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BUSINESS
THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | AUGUST 22, 2021
Young athletes no stretch for physical therapist BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA Contributor
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hwatukee natives and residents Dr. Matthew Fletcher and his wife Amy opened their first practice, Fletch Physical Therapy, in Gilbert last spring, and since then the youthful pair has been helping area athletes – and even local seniors – step up their game. “We’ve got your back,” is a tongue-incheek phrase Fletcher has used in communicating on Facebook and Instagram. Yet, it holds true as he works in his modern clinic at Suite M, 1400 N. Gilbert Road, and when he literally hits the road with his fold-and-go physical therapy treatment table to travel to Chander. Fletcher is geared to helping youthful athletes learn effective ways to minimize risk of injury in their chosen sport, improve their game by targeting specific muscle groups, and if and when needed, provide exercises to safely hasten recovery from injuries. He is scheduled to visit high schools throughout the East Valley this month with his preventive physical therapy approach to aid athletes perform at their optimum.
Left: As a former athlete himself, Dr. Matthew Fletcher knows the value of a physical therapist. Right: Ahwatukee native Dr. Matthew Fletcher and wife Amy, seen here with daughter Evelyn, opened a physical therapy clinic in Gilbert earlier this year. (Special to The Arizonan)
at a seemingly-invincible age. “I tore my ACL three times in my early twenties while playing basketball in college! And that was when I was in my
My long-term goal would be to see patients one “ time a week while teaching aspiring physical therapists at a local college. I want to have my business so organized that we can hire anyone on and give them a comfortable and warm environment so they can take care of their family.
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– Dr. Matthew Fletcher
As a former Desert Vista High School and college athlete, Fletcher said he learned the hard way the value of a physical therapist’s knowledge and advice when going gung-ho at sports, even
prime,” he said. “It’s scary to think that even though I was at my strongest, I was still so weak and susceptible!” Those experiences, from ages 21 to 25, moved Fletcher toward his career in
physical therapy. “Yes, that’s why I became a physical therapist so that I could help other young athletes not have to experience what I did. The injury I had was easily preventable. That’s why I’m all about providing free screenings and watching people’s form while they run to make sure they are doing it safely.” Fletcher graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho with a BA in exercise physiology with an emphasis on personal exercise prescription and nutrition. He then earned a doctorate degree from Loma Linda University, one of the top 10 physical therapy schools in the nation. After receiving his doctorate, he completed 70 hours of a manual orthopedic residency from Ola Grimsby Institute. He and his wife Amy and their then4-month-old daughter Evelyn - opened their clinic in Gilbert, augmenting their business with what is proving to be a popular mobile therapy program that
travels throughout the East Valley. Amy Fletcher, who serves as president of Fletch Physical Therapy, is a part-time dental hygiene instructor at Carrington College in Mesa. She also teaches weightlifting classes twice weekly at the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA. “And while the baby naps, Amy’s answering emails, making phone calls and scheduling patients,” Fletcher said of his 30-year-old wife. “Slow-cooked meals are a big deal in our house.” The pair, Ahwatukee residents, are avid runners having competed twice in the Phoenix Half Marathon and other area running competitions. “My wife is the one who got me into running. She started having knee problems from all the running since she wasn’t doing any strength training, so I put her on an exercise routine and now she’s pain free and teaches the weightlifting classes and often subs yoga classes,” said Fletcher. As a physical therapist, he’s also treating other area runners before injuries hobble them. A major goal this fall for the 34-year-old Fletcher is helping athletes in high schools throughout the Valley of the Sun, but especially those throughout the East Valley. “My plan is to travel to high schools to give free screenings for their athletes. These screenings show if the kids’ muscles are strong enough to prevent injury, and you’d be surprised at the results I have found with some of my screenings with young athletes,” he said. “They might look strong, but quite often some muscle groups are weak, making other muscles overcompensate. And, do you know what happens when some muscles overcompensate? You guessed it. Injury. If we know that the kids are prone to injury, we can discuss what exercises they can do to strengthen the weak muscles.”
see THERAPIST page 25
