Unofficial reports compiled by the National Weather Service in Buffalo put the snow at 57 inches in West Seneca, and 60 in Gardenville, from the November 17 to 19, 2014 lake-effect storm. Most winters are kinder, but the shoveling still adds up, and so do soccer seasons and hockey games. If you’re looking for physical therapists in West Seneca, NY, Lake Erie Physical Therapy sits just up Route 16 and the 190 in Buffalo: about 18 minutes from central West Seneca when the roads are clear, with rush hour or a snow band adding to that.
When the driveway is the injury
The Weather Service describes that 2014 band as 15 to 20 miles wide, centered on a line from Lackawanna and Hamburg across West Seneca toward Lancaster and Alden. An ordinary snowfall still puts a back through a lot. You bend, lift a loaded shovel, twist, throw, and repeat it the length of the driveway. When your low back or neck complains afterward, the useful question is which movements and positions ease it and which make it worse.
A McKenzie Method evaluation is built to answer exactly that. We ask you to move in particular directions, sometimes over and over and sometimes holding a position, and we note what your pain does each time. You go home with a handful of exercises chosen from those results. Our McKenzie-certified owner is Dr. Will Tso, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT. Because the method hands you the tools for the next snowfall, it can mean fewer visits. Read more about McKenzie Method care and how the clinic approaches back pain and spine care.
Before you book: signs that need a doctor
A physical therapy visit is no replacement for a doctor’s diagnosis, and some warning signs put the doctor first. Chest pain or tightness, or shortness of breath that feels out of proportion while you shovel, is a reason to call 911. New problems controlling urine or bowel movements, or numbness where a bike saddle would touch (groin, buttocks, inner thighs), call for an emergency department. See a physician first for back pain after a fall, pain with a fever, or weakness in a leg that’s getting steadily worse.
Trojans, Warhawks and 16 town parks
Several of West Seneca’s sports addresses sit on Seneca Street. West Senior High School, home of the Warhawks, is at 3330 Seneca Street. The town’s soccer complex is at 3747, and East Senior High School, home of the Trojans, is at 4760. The indoor ice rink shares Town Hall’s address on Union Road, and the town maintains 16 parks with baseball diamonds, soccer fields and walking paths.
Not every student in town is a Trojan or a Warhawk. The West Seneca Central School District serves portions of four towns (West Seneca, Cheektowaga, Orchard Park and Hamburg), and the Orchard Park district takes in part of West Seneca too, so some West Seneca students attend high school in Orchard Park.
Whatever the jersey, the injuries are familiar: an ankle rolled while cutting on grass, a shoulder that met the boards, a knee that buckled on a landing. In sports physical therapy, rehab starts with controlled strengthening and works up to drills that look like your sport, and we test strength along with hopping, cutting or throwing before giving the green light for full play. After surgery, clearance is your surgeon’s decision, and suspected concussions go to a physician before anything else.
Not every goal involves a scoreboard. After a knee replacement, the walking part of your home program can happen on the town’s paths or the grounds of the Burchfield Nature & Art Center on Union Road, open dawn to dusk, while knee replacement rehab sets how far and how fast.
Looking for physical therapists in West Seneca, NY?
Whether home is Gardenville on the Cheektowaga line, Ebenezer, Winchester or East Seneca out on Route 16, we’re a single clinic on Buffalo’s Virginia Street, so it’s fair to ask what the drive buys you. Your evaluation and treatment come from the people who own the practice, Dr. Ryan Mitchell, PT, DPT, or Dr. Will Tso, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, one-on-one. We unlock the door at 7 AM four days a week, Tuesday to Friday, which leaves room for a visit before a day shift, and on Mondays through Thursdays the doors stay open until 6:30. Work on the Medical Campus? Our spot between the campus and Allentown keeps the trip from work short.
Southgate Plaza to Virginia Street on NFTA Metro
You can reach us from West Seneca without a car. Route 15 Seneca runs between Southgate Plaza and downtown Buffalo along Seneca Street. Downtown, switch to Metro Rail heading up Main Street; Allen/Medical Campus is your stop, and from the platform our door is about four minutes away on foot. Route 14 Abbott starts at The Shops at West Seneca, and some of its trips carry on as far as the Medical Campus. Check NFTA’s trip planner for current times before your first ride.
Shoveled one driveway too many, or rolled an ankle at the soccer complex? Give us a ring at (716) 332-4838. Booking online instead? Use the appointment request page. You won’t need a referral for most plans.