About Us
Physical Therapist in Austin, TX
All our professionals at Austin Manual Therapy Associates maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends in physical therapy.
Benjamin Keene, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Co-Director
"I discovered the benefits of physical therapy from personal experience after sustaining an injury while playing high-school sports. Physical therapy helped me overcome my sports injury without the need for surgery, and that's always a plus for any athlete. But it wasn't until I was in a car accident during the summer of my senior year that I really learned how physical therapy could change someone's life for the better. Although I was not seriously hurt in this accident, a close friend of mine was. As he underwent physical therapy, I saw his transformation from being incapacitated to getting his full motion back thanks to the efforts of his physical therapist.
My friend's successful injury rehab helped me define my career goals during my senior year. I saw how gratifying it would be to participate in such a life-improving process. I made the commitment to dedicate my life to helping others like my friend's physical therapist helped him. I went on to college and after receiving my BS in exercise physiology, I pursued my master's degree in physical therapy.
Because I have a desire to constantly improve my care, I continued to advance my education by enrolling in the Manual Therapy Institute's clinical fellowship program for orthopedic manual therapy. I am now a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists, a distinction shared by only a small percentage of physical therapists in the entire country."
When not helping patients get better, Ben spends his free time with his wife Kristi, daughter Isabella, and son Koen. He also enjoys running, hiking and camping in the Texas hill country.
- Board-Certified: Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
- Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
- MS: Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2001
- BS: Exercise Physiology & Health & Fitness Management, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 1997
- Clinical Fellowship: Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy Institute, Dallas, TX, 2004
- Member: American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association, Private Practice Section of the APTA
- Licensure: State of Texas
James T. Harris, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Co-Director
"I've always had a passion for athletics, especially baseball. In college, I was able to fulfill my childhood dream of playing baseball for the University of Texas at Austin, where I was a member of their 1983 national championship team. It was a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience, but then I sustained athletic injuries that forced me to reconsider my future as a ballplayer at UT or otherwise.
I turned my attention to completing my bachelor's and double-majored in kinesiology and sociology. In the same vein, my strengths in exercise physiology led me to personal training opportunities at some elite health clubs. It was very rewarding knowing I was an integral part in someone's quest for health and wellness. Working in this environment also reminded me of when I was rehabilitating from my own athletic injuries and how my physical therapist worked to help get me back to playing baseball. When an opportunity to work as a physical therapy technician was presented to me, I jumped at the chance and realized from the first day on the job that a career as a physical therapist would be a perfect fit.
When I committed myself to pursue this career, I knew I wanted to advance my education to learn more from my manual therapy mentors. Although the curriculum for this specialization was rigorous and intense, I approached every aspect of the manual therapy residency with drive and enthusiasm. Now I am a board-certified, fellowship-trained physical therapist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapists. By sharing my knowledge, I want to inspire my patients to take charge of their lives and to feel confident that with the right treatment they will not only feel better but that it will empower them to live a pain-free life."
When not helping patients get better, James spends his free time with his wife, Maricela, and sons, Jake and Matthew. He also enjoys cycling, running and weight training.
- Board-Certified: Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
- Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
- MS: Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2003
- BA: Kinesiology/Sociology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 1987
- Clinical Fellowship: Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy Institute, San Marcos, TX, 2006
- Member: American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association
- Award: Member of the 1983 Texas Longhorns College World Series Team
- Licensure: State of Texas
Mary Moyer, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT
“I learned about Physical Therapy in college during my quest to find a career that combined my interests, including exercise, promotion of a healthier lifestyle, and social interaction. After spending time volunteering in a variety of physical therapy clinics, I realized I found my future. After receiving my Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University in 1995 in Exercise Physiology, I worked for several years as a certified personal trainer, aerobics instructor, and in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation at St. David’s Hospital. During that time I completed the requirements for physical therapy school and shortly thereafter attended Texas State University where I received my Masters Degree in Physical Therapy in 2001.
My interest in outpatient orthopedics with an emphasis on manual therapy started early during the PT program at Texas State. I started the Fellowship program with the Manual Therapy Institute immediately following graduation, knowing that the additional training would greatly benefit my clients. The importance of continuing education to expand on current knowledge, skills, and abilities in the healthcare profession is both immeasurable and limitless. It has made my career as a physical therapist more enjoyable knowing I am providing the best possible care for my clients. I achieved my Fellowship in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists in 2005 and became board-certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2007.
During my career as a physical therapist, I have worked in a variety of outpatient therapy settings prior to joining my colleagues at Austin Manual Therapy Associates. What a pleasure to work in this environment where the collective focus is in providing the highest quality of care for our clients to help them achieve their goals.”
When not helping patients get better, Mary spends her free time with her husband Marcus, and two children McKenzie and Dylan. Mary enjoys exercising, weight training, camping and boating with her family.
- Board-Certified: Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
- Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
- MS: Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 2001
- BS: Exercise Physiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 1995
- Clinical Fellowship: Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy Institute, 2005
- Member: American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association
- Advanced Training: Strives to exceed normal annual requirements
- Licensure: State of Texas
Paul M. Pajak, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT
“My passion for physical therapy began many years ago while growing up with a sibling who has a chronic illness. A fter witnessing a multidisciplinary group of therapists care for all of his needs, it was then that I knew I wanted to have an opportunity to help others who may not be able to help themselves”.
“After receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Marines Corps, I pursued my passion for sports and the medical field and obtained an undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sports Science in 2004 from Texas State University. I spent many hours during my undergraduate curriculum in Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock, and Georgetown, TX volunteering in a variety of physical therapy settings deciding what area of therapy I wanted to focus on. I went on to attain my Master’s of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Texas State University, graduating in 2007. It was during my clinical rotations in graduate school, learning under my mentor James Harris, that I knew I wanted to become a manual physical therapist and enrolled in the Manual Therapy Institute. It was there I realized a successful physical therapist treats not only the current injury, but most importantly its underlying cause. is has led me to study a wide variety of advanced manual therapy techniques, speci fic corrective exercises, and neuromuscular re-education; allowing for customization of care to each patient. I completed a three year fellowship in Orthopedics and Manual Physical Therapy through the Manual Therapy Institute. I want to provide the highest quality physical therapy available. Quality therapy is found in evidence based research and the con fident hands of a dedicated therapist”.
When not helping patients get better, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife Pamela and close family and friends. Extra curricular activities include playing golf, working out, traveling, camping, and fishing on central Texas lakes.
- Board-Certified: Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
- Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
- MS: Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 2007
- BA: Exercise and Sports Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2004
- Clinical Fellowship: Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy Institute, San Marcos, TX, 2010
- Member: American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association since 2005
- Advanced Training: Strives to exceed normal annual requirements
- Licensure: State of Texas
Taylor Collins, PT, FAAOMPT
"I have never been one to settle for mediocrity and that is why I am so honored to be a Physical Therapist at Austin Manual Therapy Associates. For myself, providing superior quality rehabilitation in a cutting edge environment makes work both fun and rewarding. Its rather nice enjoying the daily tasks of being a Physical Therapist, especially when surrounded by both colleagues and patients who constantly strive to achieve improvement in health, life, and happiness.
These principles became the catalyst that led me into this profession. With values such as health, life, and happiness, naturally I migrated towards the medical field early during my undergraduate degree. It wasn’t until I realized that well directed manual therapy in conjunction with therapeutic exercise could help people achieve their personal goals while often avoiding more invasive surgical and pharmaceutical management that I became interested in Physical therapy. Following my undergraduate degree in Exercise Sports Science, I elected to attend PT school at Texas State University secondary to a strong emphasis in orthopedic evidence based practice. It was during PT school that I was able to fully amalgamate my caring and hard working nature with the modern medical paradigm, hence becoming a unique health care provider driven by quality rather than cost. Near the end of PT school I began looking into available opportunities to help further advance my academic and clinical interests. To my delight I was admitted into MTI, a prestigious 3 year manual therapy fellowship program that includes both course work as well as a 440 hour clinical mentorship component. The one on one supervising in conjunction with months of rigorous course work has helped me achieve my professional goals to provide both efficient as well as high quality care. I am proudly nearing the completion of MTI and anticipate becoming a fellow towards the end of 2010.”
When not helping patients get better, Taylor is often found on bike rides in the hill country with his girlfriend. He likes to cook, specializing in energy bars. Also, he owns a commercial recycling company.
- Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
- MS: Physical Therapy, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 2008
- BS: Exercise and Sports Science, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 2006
- Clinical Fellowship: Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy Institute, San Marcos, TX, 2010
- Member: American Physical Therapy Association, Texas Physical Therapy Association
- Advanced Training: Strives to exceed normal annual requirements
- Licensure: State of Texas
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