October is National Physical Therapy Month

We are giving away a Friday.

One day, both Traverse City locations, nothing but free 20-minute assessments with a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Come find out what is actually driving it, before anyone talks to you about medication, an injection or surgery.

Friday, October 16Registration closes Thursday, October 15 at 5:00 PM

No billing
No insurance card
No referral
Nothing to sign

Hold your spot

40 slots for the day. Twenty at each location.

Or call the front desk and say you want a spot on Assessment Day. It takes about ninety seconds. (231) 944-6541

The question we actually ask

We are not going to ask you where it hurts.

We are going to ask what you have stopped doing.

Almost every week somebody sits down across from us and says they have had the same hip for four years. They rested it. They iced it. Somebody told them it was arthritis and that was the end of the conversation. And they have been quietly rearranging life around it ever since.

Nobody ever actually watched them move.

That answer tells us more than the pain does, and it is the part we can change.

The ladder.
The second lap around the block.
The stretch of garden that used to take a Saturday.
Sleeping on that side.
Getting down on the floor with the grandkids, and getting back up.

What the twenty minutes looks like

Four minutes talking. Eleven minutes moving. Five minutes of answers.

0 to 4 min
Your history, and the one question
What hurts, how long, what you have already tried, and what you have stopped doing because of it. That last one is the one we care about.
4 to 15 min
We watch you move
Standing, stepping, reaching, turning. On your feet and loaded, not lying on a table. We look above and below whatever hurts, because that is where the cause usually lives.
15 to 20 min
You get told what is driving it
Out loud, in plain English, while you are standing there. You keep that answer whether or not you ever come back. If we do not think we can help you, we say so and point you toward whoever can.

Why we look somewhere else

Your knee hurts, so we are going to look at your ankle.

Every joint borrows motion from the joints above and below it. A stiff ankle means the knee absorbs what the ankle stopped absorbing. A stiff hip means the low back does the extra work.

The place that hurts is usually the place that had to cover for somewhere else.

That is why twenty minutes of watching you move is worth more than twenty minutes of pressing on the sore spot.

Where it started and where it hurts are rarely the same joint. Twenty minutes on your feet is how we tell them apart.

Who should take a slot

If any of these is you, the day is for you.

You have had the same ache for more than six months
You have a hip or knee replacement on the calendar
Your surgeon has started using the word and you are still deciding

You finished therapy somewhere, felt better for a while, and are back where you started
A joint aches when the weather turns and you have decided that is just how it is now
You have quietly stopped doing something you used to do

Who is eligible

Past patients of Superior Physical Therapy who have not had a session in the last two months. And your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, whether or not they have ever been here. If you are currently in a plan of care with us, keep your regular appointments and give your slot to someone who needs it.

Where to go

Both Traverse City locations, open all day.

401 Munson Avenue

Traverse City, MI 49686

20 slots

3899 West Front Street

Traverse City, MI 49684

20 slots

Pick a location when you register and we will confirm the exact suite and your time when we call.

The questions people actually ask

Before you book.

Is it really free, or is this a discounted visit?

Really free. We do not bill your insurance, we do not ask for a card, and nothing gets sent to you afterward. The day costs us a Friday of schedule and we run it once or twice a year on purpose.

Do I need a referral from my doctor?

No. Michigan is a direct access state, which means you have never needed a referral to see a physical therapist here. Not on October 16, and not any other day.

Will you push me toward surgery or medication?

The opposite. The whole point of the twenty minutes is to find out what is driving the problem and how much of it can be changed by moving differently, before anyone reaches for a prescription pad. If you do need a surgeon, we will tell you that too.

What if I am already seeing someone else for it?

Come anyway if you want a second read on what is driving it. We will tell you what we see and you can take that back to whoever you are working with. We are not trying to move you.

Am I going to get sold something at the end?

You get told what we found and what your options are. If one of those options is working with us, we will say so and you can think about it. If we do not think we can help you, we will say that too and point you toward whoever can.

My surgery is already scheduled. Is this still worth twenty minutes?

It is arguably the best use of the day. A 2025 review pooled 19 randomized trials covering 1,110 hip replacement patients, and the ones who did a structured exercise program before surgery had fewer complications and recovered function faster afterward. The finding that matters: education alone changed nothing, the benefit came from supervised exercise. Most people on a surgical schedule have four to eight weeks, which is enough time.

What should I wear?

Something you can move in and shoes you actually walk in. We are going to watch you step, turn and reach, so leave the dress shoes at home.

Forty slots, and the ad has already run.

Registration closes Thursday, October 15 at 5:00 PM. When Friday is full, Friday is full, and the next one is a long way off.

Hold my spot