My specialist recommended Allen Therapy Center for physical therapy for my tailbone, and to put it simply, I don't recommend this place at all.
One positive is that scheduling an appointment was easy, especially since they close at 7pm during the week. I appreciated not having to miss work or cram a session in during a lunch break. One thing I didn't like was that I wasn't informed of how much my out-of-pocket cost would be until a few hours before my appointment, even though I inquired a few days before. Also, no one requested I show up early to fill out paperwork, so 15mins of my session was wasted scribbling my information. When the session started, I was greeted by Marc's assistant (Freddy?) who was super nice and made me feel welcomed.
Freddy got me settled and eventually, Marc made his way over. I did the standard "here's how I got here and here are my goals with PT" bit and Marc tested my range and flexibility. He decided leg, glute, and lower back stretches would be the best route for me so Freddy got me set up with those. I've been to PT before -- I was actually at a different facility 4 months prior for my knees -- so I know what's normal and what I like/don't like. I didn't like that Marc wasn't attentive. He'd leave me to do the stretches and sometimes Freddy gave me incorrect directions. I understand Marc had 3 other people to attend to in addition to me, but I prefer places that offer 1 on 1 guidance so that I don't end up doing something with incorrect form and making my injury worse. I didn't receive that here.
The 1 thing that made me decide this wasn't the facility for me was Marc. At the end of the session, he printed out the stretches to explain what I needed to continue doing at home. While explaining, he was rubbing my shoulders and upper back, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I believe I was leaning as far away from him as I could without falling off the table and yet, he saw nothing wrong with massaging me. Mind you, my injury was my tailbone, lower back. There's absolutely zero reason for Marc to rub my upper back and shoulders, let alone touch me when the PT session was clearly over. Everyone but Freddy, Marc, the woman at the front desk, and me had left at this point, so I felt even stranger and honestly froze.
And again, I've been to PT a few times in my life so I know what touching is normal or appropriate. Also, I've been on this planet for 3 decades and I know when I'm feeling violated. The rubbing wasn't right. It further didn't sit well with me because I watched how Marc interacted with the 3 other folks (much older woman, older man, and a man around my age) and not a single one got a goodbye-shoulder-rub.
One thing I will emphasize is this is a negative interaction with Marc, exclusively. Freddy had to deal with some awkward moments and he handled them professionally. At one point, Freddy had to expose my butt crack so that he can apply the stickies for electrical stimulation. He warned me that my moon was gonna shine (my words, not his). He asked if that was okay. He made sure there was consent, as he should, and respected my body.
Had the woman at the front desk not bolted to the back to prepare to head out for the night, I would've confided in her and told her what was going on and why I wasn't returning. Unfortunately, I didn't have that opportunity so I just left, pensive about what I just experienced and feeling inexplicably creeped out. All in all, regardless of what's deemed necessary or not when it comes to touching, the treatment at this facility is subpar and you'll have better success going elsewhere or doing the stretches/exercises at home, like I ended up doing. read more