Becky Morris describes herself as “an Army brat.” She was born in Enterprise, AL and lived all over. As a child, she had to have several invasive corrective surgeries. It was that experience that caused her to know that she wanted to be in the medical field and help people. Prior to receiving her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2012, she earned her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Wellness from Jacksonville State here in Alabama. While awaiting acceptance to physical therapy school, she became licensed as a massage therapist, specializing in Swedish and Deep Tissue massage. It was during her father’s stint at Ft. Lewis in Washington State that she fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, and when the opportunity arose to go to Pacific University for physical therapy in Beaverton, OR, she and her husband, Brandon, jumped on it. She says getting her doctoral degree in physical therapy has “been a good fit,” which is especially important, as her baby girl is not quite a year old.
This office of OnMark Physical Therapy is located on County Line Road in Madison on the east side of the Publix Shopping Center. The address is 12110 County Line Rd, Madison, AL 35756. Becky could not do what she does as Clinical Director of the Madison location without her office coordinator, Melissa Hurst to support her and their patients. One of the things I like about the whole OnMark team, (besides the fact that they are genuinely caring and highly professional,) is that they have areas of expertise that they have developed specifically and greatly enjoy practicing personally. If a patient has a specific need where Dr. Becky “shines,” Dr. Tyler Tucker, Clinical Director of the Athens OnMark location, will often send one of his patients to her, and vice versa.
For example, with a sparkle in her eye, and enthusiasm in her voice, Dr. Becky says, “Orthopedics are my baby, and I love it” She then proceeded to take me to “med school,” and explain in laymen’s terms things like vestibular balance training, unilateral and bilateral vestibular loss. These conditions have to do with overcoming dizziness and vertigo that can develop as a result of a fall or stroke, and occur most often in the elderly. “To my knowledge, this is the only facility in Madison that helps people with these kinds of conditions,” she told me.
In addition, the OnMark facilities are the only ones in North Alabama that use the ASTYM system to help patients who are being impeded in their functionality by soft tissue restrictions. Basically, the ASTYM approach is to use a trademarked pieces of acrylic plastic to skillfully apply pressure to the affected area so the tissue below can begin to realign stimulate the bodies own healing process. It usually takes 8-10 treatments to stimulate the body’s healing response and cause it to actively resorb the tissue, and there are no side effects or down time. There are a number of applications for ASTYM, including carpal tunnel syndrome, post surgical scarring and/or fibrosis, trigger finger, plantar fasciitis, low back pain, wrist sprains, tendonopathies, and more.
Dr. Becky is also currently pursuing a residency and certification as an Orthopedic Certified Specialist. She is receiving additional training in “Differential Diagnosis,” which will equip her with additional skills in order to discern if a person wanting treatment in her clinic actually belongs there. In other words, because the problems associated with identifying the source and successfully treating pain and discomfort can be baffling for a health care provider, it is in everyone’s best interest to be able to explore the problem with a “fresh set of eyes” in order to see if the Physical Therapy approach and philosophy are going to be things unto which a potential patient will respond. I appreciate knowing that Dr. Becky is spending her own money to become more skilled at helping patients avoid spending their money unnecessarily while in the pursuit of orthopedic wholeness. I also got a chance to watch her at work, and she is firm and gentle, as well as professional and friendly.
OnMark also uses what is known as the “dry needle” method to help unlock blocks or knots that can form in the middle of muscles by using fine filament needles. Dry needling stimulates the release of endorphins, which reduces pain, and de-activates trigger points at the cellular level.
These are only a few of the treatments that are available for patients who are in pain, have had surgery, or need to correct problems through non-surgical treatments, and OnMark Physical Therapy on County Line is certainly a place where you will receive the best of care.
OnMark Physical Therapy
12110 County Line Road, Madison, AL 35756
Phone: 256-232-9001
FAX: 256-233-1001
Email: dmorris@benchmarkpt.com
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8am-6pm and Friday, 8am-12pm
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
