Apex Physical Therapy celebrates 20 years

Apex Physical Therapy reaches a milestone next week, celebrating 20 years in the business of helping ease pain.

Amy Sanderson is among those who have been there since the beginning - and actually before.

Sanderson is one of the co-owners of the business, which was founded in 1996 by Bob Paull, Neal Blakely and Becky Clark who launched Apex in north Spokane.

Prior to Apex forming in 1996 Paull, Blakely and Sanderson all worked in Cheney for Spokane Sports and Orthopedic Therapy. They were bought out by a national concern and Sanderson stayed on board.

In 1998, Sanderson was still working in Cheney and was contacted to see if she was interested in opening an Apex office in Cheney. "That's how I became a part of Apex," she said.

The company was a two-clinic operation from 1998 – 2007, expanding when Monty Soliday opened an Airway Heights office. In 2015, the first manager-operated location, the Fairways Plaza at exit 272 on Interstate 90, was opened and guided by Tracy Johnston.

"We are up to a total of 39 employees at all four clinics," Sanderson said. "Starting from three to go to 39, that's pretty good."

The growth is evident with Apex, but it mirrors the health of the industry too, Sanderson said.

Physical therapy, called "PT" for short, has been around for over a century, Sanderson explained, beginning in World War I when practitioners were called "restorative aides."

"They worked with the veterans and wounded soldiers on range of motion, trying to get them back walking," Sanderson said.

The craft also included respiratory therapy, but starting in the 1970s and 1980s, PT became more orthopedic based, Sanderson said.

"When we talk about orthopedic-based (PT), these are the wear and tear injuries, the tendonitis, the rotator cuff injuries," Sanderson said.

The need for PT has come from two areas, Sanderson explained. Society in general has become more active, prompting growth in part of the business.

"But also at the same time a very sedentary society that then tries to be active," Sanderson said. An example might be the people who suddenly decide to run Bloomsday or play in Hoopfest and find Ibuprofen is not enough relief.

Another part of the growth in the industry is that those engaging in it see PT as a good career choice, leading to more availability of the service.

Apex in Cheney features an adjacent gym, known as Redefine Fitness (see story in the Feb. 18, 2016 issue of the Cheney Free Press) and is the only company facility to have a gym.

That portion of the clinic opened in 2006 because there was no easy access to a gym for Cheney residents. "At the time, Eastern (Washington University) was the only one with a facility like that," Sanderson said.

The thought was that if Apex was trying to encourage clients to stay active, why not provide easier access?

Tim Irgens runs the gym and that allows Apex to be better at bridging the gap between physical therapy and physical activity, Sanderson explained. "Going from PT to PA, I guess."

The two entities mesh well. "It flows both ways, when people get done with physical therapy we try to promote the gym; people in the gym, if they have any issues or concerns, they've got that," Sanderson said.

The customers might be the best marketing that Apex has, through word of mouth, Sanderson said. "When you get patients coming back and saying, 'Hey, we're talking to our neighbors about you.'"

APEX CELEBRATION

Apex Physical Therapy will have its 20th anniversary celebration, Aug. 18 from 5-8 p.m. at its Cheney office. There will be appetizers, beverages and giveaways. For more information visit apexpt.com.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].