I would recommend INSPIRE Physical Therapy to everyone! Social distancing has affected my strength and balance. After a near fall walking on the grass, I knew I needed to get moving again. We are working to improve my overall strength and balance so I can confidently return to hiking with my husband on our favorite Rhode Island trails once the weather is warmer. Dr. Adams is passionate about what she does and creative with our sessions and my home-exercises.

Carol (77)

After my stroke in 2021, my mindset was very negative at the beginning of my recovery, and I believed I would never get dressed by myself, bake cookies like a used to, or shower. Melissa instilled confidence in me that I didn’t know I could have; my confidence was built by increasing my knowledge. Occupational therapy taught me what I needed to function safely and independently. I now believe the impossible is possible; sometimes, you might just need a little help from a teacher! Thank you, Melissa, for your support and encouragement.

Juliana (74)

A shoulder replacement gave me a repaired body but did not immediately return me to a pain-free life. Persistent shoulder pain caused sleepless nights and prohibited many activities I loved - playing guitar, gardening, and pickleball. I knew I needed to do something, but in the middle of the pandemic, I did not feel comfortable going to a clinic for Occupational Therapy, and that is when I found Melissa and INSPIRE! Occupation therapy with Melissa has been twice a week AT MY HOUSE, in my environment, and can problem solve with meaningful results. I am so impressed with my progress after four weeks - I can hold my guitar a play one of my grandsons’ favorite songs. I highly recommend Melissa - knowledgeable, compassionate, a problem-solver, and knows her stuff!

Sylvia (72)

I am so grateful for INSPIRE - they have given me my mother back! Since breaking her hip a few years ago from a fall, she has been living in fear of falling again. This has affected her desire to participate in family activities, especially playing with her two grandsons. After having therapy in the nursing home, she worked with a home physical therapist from a reputable company but was only seen a few times before her insurance stopped paying for services. She was still using a walker and unable to independently go up the stairs to her bedroom. I took her to a local outpatient physical therapist but she was told to home three times a week and I had to take time off of work; it was stressful. Having Dr. Adams come to her home has been pure magic. My mom is smiling, planning her garden for the spring, and has more confidence in her independence. Thank you again.

-Rosalia and Marisol (82)

I have had chronic knee pain for quite a few years and have endured injections, surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and stopping activities I enjoy because of the pain. Nothing helped. My knee, which once allowed me to hike, play tennis, walk without a limp and get up and down from the ground with ease, was truly affecting my independence. In March 2020, I had a partial knee replacement but feared going to physical therapy because of COVID-19. I followed the exercises my husband did after his hip replacement but walked with a slight limp for almost a year. I started working with Dr. Shayla two months ago, and I am now limp-free! I love that INSPIRE is mobile because I had physical therapy on the tennis court, as it is my goal to play doubles in the annual Beach Club tournament in July.

Linda (75)

When I started working with INSPIRE, I was unable to walk more than a couple of steps, and my wife was pushing me in a wheelchair. Within a few sessions, I was using my walker instead of the wheelchair, and one of my main concerns was these episodes of freezing where I was unable to move. Dr. Adams addressed my goals immediately and together we’ve added many tools to use to help with the freezing. Today, I am able to walk quite a distance without stopping. Working with a Doctor of Physical Therapy who specializes in Parkinson’s disease is life-changing. I am now able to easily go to baseball games, play with my grandkids, go out to dinner with confidence, and travel with my wife thanks to INSPIRE and the LSVT BIG program!

- Robert; graduate of LSVT BIG program (74)

I fell and rolled my ankle during a hike with my friends. The swelling was not getting better, and I was limping, so I went to see a physical therapist. After three weeks and a total of seven sessions, my insurance decided I had “plateaued.” I was discharged without meeting my goal of hiking. I was hesitant to start physical therapy again because of my last experience - a ten-minute wait, ten minutes with heat for my ankle, 10 minutes warm-up on a bike, 10 minutes with my physical therapist, and 10 minutes ice. Working with INSPIRE has been so different! One-on-one for a full hour with Dr. Adams once a week, and she comes to my home! After three weeks (and three sessions + home exercises), I have scheduled a hike with my best friend - and Dr. Adams is going to join us!

- Jean (68) - hiking trip in Switzerland

“Thank you for being so patient and loving with all your clients and our mom!” Shayla provided excellent, caring physical therapy and guidance for our mother after returning home from the hospital. My husband and I work and were anxious about our ability to drive her to physical therapy. It was a lifesaver to have her physical therapist come to her. Our mom is thriving! Shayla has truly found her passion in life, and we recommend her to everyone. We are incredibly grateful for her and INSPIRE.

- Pat (70) - from a card mailed by her family

When I began physical therapy with Shayla I could barely walk, and the discomfort in my left hip and groin was literally defining me. My time with my grandchildren was marked by increasing pain with every trip up or down stairs in my home, and I was unable to play with them on the floor.

Both of my hips have been replaced, with the left one done four years ago in 2017, and for four years I have had a burning tightness in my hip, groin and quad. Shayla created a team approach, making referrals to a neurologist to rule out nerve damage and to a new Orthopedic doctor for a new set of eyes to evaluate my hip. All doctors were recommended based upon her experience, which I trusted immediately. Both of those appointments proved that there was no permanent damage and no reason for another hip operation, which was immediate mental relief!

Together we created a plan of care including stretching, massage, trigger point work, muscle energy techniques, and strength training (which came after reduced the pain and gained new range of motion). At every appointment Shayla listened to how I was feeling and adjusted our work to provide me with immediate relief. Have I mentioned that at first she even met me outside on my daughter’s porch due to my anxiety about Covid transmission? Talk about accommodating the client!

Currently, I complete a daily home exercise program, including stretching, and floor exercises with weights, balls, and bands. Thank you to Shayla and extensive work on creating a mind-muscle-body connection, I am able to maintain an almost pain free lifestyle. I am now able to walk a mile with my dog! I am a different person from the one that met Shayla on my daughter’s porch!

- Barbara (71)