 2009 has largely been word-of-mouth.
“Happy patients referring their friends and family to us is the best advertising we could hope for.”
