Meet Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT | Specializing in Pelvic Health, Spine and TMJ Disorder Physical Therapy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Maureen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
What motivates you each day to get up and invest your time and energy into something? Finding my true north has inspired me to create a place of healing for others that is different. I am a physical therapist and founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We are a specialty clinic, helping people overcome pelvic, TMJ, neck and back issues.

My motivation comes from a deep desire to serve people so they can heal and feel great. And from deep down inside, I truly LOVE what I do. In establishing Purple Mountain PT I have wanted to give patients a safe haven to recover and to give physical therapists a supportive place to work to grow their skills. I have always pointed myself towards excellence in the treatment methods I offer patients. Often patients have been let down by prior physical therapy or other medical experiences to heal their pelvic, back or jaw pain and problems. It is my goal that when patients come to Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, they discover a healing environment that delivers comprehensive & holistic physical therapy treatments that truly exceed their expectations.

When I started my own business, I knew I wanted it to be different than other physical therapy clinics. I’ve been a PT for 26 years and I know that many other PT clinics are struggling to effectively serve patients. I love my field of physical therapy and know that my colleagues around the nation are doing the best they can to help others, but they are often in a no-win situation with having limited time to work with patients, being overworked treating multiple patients at once, working in a diagnosis-limited model of care and not having senior staff PTs providing mentorship or support so they can advance their clinical skills.

So, if the problem is that PTs have to treat multiple patients simultaneously, I solved that by providing our patients one-on-one appointments. If the problem was PTs only had 20-30 minutes with their patients, I solved that by elongating appointments to upto 55 minutes, so we have the time to give manual therapies, rehabilitative ultrasound imaging, therapeutic exercise and neural calming. If the problem was the PTs lacked the clinical skills, I solved that by providing in-depth and ongoing mentorship and teaching of advanced clinical concepts and techniques. If the problem was the PTs aren’t able to treat the whole body, they can only treat a diagnosis, I solved that by broadening our clinical assessment skills, teaching these to our staff physical therapists and providing them the skill set to serve patients holisitically. If the problem was the PTs lacked experience treating pelvic, jaw or spine conditions, I solved that by specializing in these conditions; our PTs treat these conditions, all day, everyday. If the problem was that patients were not feeling heard, supported and safe in their other experiences with medical providers, I solved that by providing a welcoming, positive and calm environment, with private treatment rooms and clinicians who are trained to provide trauma informed care.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My main thought process behind founding Purple Mountain Physical Therapy was that our community members deserve the type of care we offer and there is a lack of this here. I practiced for two decades in Chicago, working closely with some of our nations top medical centers and surgeons known for excellence in spine and pelvic health. As a result, I have insights and experience that are difficult to find. I bring all of this knowledge and a heart for service to the Purple Mountain PT clinic everyday. I pour myself into helping patients find their strength again, to become painfree and to be able to be active. I invest myself in our staff PTs so they can be supported and advance their skills. And, each day, I wake up, so looking forward to treating my patients. I end the day grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given. And, tomorrow, or next month, or next year, I am hopeful to be able to continue to be healthy, strong and able to serve others in this manner. What I do for work is a gift to me and I’m grateful to hear from patients that it has changed their lives for the better. This is my true north: serving others in a meaningful way. If you are experiencing a pelvic, spine, or TMJ problem and want to learn more, call us at (616) 516-4334 or check us out at www.purplemountainpt.com. You can see me on Instagram regularly @purplemountainpt.

I’m very excited to offer our patients rehabilitative ultrasound imaging! What is this and why would a person want this? Well, most of us are familiar with ultrasounds to look at your babies, when pregnant. At Purple Mountain PT we have a special ultrasound technology that helps us look at the pelvic floor, abdominal muscles and spine muscles while you are exercising, coughing, laughing, talking or moving. This is eye opening for our patients. We literally can see that you are having ineffective muscle control over your bladder, back or abdomen. Then we use this ultrasound while we teach you how to more effectively engage your pelvic floor, deep abdominals or low back muscles. This is a game changer for patients. Often the “light bulb” goes on and they realize how to tap into their deep core more effectively. It is a huge leap forward in our ability to help patients overcome persistent pelvic floor, abdominal wall or spine problems.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
West Michigan does not disappoint! If you are visiting here, I would suggest that you get outdoors. I love Seidman Park for a local walk amongst trees or Roselle Park, if you want a paved area. Plan to visit downtown Ada in the summer for one of their free, outdoor summer concerts. Or head to Meijer Gardens for both the beautiful sculptures and flowers as well as a concert.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have so many colleagues over the years who have influenced me and supported my ability to serve patients. I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to Dr. Rhonda Kotarinos, DPT. She has been a leader in our field of pelvic health and we worked side by side for 15 years. Her mastery of helping people resolve complex, horrendous pelvic health conditions is unparalled. Soon Dr. Kotarinos will be celebrating 50 years of continuous treating of patients. Her knowledge is incredible and youthfulness & energy are unmatched. https://www.kotarinosphysicaltherapy.com/

Website: https://www.purplemountainpt.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purplemountainpt/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenokeefedpt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurpleMountainPT