Season 1, Episode 5 - Dr. Thomas Hammett

Just shy of 2.5 years ago I was introduced to Dr. Thomas Hammett, DPT.  A week or two later he live-streamed me in to a presentation he gave to a couple dozen physical therapists, where he explained to them the importance of going well beyond “fixing pain” as the standard treatment approach, and instead, looking at patients through a lens of lifestyle medicine, the pursuit health and wellness, and using PT treatment as a bridge to medical fitness and a long-term plan of care..He talked about chronic disease (and associated chronic inflammation) as a significant contributor to most patient’s pain and dysfunction, and that to treat the patient optimally, we need to treat the whole person..Having worked alongside physical therapists for a little over 15 years to that point, I could immediately see that Thomas was different and someone I wanted to collaborate with..Since then we have co-presented on Building the Bridge between PT and Fitness for the Medical Fitness Association, the American Physical Therapy Association’s annual Combined Section Meeting, Building a Bridge Between Medicine, Rehab, and Fitness (along with Sheila Hautbois, PA-C) at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s annual conference, and for the American College of Sports Medicine Greater New York Regional Chapter.  We’ve also built an online “Medicine, Rehab, and Fitness Institute,” and are now co-hosting a podcast..I interviewed Thomas last week so that people could begin to get some insight as to who he is and what he’s about as a professional..During the interview he talks about what led to his unique insight and approach to patient care, the unique model where he works as Director of Clinical Services (and much more) at Pinnacle Medical Wellness in Seattle, and how the field of physical therapy and the field of medicine could best integrate exercise into medicine..If you’re a physician, advanced practice provider, rehab practitioner, or fitness professional please take the time to listen to this podcast.  We’ll build on it over time and dive deeper into specific topics, many of which will relate to how clinicians and fitness professionals can better collaborate.Support the show