How This All Started: The Story

Hi, My name is Evan Howe and I am a physical therapist. This journey began for me when I first met 8 year old Micah In December of 2014. I treated him on a consistent basis for approximately 6 months.

During Micah’s initial evaluation for physical therapy I learned that he was an identical twin. He had been born prematurely, and he had a congenital heart issue that needed two heart surgeries to repair. He then missed some crucial developmental milestones such as crawling, and rolling. He had significant muscle weakness through the trunk, difficulty with balance, and with proprioception. He was being home schooled because he was behind two grade levels in reading and math, and he wasn’t playing sports because of his physical difficulties.

His identical twin brother on the other hand was visibly strong, more robust, and played with other kids at school and on a soccer team.

During objective outcome measures Micah showed signs and symptoms of a condition called Benign Congenital Hypotonia, I diagnosed him, and it was later confirmed by his Primary Care Physician.

Micah had signs of increased lumbar lordosis with trunk and rotary stability activity, delayed activation to initiation of movement, weakness to proximal trunk and proximal hip stabilization, and most limited with rotary stability functional activities (moving opposite arm with opposite leg). He had shown signs of being hypersensory seeking, and periodic tics of cracking his neck to the point of pain. His mother indicated that throwing and catching were difficult, and that he had a delayed reaction time to catch himself from falling. Through physical therapy we saw a vast improvement in a very short period of time with the above noted issues.

So, why was all this important? Through his physical therapy treatments I implemented exercise routines that went back to the basics of Neuro-Developmental Movement Patterns i.e. crawling and rolling (milestones that he did not reach and some of the very first things we learn as babies). By implementing these foundational movement patterns we saw a huge improvement in core and rotary stability strength, coordination, proprioception, and balance. Not only did he improve physically his mother started to notice an improvement in his reading and math.

Micah was performing his exercise routine at home then doing his school work which I clinically believe made a big difference in his concentration levels. Research has found that, “the mere repetition of a behavior doesn’t determine whether you learn it. Neural connections can be altered and grown only if there is full attention, focused interest on what we do. In three weeks we can get ten times more proficient at anything if we are emotionally engaged with focused interest.” (Merzenich, Taub and Greenough. Neural Plasticity. 1999)
As Albert Einstein said, “Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.”

Micah made significant improvement through this process and it showed me that thinking and learning are anchored by movement. From my observations Micah would grasps a concept better and was able to “Pin down” a thought or concept if a movement pattern was involved. Thus, movement was necessary to gain the thought, and build the nerve networks. What we know through research is that the cerebellum possesses the fastest conducting pathways between itself and the neo-cortex adding 5-10% to the speed with which the cortex can put together information and reason. Thus moving while learning increases the learning! Through this process Micah was able to gain significant physical prowess, increased strength, coordination, and balance. He was able to catch up to his brother in reading and math and enter into his age appropriate grade level at the local public school. He was also able to join his brothers soccer team and feel confident playing with his peers!

What we know through research and what I have seen clinically is that children who have missed developmental milestones can benefit from combining movement patterns, balance, and all forms of exercise with learning. When Micah was able to combine movement and learning he succeeded on a higher level!

Then on July 18th, 2015 my beautiful daughter Elli was born! I began astutely observing Elli’s developmental progressions and noticing the BIG developmental milestones like rolling, creeping and crawling, but also identifying the movements in between the milestones that help get you from one milestones to the next. I then sought out to implement my findings on my patients and the results were astounding! Not only did these movements patterns help people get better faster, they also helped resolve pain, facilitate improved mobility and strength, catapulting them to a higher level of activity and function!

On August 2nd, 2018 my second beautiful daughter Madi was born and I dialed in the movement patterns I had observed in Elli’s development and observed things with Madi that I had missed the first time around.

I continued to implement these neuro-developmental exercises with my patients all the while utilizing these movement patterns into my exercise routine with amazing results!

Then I asked myself why can’t this type of exercise program benefit everyone from all walks of life? In practical terms, what I do is a unique way of strengthening and mobilizing the nervous system using a progression based upon developmental patterns and movements utilized during the infant phase, toddler phase, and adolescent phase of development that eventually becomes compromised while transitioning into adulthood. We call these developmental patterns “Kinesiotherapy”. Through this exercise program we will take you back to the beginning of the first movements you learn as a baby to help facilitate nervous system engagement for functional movement patterns. This results in a “Reboot” of our nervous system and helps to resolve asymmetrical movement, movement dysfunction and pain. I combine Kinesiotherapy with research based Physical Therapy Fitness (PhysioFit) exercises, strength training, balance training, cardiovascular conditioning, nutrition tips, cognitive behavioral therapy, and breathing exercises.

Utilizing this new philosophy of exercise with the latest research and evidence-based techniques for physical therapy, strength and conditioning, orthopedic or sports-related injuries, balance and vestibular dysfunction, spinal injuries, and providing exercise and rehabilitation programs for anyone from post-surgical patients to people who are looking to get stronger, move well and feel better! Look no further than ThePhysioFit!

• ThePhysioFit incorporates core elements of nervous system maturation, strength training, functional mobility, and cardiovascular fitness: such as Supine and Prone Progressions, Rolling, Reaching, Crawling, Pushing, Pulling, Hinging, Squatting, Carrying, and Cardio. Built into a Circuit Training Format
• It will incorporate Deep Breathing Exercises, Morning Routines, Nutrition and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Exercises
• Each session is designed for success, to maximize your potential and ensure that you are using proper form and technique

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