Spokane’s Four Seasons Physical Therapy in for long haul

Four Seasons Physical Therapy has served patients for 30 years, and now in some cases is working with children of early patients.

John McKinnon, 59, and Susan Taylor, 62, started the business in April 1984 with Jerry Johnson, who retired in January. The three of them had worked together as physical therapists at St. Luke’s before opening their private practice at 1111 W. Wellesley Ave.

“At the time we started, there were probably only seven private physical therapy practices in Spokane,” Taylor said.

“We’re now the oldest clinic that has the same owners and same location,” McKinnon said. “We have a lot of return patients, then their children have come to us. We also have a wide referral base of physicians from all around town.”

McKinnon and Taylor said they plan to stay for a long time to come, and they’ve recently hired Kari Budd, who holds a doctor of physical therapy degree. The clinic has a staff of nine, including the three physical therapists, one PT assistant, two aides, and three front office employees.

“Each therapist averages about 10 to 12 patients per day,” McKinnon said. “And we have two physical therapists who do fill in. They’re kind of on call when we go on vacation.”

When they started, the partners relied on doctor referrals and word-of-mouth. They credit their success to longtime employees and support from their Shadle Park area neighbors.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have a very good staff,” McKinnon said. “We’re in a good neighborhood, Shadle Park; it’s a middle-income, blue-collar neighborhood. People are loyal. They like us and their families grow up here and keep coming to us, so it’s a generational thing.”

“We’ve been able to establish relationships with them, and they’ve kept us going,” Taylor added. “We’ve had staff work here for a long time. We’re flexible with their schedules to put family first.”

McKinnon said the clinic does general orthopedic outpatient treatment, or in laymen’s terms, physical therapy for muscles and joints and rehabilitation after surgeries or injuries.

“We get people back to a functional level,” McKinnon said.

Patients also seek treatment because of arthritis, and for shoulder and elbow problems caused by overuse.

The 3,000-square-foot clinic has exam rooms and a gym with weights, a pulley system, balls and balance tools.

Taylor said Four Seasons’ therapists see themselves as educators as well, because they work with patients to learn teach them how to get their muscles and joints working better.

“We give patients tools to help them continue to improve,” she said. “We look at posture. We look at the whole patient. Maybe they’re here for shoulder and elbow pain, and we’ll see that also the back and neck are a problem.”

“It might be a postural problem, or a body mechanics issue, or how they work at their work station. We talk to them about that.”

The past 30 years have brought some industry changes, both said.

One shift is that most graduates today from physical therapy schools get a doctorate degree, they said. Taylor entered the profession with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy, the standard in the late 1970s.

McKinnon graduated in the 1980s with a master’s degree in physical therapy. “That was even unusual then,” he said.

Other industry changes include handling new technology and payer insurance requirements, he added.

“But for our basic service to our patients, which is evaluation, education, and manual and exercise intervention, it’s still a one-on-one relationship,” McKinnon said.

Both study the latest research and regularly attend continuing education sessions. They’re also members of the state’s professional association, and McKinnon is conference chair of the Physical Therapy of Washington Association Private Practice Group.

“With research, we know some techniques are more effective,” McKinnon said. “There’s a huge push toward evidence-based intervention. We know it’s backed by research, and we keep up on all that.”

“With the boomer generation being so active, yes, we’re learning all the time,” added Taylor. “The boomer generation has higher demands.”

Taylor also remains active with snow skiing and water skiing, biking, traveling and being a grandparent. McKinnon enjoys gardening, hiking and camping.

“It has helped us when talking to our patients; we’re all very active, too,” Taylor said.