Kurt Gorrell, DPT?

Kurt Gorrell, DPT

Physical Therapist | Orthopedic

111 Pine St Suite 1315 San Francisco CA, 94111 Show map

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About

Kurt Gorrell is a physical therapist practicing in San Francisco, California. Prior to becoming a physical therapist Kurt enjoyed a 16-year career as a professional dancer. He danced principal and soloist roles with many regional ballet companies as well as contemporary companies. Broadway Tour credits include Contact in 2005 and Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out in 2008-9. In addition to his professional dance career, Kurt was a competitive gymnast, and he coached gymnastics for 25 years. He is a Certified Exercise Physiologist with the ACSM, a CSCS with the NSCA, a Sports Performance Coach with USAW, and is Pilates certified. Kurt has trained and worked with professional dancers, Cirque du Soleil performers, competitive figure skaters, competitive gymnasts and competitive hockey players to name only a few.

As a physical therapist, Kurt aims to provide patient-centered care that treats the body as a whole; to get to the root of the issue rather than just treating the symptoms. He also aims to provide his patients with the tools and education to further their knowledge of their presenting issues and injuries. Kurt specializes in manual physical therapy, following the paradigm of the Institute of Physical Art, which assesses and addresses the mobility of joints and soft tissues, neuromuscular function, and motor control to allow the body and ultimately the person to achieve their highest individual potential.

Education and Training

Russell Sage College DPT 2019

Provider Details

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Kurt Gorrell, DPT

Kurt Gorrell, DPT's Expert Contributions

My Answers

Can physical therapy help after hip replacement?
Yes, physical therapy will help you regain hip range of motion and strength in the hip and leg, which will help for performing daily tasks and activities such as walking, moving from sitting to standing, etc. READ MORE
Is physical therapy effective after shoulder surgery?
Yes, physical therapy is paramount after shoulder surgery. A good manual physical therapist will help you restore full range of motion of the shoulder as well as restore function of the shoulder post surgery. I would recommend a physical therapist who is a certified functional manual therapist (CFMT) through the institute of physical art (IPA). READ MORE
What type of brace do you get after knee surgery?
It depends on the type of knee surgery, the activity you'll be doing once the knee heals, and the surgeon performing the surgery. The surgeon will often guide you as to what type of brace you'll get. READ MORE
When should I start physio after shoulder surgery?
That will depend on the surgeon. Some surgeons will have you wait a number of weeks before going to physical therapy, others may have you go soon after surgery. It all depends on the type of surgery and the surgeon performing the surgery. READ MORE
Can a rotator cuff tear heal with physical therapy?
While it depends on how serious the rotator cuff tear is. There are 4 muscles that create the rotator cuff and if one of them is torn you most likely won't need surgery and physical therapy will help, however if there are multiple rotator cuff muscles that have been torn you may need a surgical repair. With that said there are people that have multiple tears of their rotator cuff muscles and don't need surgery and have done well with physical therapy. It will also depend on whether the tear is a partial tear or a full tear, but again, if you're still functional with your arm and shoulder with your tear and you're able to do everything you'd like to do with minimal to no pain, then physical therapy can help strengthen the muscles around it and give you the strategies that you need to maintain that function without undergoing surgery. READ MORE
Post joint replacement
Total knee replacements are almost always rehabilitated by a physical therapist. Physiatrists work typically with stroke patients, Parkinson's patients, etc. READ MORE
I have to get up to pee throughout the night and it interrupts my sleep. Is something wrong?
I apologize, I'm not sure with whom I'm speaking, but if you were born a male and have a prostate, it could be an enlarged prostate in which you may want to go to your doctor to get that checked out. But it could also be a pelvic floor issue, which can happen to anyone. Sometimes if the pelvic floor muscles are too tight or are weak they can cause frequent urination. You may want to visit a good pelvic floor physical therapist. Depending on where you live I may be able to refer you to a good one. kurt@beaconpt.com READ MORE
I'm only 23 and experiencing knee pain during exercise. Why?
It may be rheumatoid arthritis, but it could also be tight hip flexors, which would cause a lack of hip extension. When we have tight hip flexors there can often be referred pain down to the knee due to restrictions in the femoral nerve from the tight hip flexors, which innervates the knee. Tight hip flexors will also create overworked calves, which will change the mechanics of the ankle, which will then change the mechanics of the knee causing pain. Get checked for RA just to rule that in or out. For more questions, email me at kurt@beaconpt.com. READ MORE
Suffering from anxiety, and panic attacks for the last 3 years. Need second opinion.
This may be COVID related as we are finding many adverse symptoms of the virus as well as the pandemic in general. For many people the pandemic was a very difficult time and has affected people in many ways. Did you ever get COVID? Have you had more stress in your life in the past 3 years? The fact that technology is moving faster than our biology can keep up, which is creating an increase in mental health issues. I'm not sure what advice you've received, but having a great breathing practice can help with this and/or getting a vagus nerve treatment. A physical therapist can help you with both of these. If you have any additional questions, email me at kurt@beaconpt.com READ MORE
Life after a stroke?
A physiatrist is different from a physical therapist. While physical therapists are doctors, physiatrists are MDs where they can prescribe medication. Aside from that I'm not sure exactly what they do. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Manual therapy - soft tissue, bone, and joint mobilizationDancersGymnastsAthletesNeck and Low Back PainHip, Knee, Ankle, and Foot Pain/InjuryGeneral Population