*Sponsored content by EW Motion Therapy
By Crystal McGough
For The Tribune
In April 2010, Dominica native Kendell Jno-Finn, PT, DPT, along with one physical therapy technician, opened the second location of EW Motion Therapy, right in the heart of Trussville.
“I really enjoy being in Trussville,” Jno-Finn, who is the Chief Development Officer and Clinic Director, said. “Trussville reminds me of being back home. I grew up in a small village on a small island, and that’s what Trussville reminds me of. People don’t just care about one another; it’s a community. I really dig that.”
Today Jno-Finn’s staff at EW Motion Therapy has grown to a team of 10, with a collective mission to empower motion, health, and vitality in the Trussville community and individual’s lifestyles.
“Overall, we are involved in our community, and work to meet the individual needs of our patients, that’s how we function,” he said. “We empower our clients in terms of their day-to-day lives so that they can do what they want to do, as much as they want to do.”
Jno-Finn and his staff support and inspire motion in the Trussville community both inside the clinic and out.
From sponsoring the Trussville Chamber of Commerce’s Maple Leaf Run in the fall to assisting in teaching an entrepreneur course at Hewitt-Trussville High School, Jno-Finn believes the most important part of his job is impacting the community around him.
“We try to live what our brand represents, which is just moving,” he said. “We’re in Trussville, but my idea, at least as a business owner, is that the company shouldn’t be better because it’s in Trussville; we should impact Trussville in a positive way and that should be the main focus. If we do that, then everything else balances out.”
EW Motion Therapy offers a wide range of services including physical therapy and rehabilitation, personal training, Yoga, Zumba and Pilate’s classes, dry needling and a Parkinson’s class.
“We do everything, from injury prevention and rehabilitation to wellness services,” Jno-Finn said. “The Parkinson’s group is really an exercise class for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological movement disorders.”
In addition to the Parkinson’s exercise group, Jno-Finn collaborated with some of his clients at EW Motion Therapy to develop a Parkinson’s support group that meets at the Trussville YMCA on the third Thursday of every month and is open to anyone with a movement disorder.
“The Parkinson’s support group is something I’m really proud of,” he said. “Last year, right around when Hurricane Maria tore through Dominica and the Virgin Islands where I’m from, I got plugged in with a group up in Gadsden. They wanted me to just come in and be a guest speaker for them, but they were also looking for an opportunity to do some different things from an exercise standpoint for their group. The group was made up of husbands and wives, and one of the two would have a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.”
The day after the hurricane, Jno-Finn went to Gadsden to put together the first exercise class for the group, which became a regular commitment in addition to his own exercise group in Trussville. During this time, several of his clients also started going to a Parkinson’s support group that met in Pinson, which Jno-Finn would attend with them occasionally.
He and one of his clients started talking about forming a support group in Trussville, and Jno-Finn soon reached out to Kim Ryals, Executive Director of the Trussville YMCA.
“I was already serving on the board for the Y, and so I said I thought it would be a great place to have this (support group),” he said. “If it outgrows the Y, then we could move it to the Civic Center, but I want to give people within the Trussville community and surrounding area a place where they can support one another, motivate one another and inspire one another to do amazing things.”
The Parkinson’s support group at the YMCA started in June.
Jno-Finn said that he and his staff have treated patients in the Trussville clinic ranging in age from 17 months old to 99 years old.
In the case of the 17-month-old, Jno-Finn said that he was able to get both child and parents connected with the right medical care professionals to discover that the child had a mild form of cerebral palsy.
“It was a parent that had a need and put her trust in us, not necessarily to be the solution to the problem, but at least to develop a plan and get her in the right place to solve that problem,” he said. “That was my youngest patient. When I lecture, today, I still talk about just being aware of not only human movement and a specific diagnosis, but actually taking time to listen to the person that’s in front of you, watch how they move and really try to understand why they’re there and figure out how you can best help them. Sometimes that’s sending them somewhere else. You may not necessarily be the solution to their problems.”
In addition to the other services, Jno-Finn and team member Stacey Cole just finished getting their Stick Mobility Certifications.
“We’re going to incorporate that and probably start a couple of classes just for overall mobility and strength,” he said. “It would be more of a group class.”
EW Motion Therapy will also be introducing a new Pilates program starting in October.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a guy that loves to do what I do,” Jno-Finn said. “I don’t work; I have fun every day. The hardest thing I do is managing people, but I also have a great team around me. All my employees have just been awesome. We have fun together and are able to do things that we enjoy every day.”
While there are many physical therapy practices around the Trussville area, Jno-Finn said that what he feels separates EW Motion Therapy from the rest is the overall experience.
“It’s the vibe that you get when you walk in the clinic,” he said. “Whether you call or come into the clinic for treatment, we’re really trying to provide an experience that exceeds what the customer’s expectations are on a consistent basis. When that person comes in, we want them to feel like they are the most important person in the world. They know that we’ve got a plan that’s specific for them and they’re in a place where we can execute that plan at eye level. I want them to be my hero, not the other way around.”
Jno-Finn said that he wants every person who comes to EW Motion Therapy to benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the staff.
“Although I’ve been doing this really for a decade, I’m just one voice within that entire building,” he said. “Whether the person is coming in for physical therapy or for one of our other services, I want them to leave feeling empowered.
“I just want to be a resource,” he said. “So if you have an issue and you have questions about it, feel free to call the clinic anytime, email me or just stop by the clinic. We’ll make time for you. We’re a community. Once you come in, you’re like family.”