Three times a week, Dougher visited the center, where physical therapists put her through grueling 2‑hour sessions designed to get her “back in the game.” They included a series of single leg exercises designed to strengthen her quad muscles and other muscles around the injured knee. Five weeks later Dougher returned to non‑contact drills with her team and a week later resumed game action, albeit with the injured knee protected by a brace.

To further strengthen her knee so she could get rid of the brace, Dougher returned to the center for a four‑week summer program. She still visits to lift weights with several of her teammates.

Said Dougher, who will be attending Washington State University this fall on a soccer scholarship, “Most of the people who work at the center were competitive athletes, so they know how to get you back on the field in your sport. The center is definitely more geared to athletes.”

Evidence that Dougher’s wasn’t an isolated case are the many athletic jerseys adorning the facility’s walls. On each is written a personal note thanking the center and its trainers for helping the athlete return to his or her sport.

Established in Scottsdale in 2003, the center is expanding its facility at 7960 E. Thompson Peak Parkway in Scottsdale by 6,000 square feet. In addition, in December of 2005, it opened a 3,200‑ square‑foot operation in Tuscany Village at  Cave Creek Road and Desert Willow East.

Jim Kostrewa, the physical therapist who oversees the new facility, said the center has expanded its operations due to a number of factors, including the rapid growth of the Scottsdale and North Phoenix communities, the explosion in youth sports, and the tendency for athletes to play their sports year‑around thereby increasing the chance for injury.

“We take a ‘functional’ approach,” said Physical Therapist Kristen Collins, who earned her degree at Northern Arizona University. “By that I mean we’re not locked into using machines to rehabilitate athletes. We try to restore tissue deficits and develop strength and stability through balance coordination exercises and using tools such as medicine balls and dumbbells. It’s more of a ‘free’ system.”

In addition to restoring a patient’s overall strength, physical therapists concentrate on developing muscles that are specific to an athlete’s particular sport, be it soccer, football, baseball, track or swimming. Therapists also work with a number of young dancers and gymnasts.

The center attracts athletes from across the Valley and has a few clients who travel from as far as California. Two recent clients were National Football League players, one from the Cincinnati Bengals, the other from the Indianapolis Colts.

“A lot of our business comes from personal referrals,”explained Collins. “Even if they now live quite a distance away, many patients return to us because of the trusting relationship they’ve developed with our physical therapists.”

Combined, the two centers receive about 1,000 visits a month. While most of their clients are high‑school students competing for school or club teams, not all are athletes.

For instance, the center treats a number of pediatric patients, some as young as three years old. These youngsters  often have gross motor delays, congenital defects or are just slower in their physical development. With these patients, the center incorporates functional play as their exercise. On the other end of the spectrum are seniors; Kostrewa said he had a patient who was pushing 100.

In addition, the center has about 75 people in its True Wellness Program, which is geared to individuals who just want to get in better shape or improve their flexibility.

“For members of this program we design specialized exercise programs they know to do each time they come in,” explained Collins. “Otherwise, it just becomes too easy for some people to just hop on the exercise bicycle and believe they’re getting a good workout.”

Reach the reporter at barry@thedesertadvocate.com.