Meet Nick C., DPT Student Buffalo
A third year DPT Student from the University of Buffalo.
Why did you decide to enter the field of Physical Therapy?
Growing up, my brothers and I played every sport with each other and competed with each other non-stop, so during my freshmen year of undergrad when my brother injured his back away at school it was pretty devastating to hear him say “ the doctor told me I have the spine of a 70 year old and to not lift heavy weights anymore”. With this came a prescription for physical therapy and I was able to see firsthand my brother make tons of progress and finally return to doing what we love, competing with one another. Physical therapy not only allowed him to regain his strength but also regain his confidence, and helped him realize that he wasn’t “damaged” like the doctors had told him. Being able to combine my natural competitive drive, the enjoyment I get from helping others and athletics all in one, physical therapy became the field I knew I wanted to be a part of.
What is your background?
I am a 3rd year doctor of physical therapy student from the University at Buffalo. I was born and raised on Long Island but when it came to looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to be at a bigger school. I graduated with my BS in Exercise Science from UB in 2018 and went straight into their DPT program. I played football my whole life growing up and also ran track in high school. Now I enjoy weightlifting and performance training and all the challenges that come with it. Being able to transform your body, hit new PRs and do things you never thought possible is more fun than you think. Aside from weightlifting I still enjoy playing and watching football, basketball and hockey!
What is your specialty/niche when it comes to being a future physical therapist?
I have always had a passion to work with athletes. Being able to bridge the gap between rehab and “pre-hab” as a physical therapist is an area that I feel I would love to be working in. As an undergrad I was able to complete a performance training internship where I was able to work with a wide range of athletes from the youth level all the way to the semi-pro level. Along this wide spectrum there is endless room for movement optimization and injury prevention. Through my clinical rotations I have also become very interested in treating the spine (cervical and lumbar radiculopathies).
What are you most looking forward to joining the Rehab 2 Perform team?
I am extremely excited to learn from a team that is passionate about not only the rehab side of therapy but the performance side as well. I also look forward to the challenge of working with a higher-level population, this will help push the limits of my own personal skills as a clinician and me expand my knowledge of PT and performance therapy. The amount of positive comments I have heard from colleagues about this clinical experience is just icing on the cake to what I know will be an awesome rotation.
What are your plans on trying to engage and connect with the community?
Being able to connect with the community in which you work is an undervalued tool in my opinion. Through my previous rotations I have been able to help conduct a free baseball movement assessment with the local high school and middle school and provide helpful information to the student athletes. In our day and age, I do believe social media is one of the best ways to connect with the community and get valuable information out to a wide variety of people.