Rachel Collver and Jimmy McKay know what police, firefighters and other first responders have to deal with on the job. McKay comes from a family of New York firefighters and Collver’s father served as a Louisiana state trooper for 25 years. That’s why the third-year classmates in Marymount University’s doctor of physical therapy program have organized a free fitness assessment for Arlington’s first responders from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 4040 Fairfax Drive, second floor.
“They’re the kind of people who don’t take time off because their back hurts or they have other aches and pains,” said Collver, a former captain in the Marine Corps who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. “We want to be able to show them that physical therapy can help them right now, without them missing any shifts.”
McKay agreed.
“I saw my dad work through intense knee, back and shoulder pain,” he said. “As physical therapy students, we want these men and women to know that many interventions can be done and that a home exercise plan can be implemented that will make sure they get back to serving without pain or medical leave.”
MU’s physical therapy students will be offering the free movement screenings at their new facility. They’re looking for up to 20 first responders to participate. Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.
To sign up, email James here.
October is National Physical Therapy Month. This event is the local community outreach project of PT Pub Night, a global physical therapy networking community.
Photo captions:
Photo 1:
Rachel Collver
Photo 2:
Jimmy McKay
