Eric initially became interested in Physical Therapy through his own love for athletics and personal experiences confirming the value of high quality care. He received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from #1 ranked Physical Therapy school in the nation, University of Delaware, in 2012.
His passion for excellence and outcome driven results shows in his advanced specialty certifications, some of which include Dry Needling, Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), Functional Movement Systems (FMS), Titleist Performance Institute (Medical Level 2), Mulligan Mobilizations, and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) techniques.
In addition to his diverse training and resume, Eric’s appreciation for growth and excellence in physical therapy can be seen through his role as a teacher. Currently, he teaches Electrotherapeutics for Widener Physical Therapy’s doctoral program. He finds his teaching skills are also helpful clinically, as he finds patients show improved results when they grasp a full understanding of the mechanisms behind their particular injury and the road to recovery.
Eric has enjoyed working with high level athletes from organizations such as NBA, USFH, MMA professionals, and collegiate athletes of all levels, however he loves working with all populations and types of patients. He treats all patients with the same level of urgency and attention, recognizing that everyone is an “athlete” in their own way, “competing” with their own, very individualized goals in mind.
When Eric isn’t treating patients, you can find him spending time with his wife and two amazing daughters, on the golf course, the jiu jitsu mat, skiing or pretty much anything active.
Eric initially became interested in Physical Therapy through his own love for athletics and perso...
Read More
Jessica received her doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern University. While in Boston, she interned at some of the top-ranked U.S. physical therapy institutions including Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, where she was able to observe both clinicians and researchers at the Harvard Running Clinic. Since coming to Primal Physical Therapy Jessica has been both working alongside and learning from Dr. JJ Thomas and Dr. Eric Abramowitz.
Jessica believes that the mind and body must work together for optimal healing and performance. She implements this by integrating ‘Foundation Training’ into her physical therapy practice. FT is a series of movement patterns that stimulate the diaphragm to work with spinal and postural stabilizers as the body learns to perform functional movement patterns properly. This decreases pain and improves performance by opening the spinal column, which stimulates mind-muscle connection. Using FT with physical therapy re-educates the body to “lock in” interventions and patterns that are introduced into the session as the patient returns to activities of daily living or sports performance.
Jessica has been a volunteer member of the Boston Marathon ICU medical team since 2021. She has researched student confidence in providing healthcare to adults with intellectual disabilities which was published in the Journal for Intellectual Developmental Disability through PubMed.
Jessica hopes to help her patients maximize their physical potential through a variety of goals whether that be for a professional sporting event, a local 5k or getting through a work day pain-free. Jessica has a South American background and loves to work with Spanish-speaking patients.
In her free time you can find Jessica playing reggaeton, looking for the nearest beach, discovering new exercises, and enjoying family and friends!
Jessica received her doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern University. While in Boston,...
Read More
Joe’s undergraduate degree in Psychology from Widener University and Masters degree in Physical Therapy from University of Delaware (2002) yielded the perfect educational combination to match his treatment style, which connects the mind and body and allows him to maximize every patient’s potential for movement, performance, and recovery.
In the 20 years of treating patients since graduating, Joe has continued to advance his education and training through the extensive post-graduate courses he has taken including osteopathic manual therapy of the spine and extremities, and specialized training in the treatment of TMJ, facial pain, and dry needling. Joe utilizes an eclectic approach of various manual and neuromuscular techniques to ensure every person he works with comes away feeling better and having a better understanding of their issues and how to address them.
Joe is recognized for his clinical excellence through his role as an APTA -credentialed clinical instructor and he has served as a mentor and teacher to many students and new clinicians throughout his career.
For the last 10 years prior to coming to Primal, Joe’s clinical excellence landed him in a leadership role as a clinic director for multiple Physical Therapy clinics. While Joe has enjoyed his time as a clinician in the director position, his passion lies in working with each individual patient to get them better as efficiently as possible, and he looks forward to being able to spend individualized time with patients at Primal Physical Therapy.
Joe lives in Garnet Valley, PA with his wife (also a PT!) and daughter and enjoys working on product development as well as skiing, working out and Philadelphia sports.
Joe’s undergraduate degree in Psychology from Widener University and Masters degree in Physical T...
Read More
Blood flow restriction (BFR) is the brief and intermittent occlusion of venous blood flow using a tourniquet while exercising. This allows patients that are limited by pain, inflammation, fracture, or recent surgery to exercise under lower loads but still achieve the benefits of higher load activities.
To sign up for BFR, you must have completed the required 3 sessions of training with a physical therapist from our team.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) is the brief and intermittent occlusion of venous blood flow using a...
Read More
JJ Thomas, MPT, CMTPT
With over 20 years as a physical therapist, JJ’s passion for movement along with her unique experiences and training have shaped her into the successful clinician and educator she is.
JJ graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000, which is now ranked as the #1 physical therapy school in the nation. She holds multiple certifications in a variety of advanced specialty techniques and methods, all of which complement her role as an expert clinician and educator. JJ has been certified in dry needling since 2009, and began instructing dry needling in 2012. She currently teaches for Evidence in Motion (EIM), and also independently lectures and trains other clinicians throughout the country in the fields of physical therapy, chiropractic, and sports medicine. She uses her expertise to help other professionals advance their skills and outcomes, either through manual interventions or specialized movement analysis.
JJ Thomas also has certifications in Gray Cook’s Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), ACE Gait Analysis, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), The Raggi Method of Postural Evaluation (based out of Italy), and many other joint, soft tissue, and neural mobilization techniques. In addition to these accomplishments, JJ is also a trainer for GMB Fitness, where building a solid foundation fosters restoration of functional, pain free movement.
JJ’s expertise in the area of movement analysis and in dry needling has played a large part in success in the field of sports medicine. JJ has had the honor to work with the US Field Hockey Team, and with individual professional athletes from NFL, MLB, NBA, USATF, PGA, US Squash, USPA (polo), and more.
As a recognized expert in dry needling and consultant for organizations such as the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), JJ has contributed to national legislative advancements in dry needling. Her focus is primarily on establishing policy and education standards and insurance coverage and reimbursement. JJ assisted the APTA in the successful addition of a specific CPT code for trigger point dry needling in CPT 2020.
Despite her busy schedule JJ still finds the time to live an active lifestyle. She continues to explore and push her own movement regularly, through her hobbies such as running, weight lifting, Jiu Jitsu, bodyweight training, hiking, climbing, skiing, and more.
JJ Thomas, MPT, CMTPT
With over 20 years as a physical therapist, JJ’s passion for movement alon...
Read More
With 10 years of physical therapy experience, Dr. Chelsea’s passion is to help others stay present with their mobility and functional goals.
Chelsea graduated from Lynchburg College in 2014. She holds multiple certifications in a variety of specialty techniques and treatments. Chelsea is certified in the treatment of concussion and vestibular therapy, functional dry needling, and graston along with other manual therapy techniques that help enhance her treatment. She is passionate about continued education and refinement of her skills to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Chelsea’s loves being being active outside. She enjoys nightly bike and scooter rides with her daughter, cheering on her husband’s Great Valley Baseball team, and sitting on the beach in the summer with family and friends.
With 10 years of physical therapy experience, Dr. Chelsea’s passion is to help others stay presen...
Read More
