Physical therapy and sports rehab practice opens in Bangor

by Ardeana Hamlin of The Weekly staff   Basketball player Hannah Pray of Bradford, a student at Husson University who will graduate in December, wants full use of her knee back so she can play basketball again. She had surgery on March 4 to repair her left knee, injured in 2012. In pursuit of that goal, she is consulting Dr. Brad Libby, physical therapist, who recently opened Performance Physical Therapy and Sports Rehab Inc. in The Crosby House, Suite 1B, at 277 State St. in Bangor. Pray’s injury began as a torn cartilage. “There were complications. Meniscus tears are not usually this bad,” Libby said. Pray ended up with surgical-grade three screws in her leg to hold things together. Libby’s job is help her regain range of motion in the knee. That process will include evaluating her current motion limits and setting goals she can attain step-by-step. The plan for her care already includes gentle massage of the affected area. Exercises, stretches, ice or heat, and pain relief may also be added as indicated. “I look at everyone individually,” Libby said. “Every body, every injury is different.” Eventually, Pray will be ready to do strengthening exercises at home, minimizing the need for office visits. As an integral part of Pray’s therapy, Libby said, he will educate her abput how to avoid future injury. Because Pray’s injury is severe and required surgery, her physical therapy regime may go beyond the the four to six weeks which often is the norm for many patients. “The key is to enjoy the therapy in a fun environment,” Libby said. “When you have fun, you feel better. Another key is to educate the patient about what is going on and why.” Performance Physical Therapy offers three treatment rooms, two gym areas and a waiting area. Libby said the youngest patient he has worked with was 10 months old, the oldest is 98. “I love talking with patients and learning about them. It’s fun hanging out with them [during treatment].” Working with patients in such a wide age range who come to the clinic with many types of injuries they need to recover from was one of the things that attracted Libby to the physical therapy profession. Libby received a doctoral degree in physical therapy, a six-year program, from Husson University in 2013. He also was an outstanding basketball player during his time at Husson. These days, when he is not at his office working with patients, he serves as assistant basketball coach at Husson University. Libby, who grew up in Brewer, had no desire to leave the area he calls home to attend college in a city. “My older brother is an emergency room doctor in Boston. The city isn’t for me. I’m more of a Maine guy,” he said. “I love it here, I grew up here, my support system is here.” But he credits his brother with inspiring him to pursue a career in physical therapy. “My brother was my inspiration — I saw him go through the medical training thing — he was a role model.” Libby said he always had his sights on having his own practice. “My uncle is a pharmacist and has his own business. When I was a child I’ll tell him that someday I would buy him out,” he said. Instead, he has opened Performance Physical Therapy. Currently, Libby said, he can schedule 50 patient visits each week. Soon, he will hire another physical therapist which will allow him to expand that number. Terra Lee is the receptionist at the clinic. “People can refer themselves or their doctor can refer them,” he said. “I offer free consultations so that it can be determined if physical therapy would help or if another approach would be better.” Performance Physical Therapy accepts most insurances, including MaineCare and Medicare. Libby will host an open house 4-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the clinic. For information, call 922-4000 or visit performancephysicaltherapy.org.