I graduated from Northeastern University with a Doctoral Degree in Physical Therapy after being recruited to play field hockey. In addition to winning three conference championships, I completed on the olympic qualifier team and earned student-athlete awards for excellence in academics and athletics. As an athlete my whole life, sport and science have always been interesting to me.
I have been a physical therapist since 2009 and founded Ability Allies during the pandemic as a one-woman show right out of my home. I bought my first building to expand in Epping, New Hampshire a year later and have grown to four New Hampshire locations with more than 30 employees throughout the company.
Being a Doctor of Physical Therapy is considered having a musculoskeletal expertise and requires seven years of higher education to fully understand the human body in anatomy, physiology and kinetic functionality. When working with my golfers, I’m looking at their body first to determine where the limitations lie that hinder improvement in their golf swing. Once we see where the deficiencies and trouble spots are, we can prescribe a program, drills or activities that fortify those areas. In some cases, we manually manipulate, massage or physically mobilize an area of the body, such as the thoracic spine or shoulder to provide on the spot relief. The immediate gratification is one of my favorite aspects of working with my clients, especially golfers.
After swinging a golf club for the first time on a team-bonding trip in college, I dabbled further over the next few years and after graduation. As I got older, I felt that field hockey sort of passed me by; but golf was something I knew I could play well into my senior years. Although I still consider myself a new golfer, I started playing more consistently over the past four years and like to support many charity events in my area. I’ve even won a few long drive contests held within these special events. This participation and networking opportunities have enabled me to promote Ability Allies across my community.
I founded Ability Allies by welcoming clients into my home or vice versa, and we grew quickly by word of mouth. Today, we offer one-on-one physical therapy care that not only helps golfers play the game better, but provides dry needling services, application of the Hesch Method that addresses a wide ranch of postural musculoskeletal issues, laser and shockwave therapy, spinal realignment, vestibular therapy, pelvic floor (for women and men), breast cancer recovery and sports and youth sports therapy.
We take a comprehensive, head-to-toe approach to care — treating a wide range of conditions from arthritis and back pain to complex conditions in all areas of the body. Our expertise also extends across hip and knee pain, shoulder conditions and a full spectrum of sports-related injuries.
Beyond rehabilitation, we specialize in elevating overall movement, maximizing function and unlocking peak physical performance, so our patients don’t just recover, they perform at their highest level.
I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished since 2020, seeing local patients physically for in-person appointments or our clients from across the country through our remote Telehealth video system. Both are effective in achieving clients’ goals successfully.
As it pertains to golfers, we start each relationship by getting to know our clients. We discuss their life goals, in addition to what their want to achieve on the golf course. We treat them for better mobility, balance, stamina and injury prevention. I and another one of my physical therapists are TPI-certified, but most of our team can work with golfers to achieve these benchmarks for better play and more enjoyment. We strive to prevent back pain by maintaining a healthy spine and address our athletes individually, considering the impact that a rotational sport like golf can have on one’s body. The body movement sequence needs to move efficiently along the kinetic chain from the ground up to influence momentum and provide sufficient power for the desired level of performance.
We collaborate with local golf professionals, and I have spoken within the New England PGA Section to share my expertise and emphasize the importance of not overlooking these factors when it comes to the body, especially for an aging membership or golfing clientele. I believe it’s my job to make the golf pro look their best in the eyes of our clients. For years, a golfer might have had problems attaining certain positions or otherwise swinging efficiently. If we can work with them and send them back to their swing coach moving better, we’ve done our job for that golfer.
The majority of our promotion is word of mouth…existing clients telling others about their successful experience at Ability Allies. Doing good for one client can often manifest into whole families or several members of a private club in the area seeking our services. How long we work with each individual is determined by his or her ailment, goals and time constraints.
Dr. Natalie Tilton is the Founder and President of Ability Allies, with four New Hampshire locations.