Richfield native helps people function better
by Mike Root |
HERKIMER
– A 1998 graduate of Richfield Springs Central School, Kevin Kress,
wants the people of the Richfield area to know about an option they
might not be aware of. Kress, the son of Mike and Karen of Richfield,
is a physical therapist assistant and personal trainer at Function
Better on Mohawk Street in Herkimer. Kress thinks there’s a lot of
people who don’t know what physical therapy is and aren’t aware of the
benefits.
The entrepreneurial creation of Physical Therapist Joe Martin,
Function Better not only specializes in physical therapy, but also
sports performance training and weight loss and management. A lot of
the clients at Function Better are athletes, but Kress and Martin feel
everyone can benefit from the services they offer. “We treat everybody,
not just athletes,” Kress said. “We just had a two-month-old come in
today (last Thursday), and we’ve had people in their 80s.” Kress said
injuries or pain to the shoulders, knees and spine are the biggest
things they treat.
Kress said a lot of people have a painful area on their body, but
either ignore it or think they have to live with it. “We tell people
that pain is an indicator that something is wrong,” he said.
Kress said the most common areas they deal with, as far as physical
therapy is concerned, are ankle sprains and strains, arthritis, back
pain, balance deficits, bulging or herniated discs, knee replacements,
neck pain or stiffness, orthopedic injuries, shoulder pain and weight
loss and management. However, they deal with just about everything –
from bone loss to hip replacements to nerve dysfunction.
A lot of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons send patients to
Function Better. “A lot of times they send us their toughest patients
to see if we can get them better so they don’t need surgery, and a lot
of times we do (prevent surgery),” Kress said. A person does need a
prescription from their doctor to receive physical therapy, so the
staff at Function Better maintains relationships with the area
physicians.
The weight loss and management program is tailored to suit the needs
of the particular person. “Everything is one on one,” Kress said. “It’s
monitored, and we design a program that best suits them.” The staff at
Function Better monitor a client’s body fat percentage, which is a
comparison between the amount of body fat and lean muscle. A lot of
times, Kress starts people on a walking program to break them in
slowly. “The thing about weight loss is, you can’t just work out for
three to four months and then stop,” he said. “It’s a change in
lifestyle, and you have to change things a little at a time.”
While Function Better helps rehabilitate a lot of surgery patients,
Kress said many of them are athletes who have had surgery. They not
only can help them with the injured area, but can combine that with the
sports performance training they offer. Any athlete can learn
techniques which will help them in a specific sport. For example, a
soccer player can work to kick the ball with more power, while a
baseball player can learn to hit the ball harder and further. There are
a number of techniques in each sport of football, soccer, basketball,
track and field, baseball and hockey, that can help the athlete perform
better. “Most athletes, like football and soccer players, want to run
faster, but basketball players want to jump higher and baseball players
want to throw harder,” Kress said.
Function Better is currently treating Kyle Richards of Richfield.
Richards, a junior at RSCS and a pitcher on the varsity baseball team,
felt some stiffness in his shoulder early in the season. Richards, who
currently pitches for the Ilion American Legion baseball team, said he
has been going to Function Better for five or six weeks and has seen
improvement on the pitcher’s mound. “I’ve noticed a big difference,” he
said. “I’m throwing a little bit harder, and my pitches are better and
I feel like I could last longer on the mound.” Richards said Kress has
been working to stretch and condition his arm, while teaching him
motions and techniques for pitching.
Function Better can even help the older athletes improve their golf game.
Martin opened Function Better in October of 2002, and two more
locations were soon to follow. There are also facilities in Whitesboro
and New Hartford. “The success has been unbelievable,” said an
enthusiastic Martin. “Herkimer is still our most successful facility.”
Martin stressed that enthusiasm and passion from the staff are what
helps Function Better strive. “The staff at Function Better is a great
asset for this company,” he said. “They have great vision, are
proactive, and are constantly improving themselves both professionally
and personally. We want our facility to breed inspiration, motivation
and confidence, so that when someone walks in, they feel automatically
inspired.”
Martin was particularly excited about two upcoming projects, a speed
and agility camp and a new cutting-edge fitness center. Ilion High
School will host the clinic from July 19-Aug. 11. “It’s a four-week
program designed to help athletes prevent injury and get faster,”
Martin said. Martin would not give a date or location for the fitness
center, but said, “A lot of high-grade stuff is coming to central New
York.”
For more information on the business, log onto the Internet at www.functionbetter.com.
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