Athletic Advantage

Physical Therapy

Meet Mark Read, LPT

Welcome to my practice. Not a giant hospital, physician office, just myself and a welcoming staff member, Cindy. In 1990 I founded Athletic Advantage Inc., a private practice in orthopedic and manual therapy services. I graduated from Heidelberg University in 1983 and The Ohio State University in 1986.

As a young physical therapist, I became intrigued by the impact of posture in sports and rehabilitation. I always found it interesting to learn and study how posture created muscular tightness, weakness and pain. Early in my career I treated numerous recreational and high school athletes suffering contact and non-contact injuries that always seem to improve in a much more efficient and rapid fashion when I evaluated and treated the entire person. The impact of posture on flexibility, muscle strength and function was truly amazing. I extended my practice to study golf performance through the Body Balance for Performance program founded by Paul Callaway, PT of Chicago. I treated a golfer on the Nationwide Tour and to my surprise even athletes who rely on their body for a paycheck; the posture was always an area of great weakness and limitation. As posture became more and more of an influence in my rehabilitation I studied Muscle Energy Techniques, commonly called MET under the guidance of Thomas Ockler, PT a physical therapist in private practice from Willoughby, Ohio. The MET treatment philosophy is geared to understanding the muscular relationship to posture. This was a powerful tool as it afforded me the opportunity to dramatically change the underlying posture of an athlete and improve their flexibility and conditioning after suffering a musculoskeletal injury.

Just treating the structural asymmetries was not nearly enough so I searched further. What I discovered was a treatment philosophy that dovetailed with the MET techniques. My studies with John F. Barnes, PT at the Myofascial Release Treatment Centers located in Paoli, Pennsylvania and Sedona, Arizona have been a giant leap forward to what I had previously known. The 10 plus courses in M.F.R. training have had a revolutionary impact on the total person care I provide my clients. Integrating John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach with MET has unlocked the missing musculoskeletal links that have commonly entrapped the skeletal posture in the muscular system. The myofascial release component has been an integral part of my treatment plan because it affords me the opportunity to address those long-standing issues that have limited my clients and the success of their exercise programs.

Most recently, in May 2011, I completed a weeklong study alongside John F. Barnes, PT refining my skills and learning new and innovative ways of treating the myofascial system and the strong impact it has on a person’s musculoskeletal posture.

I am a dedicated physical therapist and believe in promoting independence and a positive outcome for every client through education in proper body mechanics and movement, enhancement in strength, improved flexibility, and postural awareness. Join with me as a teammate through the challenges in rehabilitation as we grow in our admiration of the human body and its ability to improve and heal at any age.

Mark Read, LPT
President,
Athletic Advantage, Inc.