Main Street in North Collins is Route 62, and heading north on it is the first leg of the trip to Lake Erie Physical Therapy. If you’re looking for physical therapy and live in North Collins, NY, or out in Lawtons, Langford, Shirley, Marshfield or New Oregon, our clinic at 531 Virginia Street in Buffalo is roughly 45 minutes away when the roads are clear. That’s a real commitment, since a plan of care often opens with two or three visits a week, so here is the route, the schedule and the reasons the drive can be worth it.
Langford, Lawtons, New Oregon and the village
The village of North Collins sits in the northwest corner of the town, where Route 62 meets Route 249. The rest of the town spreads out among hamlets: Langford at the crossing of Routes 75 and 249, Lawtons on Route 62 in the southwest corner, Marshfield on Route 75 near the southern town line, New Oregon out Route 249 to the northeast, and Shirley on Shirley Road, southeast of the village. That last name goes back to the beginning, since the town was founded in 1852 as the Town of Shirley.
North Collins addresses use ZIP 14111 and Lawtons has 14091, while parts of the town use Eden (14057) or Springville (14141). North Collins Central School District, at 2045 School Street, runs an elementary school and North Collins Jr/Sr High School.
Route 62 north, then Route 75 to the lake
From the village, follow Route 62 north into the village of Hamburg. There, stay with Route 75 as it turns north on Lake Street, becomes Camp Road and then St. Francis Drive, and meets Route 5 at the lake. Route 5 runs up the shoreline and over the Skyway into downtown Buffalo, a few minutes from Virginia Street. Starting near Shirley, the mapped route takes Shirley Road and Jennings Road up to Route 62. The whole trip is about 25 road miles; give yourself a cushion if the appointment falls near rush hour.
Eagles on the field
North Collins Jr/Sr High School is the home of the Eagles. Its teams include boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball, and some sports run as combined teams through a partnership with Eden Central School District. The district’s athletic complex has a field, a weight room and a gym.
Soccer and volleyball are hard on knees and ankles, with constant cutting, jumping and landing, while baseball and softball put repeated stress on the throwing shoulder. When an Eagle is sidelined, sports physical therapy builds back from the injury toward practice in measured steps, and a torn knee ligament follows its own plan in ACL rehab.
Lifting, shoveling and a back that keeps flaring
North Collins is south of Buffalo, and the National Weather Service notes that prevailing winds send much more lake-effect snow south of the city than north of it. Add shoveling to yard work, firewood or farm chores, and a sore back can turn into a recurring one.
For back and neck problems, the exam here is built on the McKenzie Method, also called Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy. Both owners work this way: Dr. Ryan Mitchell, PT, DPT, uses it as his primary approach, and Dr. Will Tso, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, completed the McKenzie Institute’s certification. You test repeated movements and positions, find the ones that ease your symptoms, and go home with exercises you can do yourself. That self-treatment focus can mean fewer trips up Route 62. See how the McKenzie Method works here, along with our approach to back pain and spine care.
Back pain that comes with numbness in the groin or inner thighs, new leg weakness, or trouble controlling your bladder or bowels needs medical care right away, before any physical therapy.
Is physical therapy in Buffalo practical from North Collins, NY?
Often, yes, with a plan. A few things make the distance easier:
- Early starts. We open at 7 AM Tuesday through Friday, so a visit can come before the workday instead of in the middle of it.
- An owner at your evaluation. You’ll be evaluated one-on-one by one of the two physical therapists who own the practice, and the visit schedule is set with your drive in mind.
- Check-ins without the drive. With remote therapeutic monitoring, you log home exercises in the Medbridge GO app between visits, and your therapist can adjust the program from Virginia Street.
- A taper. As you take over more of the work at home, visits can spread out.
When you’re ready, call (716) 332-4838, mention that you’re coming from North Collins, and we’ll suggest times that suit the drive. You can also request an appointment online.