Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Mercer.
Hi Nicholas, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was 16, I started practicing Kung Fu and fell in love with Chinese Martial Arts. Every aspect of my life was designed to make my Kung Fu better, my body stronger, and my overall life healthier. I started lifting weights, eating healthy foods, and getting at least 8 hours a sleep a night. Over the next 4 years, I started developing pain in my left knee. This didn’t seem like a huge problem- until it kept me from Kung Fu. I sought help from an orthopedic specialist, who ordered X-rays and various MRIs for my hips. I was diagnosed with FAI (a type of hip impingement) on both sides and was told I had bone spurs and labral (cartilage) tears in both of my hips. However, hip pain was not my issue, so I was understandably confused. My orthopedic surgeon reassured me that all I needed to do was have surgery to make my hips look more “normal”, and that would fix the pain in my knee. So, at 21 years old, I underwent surgery: one for each hip. After over 6 months of recovery, I was cleared to start practicing Kung Fu. I was so excited until I realized: my left knee was still hurting. And what’s worse, BOTH of my hips were now in pain. After more MRIs, my surgeon told me my hips looked EXACTLY as they did before the surgeries and that I would need MORE surgery. “Huh? That logic made no sense…” Not ready to go back under the knife, I started searching for another solution. I tried chiropractors, physical therapists, orthopedic specialists, acupuncture, massage, corrective exercises but could not find a complete solution for my problem. I spent several years trying to figure out how to continue practicing Kung Fu, weightlifting, and overall, just enjoying life. After getting a degree in Biomedical Sciences, I worked as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. It is in this profession, combined with the experience of “fixing” my own problems, that led me to my love of human movement. I had experienced firsthand the mental anguish that comes with pain and dysfunction: not being able to participate in the activities that helped define who I am and give my life meaning caused me to be depressed, anxious, and angry. I never wanted other people to have to “figure things out” on their own like I had to. Becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy was a no-brainer for me. So, I embarked on a 3 year-long Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Central Florida. This journey allowed me to learn more about my own problems and how to be the best resource for my patients, many of whom have tried several other healthcare practitioners (maybe even surgery, like me) and still had pain and dysfunction. While in school, I treated many patients in an outpatient orthopedic setting and noticed something that REALLY concerned me. In these clinics, which are typically insurance-based, a single therapist was often treating 3 or 4 patients in one hour. They weren’t able to think critically, actively solve problems, or provide skilled hands-on treatment to all of these patients in a single hour. On the other hand, these clinics couldn’t survive without seeing this many patients (insurance companies just don’t reimburse enough to cover the costs of maintaining these clinics). All of this results in a worst-case scenario of patients who feel neglected, don’t return to finish therapy, and ultimately end up having an unnecessary surgery, multiple injections, or a life full of pain meds and frustration. Now, these clinics CAN help some patients get better. However, their recovery is often slower, inconsistent, and short-lived. It was clear that this was NOT the best way to get patients the results they needed and wanted, and ultimately get them back to the long, happy, active life they deserve. So, the day after I got licensed as a Physical Therapist, I opened uImproved PT, dedicated to returning active adults to the activities they need and love to do without unnecessary surgeries, injections, or pain medications. All of our patients receive high-quality, hands-on, one-on-one treatment for the entirety of their session. This allows us to get better results for our patients faster and in fewer visits than any other PT clinic. Our priority is helping our patients reach their goals and to provide them the resources that I wish I had access to when I was in their situation.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening in the middle of a pandemic was not an easy task. Any business advisor would have told me to wait until this whole COVID thing “died down” to open a business. However, I wanted to start helping people as soon as possible; even if I only helped one person, opening uImproved PT would be worth it. And we have been lucky enough to have served many, many more patients since opening our doors, and we are so excited to continue helping our patients live healthy, active, happy lives!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in musculoskeletal pain disorders. At uImproved PT, we work 1-on-1 with each patient, utilizing thorough evaluation, hands-on treatment, and exercise prescription to identify and correct the deficits and impairments that are specific to each patient. We are most proud of the amazing feedback our patients give us, both through email and through public reviews on social media and Google. As soon as you walk through the doors of uImproved PT, you will immediately know you are not in a normal PT clinic. We set ourselves apart by providing focused, private attention for an entire hour, focused on your problems and solving them in the most efficient way possible, all the while leaving the real world outside and teaching you the skills you need to have long-lasting pain relief.
What makes you happy?
Knowing that I can enter a room with just my eyes, ears, brain, and hands and help patients improve their movement, decrease their pain, and enrich their lives makes me happy because I am able to provide the treatment to my patients that I wish I had when I was in pain.
Contact Info:
- Website: uimprovedpt.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uimproved.pt
