Chris Guempel, PT, MPT

Chris started out in music. He studied at the University of Louisville and earned a Bachelor's of Music in Cello Performance, then continued studying music in Mainz, Germany. When he returned to the United States, he changed direction entirely and went into physical therapy, completing his graduate studies back at the University of Louisville in December of 2001.

In his own words: "I took a path less traveled."

The music background is not a footnote in how he practices. Learning an instrument at that level means years of paying close attention to how the body produces movement, where it strains, and what has to change when something stops working. That is a reasonable description of a physical therapy evaluation, too.

Chris set a rule for himself when he started practicing in 2001: give it at least five years before attempting to build a private practice. He spent that time sharpening his evaluation and treatment skills and getting a feel for what patients and the surrounding community actually needed.

He opened Encore Physical Therapy in 2009. As he puts it, being an owner means he can work to meet the needs of the community as well as set professional goals for himself. The clinic's story since then is on the About page.

There is no typical patient at Encore, and Chris says so directly. He has treated a broad spectrum of diagnoses, including postoperative, orthopedic, neurological, and work-related cases, and he wants every person who walks through the door to know they matter regardless of the diagnosis.

What a treatment plan looks like depends on what is actually wrong. Chris prefers a hands-on approach with exercise integrated into it, aiming for both short-term relief and long-term durability. He'll often add a modality such as ultrasound, or a specific technique like taping, to help the healing process along.

Two things he holds himself to:

• The initial exam and treatment plan are detail oriented. He's looking for the source of the symptoms, not just the location of the pain.
• If you aren't showing improvement, he changes course quickly rather than repeating a plan that isn't working.

"I want you to feel comfortable and confident that I am on your side with getting you better."

Chris sees patients across the clinic's main areas of care, including pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation and sports medicine. Given his own background, the clinic's page on musical instrument rehabilitation is worth a look if playing is what hurts.