MANTI—Opening a physical therapy and sports medicine clinic in what was once an historic hardware store on Main Street in Manti kind of goes along with the whole philosophy of Therapy West, says co-owner Derek Overly.
“Rather than giving up on things, let’s restore and rehabilitate,” he says.
Overly says his physical therapy company, probably the largest multi-site practice of its type in Central Utah, had enough patients in the Manti area to justify a new office.
When the Simmons Hardware Building, which is more than 100 years old, became available, he jumped at the chance to lease it.
Overly wanted to brighten up the interior of the main floor, and, he says, the best feature for letting in light was the front windows. To get across the idea of combining the old with the new, in one window he has a machine from the 1960s with a belt that gyrated and supposedly slimmed down the hips. In the other window is a contemporary, and undoubtedly more effective, exercise bike.
Most of the walls have been painted white. Overly said when he first saw the wood floor, he thought he would have to carpet over it. But he decided to try to strip, sand and varnish it. Now it looks brand new.
The building has a reception counter in front, exercise equipment and examining tables, and two private treatment rooms.
And, Overly promises, during the holidays, Therapy West will play carols over a loud speaker that broadcasts to Main Street, just like Simmons Hardware used to do. I’ve always loved Manti’s Main Street, he says.” There’s so much history here. We’re glad to be part of it.”
The Manti office will be staffed by physical therapist Jed Bartholomew, DPT, of Mayfield, who has been with Therapy West for nearly four years.
“He’s one of the nicest and brightest therapists we have. He’s very, very attentive to people,” Overly says.
People don’t realize how many health problems physical therapists can address, Overly says. The most common reason patients come to Therapy West is back pain. But the practice can also help with headaches, balance, knees, hips, shoulders and necks.
“Any kind of muscle pain, we can work with it,” he says. “If there’s a muscle attached, we can help fix it.”
But successful physical therapy requires patient commitment, too, he says. “The foundation of every visit is education, how to invest in your own health. Otherwise, you’ll be back.”
The Manti office is Therapy West’s sixth location. The main office is on Center Street in Gunnison about a block from Gunnison Valley Hospital. The company has an office on the west side of the Sanpete Valley Hospital campus in Mt. Pleasant and an office in Ephraim across the street from Los Amigos.
It also has a new clinic building on Main Street near 800 North in Richfield as well as an office in the publicly run Wayne County Health Center in Bicknell. The practice employs 20 licensed physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.
Therapy West will hold an open house at the new Manti clinic on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Staff will be serving hot dogs, bratwurst dogs, drinks, chips and cookies. A banner on the front of the building says, “Bring the whole family.”
To make an appointment at the Manti clinic or any Therapy West office, call 462-1525. Although it’s a Mt. Pleasant number, a receptionist can transfer you to any Therapy West locations.
