We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison OAk and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Madison, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I am a vestibular physical therapist. I am classically trained as a physical therapist and hold a clinical doctorate in physical therapy. Vestibular therapists are few and far between. Not many of us exist who are well trained and understand the vestibular system, despite dizziness and vertigo being one of the most debilitating symptoms that exists. Because there are so few of us and because those of us are trained are either expensive or have months-long waitlists, I created a group program available around the world to help you manager your dizziness from home.
Vestibular Group Fit is my group coaching program that gives people with vestibular disorders (specifically those with Vestibular Migraine, Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness, Vestibular Neuritis, and Meniere’s Disease) the tools they need to function, manage their dizziness from home, and give them their lives back.
Vestibular disorders are very common, and incredibly debilitating. For instance, Vestibular Migraine affects about 3% of the entire population and is the most common neurological form of vertigo/dizziness. (https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/vestibular-migraine/#:~:text=Vestibular%20migraine%20affects%20up%20to,similar%20episodic%20vertigo%20or%20dizziness.)
Vestibular migraine prevents people from being able to work, socialize, drive, and so much more.
Vestibular Group Fit aims to help people about the world for a fraction of the cost of what Vestibular Rehab and traditional healthcare options would cost!
You can read about it more here: thevertigodoctor.com/results
What should our readers know about your business?
I am a one woman show. I started Vestibular Group Fit and it is truly a labor of love. I don’t have a vestibular disorder, but I became interested in them after an internship in Austin, TX in PT school.
I graduated during the pandemic, and started work a few months later at a clinic in NYC on the upper east side. that clinic was fantastic and had a great vestibular rehab section of the clinic. Quickly I started seeing all of the chronic and complex patients, those who most doctors told ‘you’re not going to get better, you’re just going to have to live with this’. I have always been one who loved to take a step back and look at the human body from a higher level – and I knew there had to be answers somewhere. I was still a newly graduated, very green, physical therapist. I stumbled across a diagnosis I had heard a few times in my internship, but had never treated: Vestibular Migraine. I absolutely threw myself into the research. What is migraine? Why can it make someone so debilitatingly dizzy? What can I do to fix it? Does Rehab work? Why does it feel like it never ends for some people?
Although. I knew about vestibular disorders, Vestibular Migraine was an entirely different ballgame. Ever since then, I have been completely and totally dedicated to treating Vestibular Migraine and it’s ‘cousin’ PPPD.
Through my time at this clinic, I found myself being driven to the Hamptons by some of the wealthiest people in New York City who were living there during the pandemic. On any given morning someone would call the clinic, get on my schedule, schedule their driver to drive me to the Hamptons, I would go in their house, evaluate and treat them, come home, and then repeat it all the week after.
I quickly realized that these people had a clear huge benefit – money to get the best and most direct treatment in the world. But, what’s new? That’s the case for just about everything, right?
So, when my partner and I left NYC, I decided I had to change the way everyone got care for their dizziness. Not only would I treat and help the people who could afford to schedule 1:1 appointments with me, but I also wanted to be able to help those who can’t afford to see a vestibular therapist once a week. Everyone deserves access to equal healthcare, and excellent information and education about their disorder. That’s how Vestibular Group Fit was born.
Vestibular Group Fit is the only place on the in the world where people can come and get access to trusted, evidence based, resources to help them manage their dizziness from their home.
I am the CEO and President of Oak Physical Therapy & Wellness. We offer Vestibular Rehabilitation therapy in NJ, NY, MD, VA, CA, MN, WI & WY. And we offer Vestibular Group Fit, where we focus on movement, mindset, and education for all things dizziness and vertigo from a holistic perspective. you can learn more here: thevertigodoctor.com/results
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Jackson Hole, WY. All year round there are SO many outdoor activities to do, which is one of my favorite parts of living in Jackson.
I would start with breakfast at D.O.G. Burrito, then have a full ski day, ended at the Mangy Moose at the bottom of the hill. If we choose not to ski on certain days, I would choose snow shoeing in the day, ‘Church’ on Sunday night (A.K.A. swing dancing at the Stagecoach), hang out with our friends in town, see the elk in the elk preserve, drive to Yellowstone to see the Bison, and see a Moose Game (local hockey team).
I have lived all over the USA (San Francisco, san Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Portland OR, Madison WI, Austin TX, New Orleans LA, and NYC) and I absolutely love love love the outdoors of Jackson!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shout out to people living with vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance around the world! These invisible illnesses are hard to comprehend, hard to explain to others, and can be difficult to live with. If you are a person with a vestibular disorder, remember that your disorder has management and treatment options. You can do this!
Website: thevertigodoctor.com
Instagram: instagram.com/thevertigodoctor
Twitter: twitter.com/thevertigodoc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevertigodoctor/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thevertigodoctor