Meet Dr. Alyssa Arms, PT, DPT, OCS of Back in Step Physical Therapy in Centennial

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Alyssa Arms, PT, DPT, OCS.

Dr. Arms, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always known that I wanted to have a job in healthcare – ever since I was about seven years old. My original plan was to become a pediatrician. Early in my college career, I started to learn that it was no longer feeling like the best fit. I found a class on campus that let us explore different career options, and that eventually led me to physical therapy. As I was looking into PT a little more, my mom suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury. I went with her to her first couple of PT appointments, and her PT learned that I was potentially interested in becoming a PT. She said that she could use some help around the office, and I started working about 10 hours a week for her. I was hooked!

When I graduated with my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, everything sounded interesting for me. I accepted a job offer from one of my clinical rotations and began working in a hospital. After a while, I wanted to explore some other areas of PT and took a job in an outpatient clinic. I spent some time there but was also learning that the common model for most PT clinics didn’t truly prioritize patient experience and providing the highest quality of care. I gave my notice, took some time away and started to help in classes at CU Anschutz. I then began seeking out per diem jobs around town, where I would cover vacation and sick days at various places.

It became a great experience to learn how a lot of different places did things! I learned a lot about what works well and what doesn’t, what patients liked and disliked. After a few years of working per diem and teaching, an opportunity finally presented itself to open my own clinic. I jumped at the chance, quickly got everything into motion and set up within about a month, and opened Back in Step PT in Centennial in 2017.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It was definitely not a smooth road to get to this point.

There were many times where I was conflicted about what I was doing. I have always loved working with my patients and appreciate the impact that I can have on their lives. It’s amazing to see the difference for people when they can return to something that they love, when they don’t have to suffer from pain anymore, and when they feel empowered in their health and wellness! At the same time, working at various places around town let me learn more about the business side and the business model. I would often go home knowing that I had more to offer my patients, but lacked the time and/or resources to do so. I struggled with these two sides of being a physical therapist until I started looking into opening my own clinic, where I could rewrite the script and do things differently.

Of course, learning to be a business owner instead of an employee has had its own challenges too! There has been a lot of work learning this side of things, especially since there are extra considerations as a healthcare practice. That being said, I love what I do so much more and can truly feel good about what I am doing for people. Not only do I feel great about what I now do, but my patients often comment about the difference that they also notice. They talk about having a better experience, feeling more empowered, and enjoying the more customized approach.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Back in Step Physical Therapy story. Tell us more about it.
At Back in Step Physical Therapy, I treat a wide variety of patients and conditions. The majority of my patients come in because of pain, injury, or surgery, but I do also work with people who are looking for ways to prevent injury in the first place. I treat essentially from head to toe – from jaw pain (TMJ) to foot pain and everything in between. I offer a variety of treatment techniques, including trigger point dry needling. I also work with people with balance issues and dizziness.

One of my specialty areas is working with dancers and other performing artists since I have 30 years of dance experience myself. I’ve been trained in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and some salsa, and still compete on the national circuit for West Coast Swing dancing.

I wanted to do things differently at Back in Step PT. Sessions are no longer limited by time, insurance, or equipment. You receive the type of care that you both need and deserve, and in the way that is most helpful to you. I want to empower you to take control of the situation and your journey to wellness.

Gone are the days of confusing payment systems and surprise bills in the mail. At the end of your initial evaluation, you will receive a recommendation of how many sessions you will need and, together, we’ll come up with a plan to get you back to where you want to be. We’ll discuss package pricing and you won’t get any additional bills in the mail.

There are several basic types of equipment that are often recommended for use in your home exercise program but are often received with an additional cost at other clinics. At Back in Step PT, those items will be given to you at no additional cost, because I want you to be successful and don’t want something so simple to get in the way of your progress. I also have a variety of other equipment available for purchase, like foam rollers, Theracanes, and more. They are competitively priced and typically available to take home with you that same day so that you can get started with your new exercises right away. You don’t have to find a place that sells it, wait for it to be delivered, or struggle to remember what it was even called.

You are the only patient, each and every time that you come in. I will never double or triple book the schedule because my focus is to get you better and back to your goals as quickly as possible. The format of each session will depend upon where you are in your recovery process. You will never come in just to perform your home exercise program while someone sits and watches you. The goal is to provide whatever hands-on care you can’t replicate at home and then educate you on what you can do on your own, whether that’s lifestyle modification and stress management, modifying tasks that you do throughout the day, or progressing your home exercises.

I am also readily available outside of your appointments times at no additional cost. Many medical offices have systems where you can communicate with your provider, but it can take days or even weeks to get a response. At Back in Step PT, you can call, email or text at any time, and I strive to respond within 24 hours.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not so sure that it is truly luck but more about taking advantage of opportunities at the right time. This has happened several times for me throughout my career, but the biggest direct impact was right before I opened my clinic. The office that I was doing a lot of per diem work for was closing and changing their business model entirely. The manager had gotten to know me well during my time there and knew that I was wanting to open my own clinic sometime in the near future. As they were closing, she told me that there were items that they would be throwing away because they didn’t want to pay to move and/or store them. We practically filled my car on that last day. She, then, invited me to go to their storage space and look to see if there was anything that I wanted to purchase at a steep discount. I was able to get a LOT of equipment that was still in great shape for super cheap.

I’ve learned that there is always an opportunity to learn from something, a chance to try to make it work in your favor, or a new experience to pursue. That doesn’t mean that you have to say YES to all of them, but also don’t be afraid of the NOs. There is power in both answers.

Contact Info:

• Address: 6551 S. Revere Parkway, Suite 215, Centennial, CO 80111
• Website: www.BackinStepPT.com
• Phone: 303-960-2075
• Email: info@backinsteppt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/backinsteppt
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/backinsteppt
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/backinsteppt
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1jhdHKq8Qc

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