Veteran physical therapist hangs out shingle at The Downtown Gym

LACONIA — Covering a wall in Josh Brooks' office are framed photographs of people, of all ages and shapes, doing the activities they love most. Brooks, a physical therapist, said those photos illustrate the motivation behind his career.

“I enjoy treating the whole lifespan, I enjoy working with people of all ages, all challenges of life, to help them live unrestrictive of movement," Brooks said. The photos show people playing softball and football, windsurfing and powerlifting, drag racing and ballroom dancing. “When I look at this wall, I look at journeys I get to be part of.”

Brooks’ own journey began in Alexandria, where he grew up. “I was very poor,” he said, describing the circumstances that led to him joining the Army Reserve Corps in 1992, as a means for him to access education. He enlisted as a pharmacy technician, and graduated from physical therapy school in 2000.

His 24-year career since then has included employment at Lakes Region General Hospital (now Concord Hospital-Laconia), Granite State Physical Therapy and the Taylor Community. Since March, though, Brooks has been doing what he said he’s wanted to do for years: operating under his own name as an independent therapist, offering his care in a private space within The Downtown Gym.

As his own boss, Brooks has been spreading his wings and venturing into the community. He presented a talk on injury prevention at The Ridge Golf Course in Gilford, provided therapy to the Harlem Wizards basketball team when they came to Laconia, and presented at STEAM Days at Belmont High School.

“Because I’m a private entity, it’s easy for me to decide to be part of local programs like that,” Brooks said.

He also made the choice to accept insurance, making him perhaps the only independent physical therapist in the region to do so. He set up his business plan that way because he wants to serve as broad a swath of the community as possible.

“I live in this community, I treat this community. I shop at the same grocery store as most of my patients,” Brooks said. “I enjoy being part of this community and trying to help this community.”

He said he’s also pleased to be part of a community within the community, as The Downtown Gym, located at the corner of Fair and Water streets, is now home to not only the gym and Brooks Physical Therapy, but also a massage therapist and a spa business.

“I’m fitting well within the whole theme here,” Brooks said. He said the philosophy of the gym team is about respecting where each individual is in their own personal experience, “That’s what I’m trying to do as well,” he said. “For location, this is amazing. The feeling at this gym, it’s a good fit. What they stand for, what I want to practice.”

It’s a good fit philosophically as well as practically. “It’s nice that there’s a continuum or flow, people coming here to do fitness and training, should they develop an injury, they can slide into service. Or if people are here and have a question, I’m happy to consult them.” His arrangement also provides him access to the entire fitness center’s range of equipment, allowing him to take patients out into the gym to work through different movements or strength-based therapies.

Janine Page, owner of The Downtown Gym, described the addition of Brooks as a “dream come true” for her business.

“Brooks Physical Therapy services are fantastic and fit in to the goals of this fitness training facility,” Page said. “This community is amazing. The team of personal trainers and nutrition coaches and instructors work together to give our members the ingredients for their best possible fitness.”