Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcos Lopez, PT, DPT.
Marcos, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As an athlete in high school I suffered multiple injuries including a fractured right ankle and I blew out my left knee in the span of 1 year. Throughout that time, I spent almost a full year rehabbing those specific injuries. It was then that I was drawn to the field of physical therapy. It is a profession that taps into the science of exercise and movement, physiology of the human body and the nervous system, and the psychology and emotions associated with pain and injury. I had experienced those first hand and my physical therapist was able to guide me towards full recovery. I have always had an altruistic mentality and have been very engaged with health and wellness, so joining the physical therapy profession seemed like the perfect match!
I completed my undergraduate degree from Texas State University – San Marcos, with a BBA in Finance and completed all the pre-requisite coursework for physical therapy in the span of 4 years. I graduated on a Saturday in May of 2010 and had orientation the following Tuesday in El Paso to start the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at University of Texas El Paso (UTEP). I was born and raised in El Paso so this was a smooth transition. I was nominated as the president of our class and was very involved with the Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) at the State and local level. I would attend all the meetings and the annual conferences. This was always quite difficult for us being as far west as it gets in Texas.
I graduated from University of Texas El Paso in 2012. I worked in El Paso for 7 months before being offered a job at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) which would also guarantee me a position in their orthopedic residency program which prepares clinicians to sit for the board orthopedic specialty exam. While nearing completion of this program in March of 2015, I was appointed the membership co-chair for the TPTA. In the fall of 2016, I graduated from International Spine and Pain Institute’s Therapeutic Pain Specialist (TPS) program.
Currently enrolled in Evidence in Motions Fellowship in Manual Physical Therapy program. Currently I lecture the pain neuroscience curriculum to the UTSW DPT and orthopedic residency programs.
When I completed the UTSW orthopedic residency program in 2015 that is when I ended up at 3D Physical Therapy. In 2016, I became the clinic manager for the Turtle Creek location. 3D Physical Therapy’s mission is based on the 3 D’s of Development, Design, and Direction. We develop and design individualized treatment plans to direct the patient towards a speedy recovery and meet the patient where they are at in their current state. We focus on maximizing individualized 1:1 treatment time to ensure patients are set up for a successful recovery. I was drawn towards this company as it was a developing company that was small and I wanted to help it grow. The company’s vision was in line with my treatment philosophy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The path of my journey was relatively smooth. However, that does not mean it was easy. There were many long nights studying, many hours spent on prepping the weeks and months to come, hours spent in lab practicing skills, etc. Life always happens but as long as you have a game plan, are very efficient with your time, and have a great support system you can overcome any obstacle in your way.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 3D Physical Therapy – what should we know?
3D Physical Therapy is an outpatient private practice physical therapist owned clinic. We provide physical therapist services to individuals who have suffered an injury, are experiencing pain, or are needing or have had surgery. We specialize in developing individualized treatment and rehabilitation programs to address orthopedic musculoskeletal pain and movement disorders.
The 3 D’s include:
Development: We don’t just want you to feel better, we want you to heal better. To get you to your goals, we start at the very beginning. We want to understand fully your limitations and your expectations for therapy. We then educate you in regards to your specific diagnosis and tissue pathology, establish a prognosis for healing and set expectations required to achieve optimal function.
Design: The most constructive research-based treatment in the most cost-effective way. As a general rule, that’s the result for which we strive. To the individual, that means we design a customized program based on specific tissue involvement, any biomechanical impairments, and your relative activities. We also make every attempt to design the program around your schedule.
Direction: We meet you where you are and take you where you need to be. It’s that simple. Early functional activities are performed using specialized equipment for controlled loading to promote optimal recovery through pain-free exercise. Yes, pain-free. We’re betting you’d like to remember what that’s like.
As a small privately owned outpatient clinic our focus is on overall value for the service and creating an exceptional patient experience. We have developed a plan focused on schedule efficiency which allows us to spend more direct 1:1 time with our patients. We believe this is a big reason why our patients have great outcomes. We have become the go-to clinic not only for our community but also our peers, as a lot of our patients are healthcare providers themselves.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are too many to count! There are clinical, leadership, business development mentors that have played a huge role in the success of our development and growth.
Every member of our team as those mentors and we continue to strive because of the relationships we have established along our journey.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8222 Douglas Ave #430
Dallas, TX 752253131 Turtle Creek Blvd #615
Dallas, TX 75219 - Website: http://www.3dphysicaltherapy.net/
- Phone: Turtle Creek: 214-528-3DPT (3378) Douglas: 469-372-0021
- Email: [email protected] [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3DPHYSICALTHERAPY/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/3dpt-dallas
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