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Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a patient centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through the use of occupation.

The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in activities of everyday life. Occupational therapy benefits people across a lifespan to improve functioning whether the disability or injury is a result from an accident, repetitive activity, birth defect, disease, or aging. It also focuses on personal and work activities, both in helping people with disabilities or injuries to find ways to maximize independence in everyday life.

Occupational therapists ask “what matters to you?” not “what’s the matter with you?”

Elder woman making legs exercises at hospital gym with nurse help.

Common conditions our occupational therapists treat include:

  • Orthopedic injuries of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Inflammatory diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Neurological conditions such as Stroke and
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Connective tissue disorders such as Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome
  • General debilitation
  • Pediatric injuries

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Occupational Therapy Locations

Burien, WA – Physical & Hand Therapy

275 SW 160th
Suite 105
Burien, WA 98166
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Seattle, WA – Northgate Physical Therapy

10564 5th Ave NE
Ste 205
Seattle, WA 98125
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.

  • We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.

  • A typical order for physical therapy will ask for 2-3 visits per week for 4-6 weeks. Sometimes the order will specify something different. What generally happens is for the first 2-3 weeks, we recommend 3x per week. This is because it will be the most intensive portion of your treatment. After that, it is common to taper to 2x weekly, based on your level of function and progress.

  • Yes. Physical therapy works based on the science of how the body rebuilds and heals. The biggest killer of progress is inconsistency. We recommend adhering to your prescribed sessions agreed upon in your PT Eval to achieve desired results.

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People in Seattle, Tacoma, and surrounding cities Trust RET PT

Hear from patients that reclaimed their lives.

Michelle has been amazing to work with. She quickly diagnosed the root cause of the issues that continued to plague me after recovering from hip replacement surgery that other PT's (different companies) could not. She listens, is creative, resourceful, and very knowledgeable. Everyone at the clinic is always very professional and interested in our progress.

5 stars

Conrac

RET Patient

Attentive, responsive, pleasant in communication, knowledgeable staff. I got good results in a short time. Thankful to Dr. Andrew for useful information and for a program of exercises.

5 stars

Elena

RET Patient

Doug Free, the manager at Mercer Island Physical Therapy, has a PhD in PT, and is an amazing diagnostic doctor who explains why a specific injury occurred. He also does fabulous work on your body. His entire staff is knowledgeable and excellent therapists. 

5 stars

Gary

RET Patient

I saw Anne at 7 weeks post ulnar nerve transposition. I’ve made more progress in 1 week with her than I did in those first 7.  She is extremely knowledgeable and up to date on current research.  I'd feel very good about sending my family and friends her way!

5 stars

Holli

RET Patient

Kelly is amazing! I felt very comfortable and she asked all of the right questions, was super friendly, and knows exactly how to help. I always leave feeling so much better, and confident that if I do my exercises, I will heal!

5 stars

Kelsey

RET Patient

I started PT after a car accident. The staff was extremely helpful not just with injuries from the accident, but also other issues that had been bothering me. They are very good at communicating problems and solutions and are friendly to boot. Can’t recommend enough.

5 stars

Kevin

RET Patient

I have been going to Summit Therapy for a shoulder problem. I've made steady progress and have gotten much pain relief. The staff is very friendly and great to work with. I recently had a sudden problem of vertigo. My therapist knew exactly what to do and performed a treatment that stopped the dizziness.

5 stars

Patricia

RET Patient
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