Indiana Physical Therapy 

   In August of 1988 Dave Kuhn and Andy Vogel began Indiana Physical Therapy, Inc. (IPT) in Bluffton, IN. Since that time IPT has grown to include eight additional clinics in Northeast Indiana: five in Fort Wayne, including a specialty clinic for women’s health issues, and one each in Angola, Auburn, and New Haven.  IPT specializes in outpatient rehabilitation for conditions due to injury, surgery, stroke, or disease.

   In March, I had the opportunity to speak with Troy Smith, Physical Therapist - Athletic Trainer and the newest of the 3 IPT owners, and Brian Komprood, Athletic Trainer and Industrial Services Coordinator.  Smith is one of the New Haven clinic’s four therapists.  Three of the therapists are dually credentialed as athletic trainers and the fourth is a certified hand therapist.  I learned that IPT specializes in outpatient rehabilitation for many conditions including injury, post-surgery, stroke or disease.  Smith explained to me, “Easily half of what we see is spine related; general neck and back pain. Also, about a third of what we do is post operative care; shoulder and knees predominately.  Athletic rehabilitation is a smaller portion of what we do. There just aren’t that many athletes in the area and when you treat athletes they are generally in and out fairly quickly. They make us look good.”

   An area of IPT’s services that has experienced growth is in the worker’s compensation arena, where therapists treat injured workers and get them rehabilitated so they can return to their jobs safely. IPT also works on site at businesses to provide injury prevention, ergonomic assessment, and wellness programs as well as some on site triage services.  In addition to providing multiple services with companies like FXI Foamex in Fort Wayne and Auburn, IPT has been doing smaller educational programs like at Home Lumber. Smith said, “We offer educational programs like a lunch and learn. We can also provide educational programming on ergonomics, stretching, and proper lifting techniques.  These programs are designed to lower the company’s worker’s comp experience. We set up programs and monitor the program’s success. With rising insurance and healthcare costs there is an incentive to get and stay healthy.” 

   The triage service IPT provides is also used in Athletic Training. Komprood stated, “When an athlete or worker gets hurt, they may need to go to a doctor. But sometimes we can look at the injury, evaluate it, and maybe give a home exercise program. If more than that is needed, we can then recommend for them to go see a physician.”

   IPT maintains strong relationships with physicians, insurance companies, employers, and other healthcare providers. As an independent company they work with all of the local hospitals and medical professionals. They also believe in keeping their experts well educated on the most current health related information.

   IPT believes that "Rehabilitation Experts - Real Results" is more than a marketing term. They ensure that every patient that comes to them is cared for by an expert in the field and provide rehabilitative services with results. Smith said, “We are dedicated to keeping our Therapists and Athletic Trainers well educated. We mandate that they participate in continuing education. I believe we are one of the few companies in the area, if not the state, that promotes ongoing education to the extent we do. We have the largest concentration of certified orthopedic manual therapists in the nation. We strive to keep our therapists as educated in the field as possible.”

   IPT expects to investigate other markets for more clinics as well as to prepare for growth in services that they provide at the current locations. It is projected that the procedure of total joint replacement will grow 600% in the next 25 to 30 years. Smith commented, “With the added surgeries there is obviously going to be an increased demand for rehabilitation as well.”

   When I asked Smith what inspired him to become a physical therapist he said, “I played football for the University of Indianapolis. And while most people get into physical therapy because they have had an injury and had to go through rehabilitation. I am one that did not learn because of an injury.  As a high school and college athlete I have always been interested in fitness and treatment. That is the main reason why I pursued the Athletic Training certification. The job market is rather narrow for Athletic Trainers especially in this area. Physical Therapy was an avenue for which I could continue to work with athletes and be involved in athletics.”

   I asked Komprood the same question. He said, “I am an Athletic trainer. Growing up I always had an interest in sports. I thought about becoming a doctor when I was younger and so I was trying to tie medicine and sports together. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play sports for all of my life so this is a way to be involved and work in athletics.”

   IPT has been an active member of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce since 2005. “Just being able to meet the people at the Chamber events and networking opportunities is our biggest benefit of membership”, stated Smith. IPT has regularly been a social hole sponsor at the Annual Golf Outing and attends the events offered throughout the year.

   For more information about IPT, call them at 260/432-4700 or visit their website. Indiana Physical Therapy can get you back to where you want to be for work, play, and life. Your recovery is their first priority!