Chad Beauchamp of REPAIR Sports Institute in Huntington Beach, Calif. puts a new spin on physical therapy theory, practice and technique.
By Rick Weinberg, Editor, California Business Journal
Email: Rick@CalBizJournal.com / Mobile: 949-648-3815
WITHIN A FIVE-MILE RADIUS OF LINDSEY NOLL’S HOME IN LADERA RANCH, CALIF., there are approximately 100 physical therapists. Yet, Noll drives nearly two hours roundtrip just to work with Chad Beauchamp.
That speaks volumes about the uniqueness of Beauchamp and the quality of his approach and technique.
“I know there are a lot of good PTs [physical therapists] in my area, but there is just no one like Chad,” says Noll, a former collegiate and professional volleyball star who knows quite a bit about physical therapy, having undergone six knee surgeries during her career. “Chad’s knowledge, education, technique and experience are simply unparalleled. I would not be in the physical and mental state I am in without him.”
The USC-educated Beauchamp, a former multi-athletic star from Michigan, is Owner and Head Physical Therapist at REPAIR Sports Institute in Huntington Beach — and he is closing in on opening a separate location from its current wellness center in early 2016.
“I’ve never seen a PT as meticulous and knowledgeable as Chad,” says John Brumbaugh, owner of Fitness Solutions Wellness Center, the facility that REPAIR Sports Institute currently operates in. “The quality of Chad’s care is impeccable. He goes well beyond being a standard PT. He’s very assertive in his therapy, much more than others I’ve observed and worked with. It’s not like you come in and get an ice pack and sit on an exercise bike for 10-15 minutes. Not even close. Chad is very involved with his clients and very hands on. That’s what separates mediocre PTs from others — his hands-on approach and overall therapy skills and knowledge. He’s the best PT I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a lot. We’re very lucky to have him here.”
By the time he reached the age of 18, Beauchamp had already decided on a career as a sports physical therapist. During high school and college, he had suffered through several injuries and surgeries, curtailing his dreams of a football career. Yet he wanted to remain on the field in some capacity because of his love for sports, competition and the intriguing science behind how the human body functions.
Having spent so much time in the training room, Beauchamp quickly became fascinated with physical therapy techniques to immediately detect how an injury occurred and how to help athletes – and non-athletes — recover quicker from physical ailments.
All the effort and time Beauchamp spent on the field playing sports was now transferred to studying physical therapy. He wound up attending USC, the No. 1 ranked physical therapy school in the nation, and earned a Doctorates degree. He did his sports residency at the University of Cincinnati and extensively studied sports research at Evidence in Motion, which provides cutting-edge programs, research, resources, and training to practicing physical therapists.
Beauchamp did not stop there, however, illustrating his remarkable commitment and passion to his profession.
“What makes me different from other PTs?” Beauchamp says, repeating his interviewer’s questions. “It’s my underlying passion to help people on more than just their physical injury and to help advance the profession itself.
“When I went to SC, I went there to help change the game of physical therapy and to make an impact in this profession,” he says. “I’m not the type of person who is going to go to school, get a degree, work at a clinic and collect a paycheck. No way. I knew I’d have my own facility one day and help change the way PTs think and do things the right way — ethically.”
At USC, the curriculum is heavy researched based. Graduates like Beauchamp are constantly learning the need for new techniques and practices, and how to treat a certain injury with new innovative technology to get athletes “back to sport as quickly as possible,” Beauchamp says.
At many physical therapy clinics throughout the country, old school methods are repeatedly used, like the combination of ice and stimulation, even though it’s proven to have no benefits, according to Beauchamp.
“It doesn’t make any sense why it is still used,” he says. “There are a lot more new technologies that are more beneficially proven versus using ice all the time. There is a lot of new research in PT and the athletic-training world that prove it. There is a time and place for ice, but if there are better techniques out there, I will apply them for better patient results.”
Beauchamp’s colleagues and patients are amazed at the amount of new research he is aware of and how he instantly implements it into his practice.
“Chad is constantly learning – he’s always talking about the new techniques he learns about,” says Brooke Sweat, a U.S. Olympic Beach Volleyball player. “Many PTs are stuck in old-school ways and aren’t learning or adopting new techniques based on research that help athletes recover quicker and become faster and stronger.
The amount of research that is pumped out daily about PT advancements and discoveries is phenomenal. Beauchamp says: “There are literally thousands of articles every year – and that pushes the profession forward.”
Sweat, the all-time career leader in kills at Florida Gulf Coast University, and an eight-year AVP pro, is receiving treatment from Beauchamp on an injured shoulder on this day. As Beauchamp digs into her shoulder, she says, “being a former athlete himself, Chad understands what athletes like me need. He ‘gets it.’ He pushes us, which is really important to a high-level athlete.”
Even if you’re not a high-powered athlete, Beauchamp’s work is equally effective. He created his own system of evaluating a patient. With his experienced, keen eye, he watches how a person walks and moves and can discover immediately why the patient is suffering from virtually any problem. For instance, when one patient was suffering from a knee injury, Beauchamp determined that the ailment was the result of a hip problem – just by the way they were walking.
A simple wrist injury can be the result of poor posture so Beauchamp takes everything into consideration when analyzing a patient. He calls it the mind, body and spirit approach.
“Athletes, coaches and parents are concerned about going to physical therapy and being shut down due to an injury – and that’s not always the case,” Beauchamp says. “My goal is to get them back to doing whatever they need to do as quickly and safely as possible.”
With his experience and proven results, Beauchamp can return an athlete – or a worker – back to their tasks “because I put them through a gamut of functional testing and take into consideration the entire person – meaning mind, body and spirit.”
Beauchamp pauses for a moment and looks out his office window. “Patients and our communities need to be educated,” he says, “and it is our duty that we provide them with the best professional medical advice as possible.”
Add to that the best professional environment as well. That’s what the new REPAIR Sports Institute will feature.
“Not one detail will go unnoticed,” Beauchamp says. “From the paint and lights to the music and equipment, everything will have a point and a reason. This is the way a facility should be so patients get the most positive experience possible. Currently, no one does all that. We will.”
The majority of clinics have florescent lights, which is proven to decrease an individual’s mood. Rest assured, REPAIR Sports Institute will have appropriate lighting, color themes and music to energize patients when necessary.
“This is what I mean by ‘changing the game,’” Beauchamp says. “Our practice will be the new, hip, fun environment that a pro athlete or the everyday Joe will benefit from. They will not only get top-quality care but they will be treated as an entire person.”
Contact Chad Beauchamp PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy | Board Certified Sports Specialist | Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Owner and Head PT of REPAIR Sports Institute
Fitness Solutions Wellness Center
16561 Bolsa Chica Road Suite 107
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
714-377-4313
Read the magazine article here.
