Nolan Gardner

About Nolan Gardner

Dr. Nolan Gardner received his doctoral degree in physical therapy (DPT) from Hunter College and was the recipient of the Scott Elder Service Award, “given to a student displaying sincere concern for peers and the profession”. Since attaining his DPT, he has completed over 900 hours of continuing education courses in order to learn as many tools to help his patients as he can. After sitting for the Institute of Physical Art (IPA)’s examination to become a Certified Functional Manual Therapist (CFMT) and passing 8 written exams and 8 oral/practical exams over 6 days, he earned an overall grade of Honors and became one of about 600 people in the world with the distinction of CFMT.

Nolan’s primary goal is to help patients of all ages to maximize their individual potential. Functional Manual Therapy® is the foundation of how he approaches the evaluation and treatment of his patients. He specializes in using an integrative and holistic approach to the human body, and helping patients to discover the root causes of their problem. He believes the body is an interconnected system in which the painful part is not always the “problem” part, and that treating the whole person is vital in restoring function and solving complicated problems. He is a lifelong learner, and is currently pursuing further tools to help his patients through continuing education coursework taught by The Barral Institute. Nolan has spent the last 2.5 years of his career working in out-of-network outpatient orthopedic clinics in Manhattan and Brooklyn, surrounded by other CFMTs and Barral-trained practitioners. He has received over 100 hours of one-on-one mentorship with Elliot Fishbein, PT, OCS, CFMT, FAAOMPT, problem-solved with more experienced therapists, informally by sharing patients and formally through scheduled co-treatments, and has continued to grow as a therapist under this expert guidance.

Prior to becoming a Physical Therapist, Nolan earned a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Policy at Bard College. When Nolan is not treating patients, he enjoys bike touring, running, ultimate frisbee, soccer, squash, rock climbing, and yoga. His greatest hobby is as an amateur ethnomusicologist, and he loves collecting, listening to, and categorizing music from around the world. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with his wife and 2 daughters

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