If you or a relative has had a stroke or a TBI or a neurological injury, then do not waste time and money on any therapist in Lafayette other than Wulf Thoma. Period. If the above sentence caught your attention, then you should read the rest of this. First, a short history on us. My wife had a stroke 3 years ago. We live in the Florida panhandle and spent the first year being treated at various physical therapy clinics in our area. They were all good clinics for the treatment of orthopedic problems like knee replacements, hand surgeries, etc. Unfortunately we soon discovered that 1) there are specialized treatments beneficial specifically to stroke victims like my wife and 2) there were no therapists within a 2 hour's drive of us that were qualified to provide such treatments. So this whole first year we were getting physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) from local therapists that we thought had at least some background in treating neuro patients. Unfortunately for us, they were doing little to help with the brain/muscle connection and instead were largely treating my wife with traditional methods that at best strengthened some of her weak muscles but also inadvertently reinforced some of the unwanted and compensatory movement patterns that my wife developed to cope with limited motor function. So we finally came to the realization that we needed a therapist that did not think or act like traditional physical therapists and was highly skilled like the folks at the major medical centers in Houston and Birmingham and Atlanta but did not charge us $400/hour. By stroke of luck, one of the therapists in one of the clinics we used had a relative in Baton Rouge that had suffered from a stroke and had great success with a therapist in Lafayette. It sounded good to us and even though it was a 6 hour drive to see him we were desperate and decided to give it a try. That is how we met Wulf Thoma at Helping Hands Physical Therapy. Now let me tell you what is different about how he treats my wife compared to the dozen others that we have used over the years. Wulf Thoma has been trained as a traditional physical therapist and he is extremely knowledgeable in that area. But he has additional training specifically for treating neurologically impaired individuals. This is not just where you take a one week continuing education course on the subject. Rather it requires much more time and effort. On top of that, Wulf is actually an instructor in this discipline of treating neurological patients. Fortunately for us, he also still treats regular patients like my wife. So what is different about this type of therapist? In a nutshell, this specialty requires a therapist to - 1) understand the underlying causes for neurological impairments 2) understand what effect brain injuries have on the overall brain/body 3) be able to keenly evaluate a patient's unique situationto determine exactly what muscles work correctly, incorrectly, or sporadically. 4) determine what unique approaches can be used to re-train the brain. This is really tricky and requires A LOT OF SKILL. I believe that most therapists can pass a course in this type of treatment. But, to be blunt, Wulf Thoma is just a whole lot better at this than anyone else. After observing dozens of therapists over the years, I see that he is on a whole different level with his ability to understand and apply the 4 points in the above paragraph. He is just flat amazing with his ability to analyze my wife's issues and come up with approaches to help her. I am really just in awe of his skills. The fact that we have learned so much about physical therapy and the treatment of stroke patients in the last 3 years has made us much more discerning to recognize if a therapist really understands what they are doing. He is very honest about it and does not give false hope. I like that too. If you live in the Lafayette area and don't seek him out, you are doing a disservice to yourself and your family member that could benefit from his help. read more

What a joke of a place for help when you need it for arthritic issues! Please do NOT waste your time with this so called therapist! If it is not yet broken, he WILL farther damage it. Believe me and so many others who have been more injured by this horrible man!! read more

You may have seen me on the Today Show and the Huffington Post, and in most of the local media outlets on tv and print, for the accomplishments I had after being partially paralyzed by an unlicensed/uninsured driver. I am a veterinarian that was told I may never walk again much less practice. I spent 2 months in the hospital and several more in a wheelchair. Now, not only am I walking again, but I am back to doing surgery and practicing veterinary medicine full time. Wulf Thoma and Helping Hands are absolutely the reason I am back to being a functioning member of society. Stroke, spinal cord injury, or any kind of neuro issue, no matter what your age, this is the place to go. read more