Reviews of Total Physical Therapy (Physiotherapist)

Bruno Carmen

Over the past 2 years I struggled with a herniated disc in my cervical region. During this time, I have seen multiple doctors and physical therapists. After my recent surgery, my doctor did refer me to Dimity due to problems I was still having and my active lifestyle. With little to no expectation based on prior PT experiences, I did make an appointment. What I experienced was nothing I have experienced in the past. It was a comprehensive approach to healing. Not just treating the symptom, but treating the underlying imbalances within my body. During my 4 sessions, we identified the underlying issues, strengthened my imbalances, and most importantly I learned how to maintain this state. The results have been drastic and obvious and it has been an incredible experience. I will never go back to a traditional physical therapist after meeting Dimitry.

Savannah Day

Dr. Dimitry Polyakov changed my life by going above and beyond to give me the ability to become pain free! From the initial phone consultation, I immediately realized “Total Physical Therapy” are the ultimate PT professionals. Dimitry transformed my chronic condition, restoring me back to normal and allowing me to fully work out again. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with Dimitry and was amazed at how quickly I experienced improvement. I believe his total approach to healing the body is unmatched in the area, as I was referred to Dimitry after working with several therapists and experienced only limited success. During each hourly session, Dimitry works one-on-one and provides undivided attention. He listens attentively at the beginning of each session to identify changing issues and responds accordingly with the appropriate treatment. Not only does he skillfully and thoughtfully work on the original injury, he takes a total approach to the body by helping to heal multiple issues as they arise. This approach is particularly advantageous to patients and a major benefit from working with the therapists at Total Physical Therapy. Additionally, he is an educator and teaches how to improve mobility, balance, and strength for a healthy body. He goes the extra mile by transferring his knowledge to his patients by patiently explaining how to deal with issues when they occur, thereby empowering people to understand how to deal with injuries long after the physical therapy sessions have ended. Furthermore, Dimitry extends the sessions in unique and helpful ways including taking video clips and pictures of the exercise that will help heal. He promptly follows up by emailing these clips so the patient can see first hand how to correctly perform the exercise at home. This PT/patient connection adds to the speed and quality of the patient’s overall progress. Dimitry is highly skilled and intelligent. Additionally, he is pleasure to work with! With the highest endorsement, I recommend Dimitry and his team at “Total Physical Therapy”.

Steven Colson

Dimitry Polyakov is absolutely amazing. Definitely the most knowledgeable Physical Therapist I have ever met. And a fun guy who makes the sessions both informative and enjoyable. I highly recommend Dimitry and Total Physical Therapy.

Kris Culp

Lauren is hands down amazing! I went to her for pain in my right chest/shoulder muscle - I'm pain free now and have been for months. She was very detailed in her intake evaluation asking about injuries throughout my life. She is extremely knowledgable about the body and has a very calm, friendly way of explaining what she's doing and why. She takes videos to reference and sends an excel spreadsheet I can refer back to when needed as well. Highly, highly, highly recommend Lauren for any issues!

Perry Sternberg

Dimitry Polyakov worked with my daughter (14 yr old) post her ACL surgery. Dimitry was absolutely amazing with her! After months of Physical Therapy, she is ready to return to sports. Even her Orthopedic Surgeon commented on the great progress she made with Dimitry while in PT. Thank you Dimitry!!! Highly recommend to all.

David Schwartz

Turned 50 this year and I decided to address some nagging aches and pains in my life: pain in both shoulders, minor lower back aches and pains, and neck stiffness. After ten minutes with Dimitry, I came to learn that all the issues were related. Dimitry explained to me that pain in the shoulder is dealt with by addressing fundamental body issues: posture, muscle tone, core strength, how I walk, how I sit, how I stand. After working with Dimitry for a single session, I became acutely aware of my body, my posture, and my gait. To my horror, I began to realize how much I hunch, how poor my posture is, how I lean forward and hunch my shoulders when I sit at my desk at work. Dimitry explained to me that we would re-train everything. After a three sessions, I feel renewed. My shoulders are much looser. The exercises that Dimitry has given me -- in combination with his physical manipulation of the capsules in my shoulder — have begun to change my life. I feel so much possibility. So much freedom. Fix it once. Fix it right!

Michael

Total-PT and Dimitry Polyakov has been the most comprehensive, knowledgeable and practical problem solver I have ever been to. I have multiple low back/ pelvic and other issues that I have been treated by: The HSS and WC in New York for 10 steroidal injecitons,; 50 Accupuncture sessions; YEARS of standard physical therapy; rolfing sessions for years; and on oxycodone for pain management. NONE of these therapies were working, as they did not get to the actual source of what was wrong, but treated the symptoms and the pain. (I did appreicate the pain management when nothing else was working, but have histories that do not mix well over time with opiods) Dimitry takes the time to evaluate your total problem and looks for the issue that is causing the pain or dysfunction. In my case, I have a complicated medical history, as well as multiple issues relating to dysfunctional movement patterns, old scare tissue, etc. that other therapists had not properly diagnosed. Prior surgeries had caused scar tissues and other internal conditions that made a diagnosis difficult for most practitioners. As case in point: in addition to low back pain, I have been plagued with planter fasciitis. During the first session, Dimitry resolved a big toe issue that was preventing proper movement, allowing the toe to behave properly and thus, along with other fascia issues resolve the planter fasciitis. I am now FREE of this conditioin after having this for 5 years. The best thing is that I did NOT go to Dimitry complaining of this condition, as I had accepted it as somehting that other podiatrists have simply made orthodics for in lieu of finsing out WHY I have this condition. This was caught by Dimitry from his overall evaluation of hip and low back pain. My pelvic pain was the most complicated and is extremely difficult for most people to get properly diagnosed and properly treated. After several sesions, I am now finding pain relief by following the protocol of exercises and releases twice a day. For the first time in 5 years, I see light at the end of this allopathic horror. I do the exercises and release routines twice a day and see results every day. In fact, I drive 60 miles to see Dimitry simply based on the results I am acheiving. I strongly reccommend Dimitry and Total-PT if you are serious about pain relief and need someone that has an amazing knowledge of anatomy & neurology I will post more updates as my treatment continues.

Thomas Walsh

I have been seeing Lauren when necessary for the past 8 years. She has always solved whatever issue I had, and very quickly. She goes out of her way to explain what may be causing the issue and will take a video of the exercises that a patient needs to work on. The videos are always available and serve as great reminders of the proper way to perform the exercise. Dimetri and Lauren are by far the best physical therapists in NJ!

Joe Goryeb

I have been dealing with back problems for most of my adult life. After trying just about everything, including other physical therapists, I finally made the decision to have surgery on an extruded disk in December of 2016. Between the pain and lack of mobility before my surgery and the recovery after surgery, I was not able to work out for more than a year. I was recommended to Total Physical Therapy in Bernardsville and started working with Lauren Beasley Shanaphy. Lauren was a breath of fresh air and her approach was different than any other therapist I had previously worked with. She took the time to understand my history, what I had been through, my previous injuries and what my goals were for recovery. She was especially interested in my knee surgery which was 30 years ago. Even though I came to her for rehabilitation on my back, she spent a lot of time working on my knee, my feet, neck, and shoulders. She is interested in the functionality of my overall body and gives me all types of exercises designed to improve my movement and strength. Lauren also spends a lot of time on breathing which includes blowing up a balloon. The difference is amazing. She posts short videos of my exercises to a shared google page along with spreadsheets of those exercises geared towards strengthening different parts of my body. I then have the ability to review those videos when I am working out on my own, and have confidence that I am doing them correctly and with the proper form. Lauren is the one of the most enthusiastic and positive people I have ever met. She inspires me to work hard to be the best I can be. I recently texted her and called her "The Miracle Worker". I am now back to golfing after a year and half layoff. I am no longer standing on the sidelines watching my family enjoy themselves with different activities. I am participating right along with them. Thank you Lauren for helping to give me my life back!

Mia Hu

I'm running 2 months after an ACL tear thanks to Dimitry. I believe he is the guy to see not only for physical therapy but for any physical imbalances causing pain. I've learned a tremendous amount from him that has helped me not only with my injury but with my workouts and daily movement. He is a great guy - highly knowledgable and a great communicator.

Dan Pierson

I am 42 and had been suffering from chronic back and hip pain since an injury in my early 20's. I went to orthopedists, numerous rounds of PT and chiropractors. On occasion, the therapies would help, but the relief only lasted a short period. I was still in pain and growing frustrated. Thankfully, I found my way to Total Physical Therapy where I met Lauren Beasley. Her approach was completely different. She wanted to know every detail of my background including any previous injuries. Then, after a few motion drills, she started working on my ankles. A little confused, I reminded her I was having back and hip pain! Lauren then went on to explain her theory that my previous ankle injury (from when I was 6) was causing my back pain. No doctor, or any other practitioner, had even asked about my history to know about my ankle injury. After about 10 minutes of work, we did some other drills - none of them were the traditional hamstring stretches, supermans, etc. I felt immediate improvement the very first day. I continued with just a few more sessions and worked on a variety of drills from breathing, to changing my walking pattern to a few other odd, but VERY effective treatments. I am now 2 full years out and am still pain free. I now exercise daily and feel better than I did in my 30's. Thank you Lauren - you made this possible. D.P

L Stechert

I have been dealing with sciatic nerve pain all the way down my left leg. My daughter recommended seeing Dimitry for a consultation. The consultation was very thorough. He let me explain everything that was going on and then devised a plan of action and said, "I can fix you!" Within 3 days of performing Dimitry's exercises, I could feel a difference. And now, not quite a week later, there has been a vast improvement in my condition. There is no way I can say enough positive things about Dimitry. This man has a healing gift. I cannot recommend him highly enough. He deserves more than 5 stars. THANK YOU, DIMITRY!!

Sheri Stechert

Dimitry is hands down amazing. My back went out in 2012 while I was teaching one of my cardio classes at the gym. I could barely move. An MRI showed a bulged disc. The Dr just gave me a bunch of muscle relaxers that did not fix the problem. I had foot drop on my left side and lost a lot of strength in that leg. Dimitry was recommended by friends and in one session after an evaluation, some muscle palpation, and prescribed exercises my body was more in balance and I was feeling much better. In one week I had 90% of the strength back in my left leg. To this day if my back feels a little funny I do Dimitry's homework and I'm right back to normal. I recently sent my father to him for lower back pain as well and he is thrilled, feeling much better, and calling Dimitry a miracle worker.