Learn More About Tandem PT
Our passion is helping people who enjoy being active overcome physical impairments and live fulfilled lives without losing time to pain or injury.
Lauren Manna is the co-founder of Tandem Physical Therapy & Pilates. She was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee and moved to New Orleans in 2012 shortly after graduating from physical therapy school in Memphis.
Her journey with physical therapy began when she was in high school. Lauren played sports throughout high school but suffered a severe shoulder injury while playing softball. Since she had been promised a scholarship to division one college, Lauren had to get her shoulder straightened out before starting in the spring, and her doctor recommended physical therapy.
During her experience with physical therapy, Lauren quickly realized how strong her shoulder had become from going to the appointments and engaging with the exercises she had been provided with. This gave Lauren hope that she would be able to play at the next level, contributing to her team and competing, which was previously something that she was worried about.
After this experience, Lauren found that physical therapy was an amazing way to help people, and set her sights on working in the discipline one day. This marked the start of her journey into the career of physical therapy, and she has never looked back.
To this day, Lauren continues to love what she does and believes so strongly in the clinic’s ability to help people. Her passion stems from countless experiences where Tandem has helped someone with chronic back pain be able to dance again, go on trips and travel, and live an amazing, fulfilling life that they never thought they could again – or were possibly told that they never could again. This is something that Lauren is really proud to be a part of.
Outside of her professional life, Lauren is married, and has two dogs and a cat. She also has a strong passion for travel, with a particular affinity for anywhere where there are mountains and hiking, and her dogs can also come along. Lauren is also involved in triathlons, so when she isn’t working, she usually trains by running, swimming, and riding her bike, which provides her with a lot of fun and joy.
Lauren enjoys reading in her spare time, and attends any kind of sporting event, specifically for any Tennessee teams!
She also loves being a physical therapist, working with the rest of the Tandem Physical Therapy team, working with her patients, and seeing people grow.
Want Help to Decide if Physio is Right For You?
- Free Discovery Session*
- Talk to a Professional First
*Note: there is no treatment given at one of our discovery sessions. It’s for you to ask us more questions and for us to confirm whether or not we think we can help you.
What Is The Story Of Tandem Physical Therapy?
Tandem Physical Therapy opened in 2018 by the two founders – Lauren Manna and Christy Shea. Prior to opening Tandem, they had spent about six years in a traditional physical therapy clinic. Over the years, they started to notice a shift moving from quality to quantity, where the focus became more about productivity standards and how many patients could be seen.
At that point, they began to lean away from that, knowing that they initially went to school to learn how to help people, but believed that this shift was letting patients, as well as themselves, down.
This was the motivation behind opening Tandem Physical Therapy, which gives people a different option and a better choice.
Together, Lauren and Christy built a new practice from the ground up that embodied their shared vision of what they thought healthcare should and could be.
Tandem Physical Therapy is not only a place that helps people to get better, but also helps them stay better through wellness, like massage and Pilates classes – options that they are very proud of and are happy to be able to offer to their patients.
If you want to know what it costs – and what availability we have, then please just click the button above and complete the short form.
Who Are The Type Of Patients We Help?
At Tandem Physical Therapy, we help people in their forties, fifties, sixties and beyond with problems such as neck pain, back pain, sciatica, problems related to arthritis and wear and tear, and anything from plantar fasciitis to other overuse injuries.
Generally, we hear that the problem people are experiencing is that they are no longer able to engage in the same social activities that they once were.
Some might even be having family or relationship problems because the pain puts them in a bad mood, and they don’t have the energy to bring home after they’ve been working for 10 hours a day.
They’re maybe missing work, afraid that they could lose their job. They can’t take trips and travel or go on vacations like they want to because they’re worried about slowing their family down and being miserable the whole time, not being able to enjoy it in the way that they had hoped to.
If you’re suffering with back pain, sciatica, or general aches and pains that make you feel stiff, old, and run down, you’ve probably already tried things like resting, pills, shots, and maybe even surgery. Chances are that none of this has given you the lasting long -term relief you’re looking for.
This can be a big problem for people and affect them when doing even the most basic things, like simply getting out of bed in the morning, going to an exercise class or going for a walk, sitting in a restaurant, or picking up your kids or grandkids.
So if you’re like most of our patients, you are too young to feel this old and you’re not ready to accept slowing down. The great news is that there are natural solutions the can help give you the long lasting relief that you’re looking for.
Are you unsure if physical therapy is right for you? Would you prefer to talk with a PT before making a decision? All you have to do is click the link below to fill out a simple form!
** Note: there is no treatment given at one of our taster sessions. It’s for you to ask us more questions and for us to confirm whether or not we think we can help you.
What Makes Tandem Physical Therapy Different?
Here at Tandem Physical Therapy, we find that many people don’t always understand what a physical therapist does. For many, if they have had experience with physical therapy in the past, their perception is often that they’re going to be lumped into a room with 20 other people, where they are handed a sheet of paper with generic exercises on it.
They’ll be supervised by an aide or a technician that’s also watching four or five other people at the same time. They’re going to be confused as to why they haven’t seen their physical therapist and possibly feel like they’re wasting their time.
Chances are their physical therapist has never even laid their hands on them or touched them to figure out and find where their pain truly is or where it’s coming from.
When you come to Tandem Physical Therapy, we take time to understand your specific situation, how it’s impacting your life, and the kind of help you’d like.
We find that this is such an important part of your journey and it’s often missed out by healthcare providers in favor of sending you for an image, handing you a prescription for pills, or providing a sheet of exercises to do that could be completely irrelevant to your specific injury.
That’s not what we do here.
At Tandem Physical Therapy, we take the time to listen to your concerns, answer all of your questions about why you’re hurting, about why it hasn’t gone away after all of this time, how long that could possibly take and what your options are for getting treatment and the help that you’re looking for.
This way, you get full clarity on the matter and are given confidence about what to do next.
Once we start working together (or in tandem!), we’re already on common ground, so we can start making progress faster. Every session is about moving the needle one tick closer to your desired outcome.
Because we work one-on-one with our patients in every visit, there’s a shared purpose, direction and intention behind every session. You’ll have a solid understanding of what you need to do at home to make progress faster.
You’re also given the tools and support to manage any kind of issues should they reoccur anytime in the future.
If you’re not quite ready to book an appointment yet and have some questions you would like answered first, click the link below to complete a form to get the conversation started.
How Can People Find Out More About Working With Tandem Physical Therapy?
To find out more about how you can get started with working with us at Tandem Physical Therapy, you can request one of our free educational guides, packed full of information about your pain and how it can be managed.
You can ask for a free telephone consultation, where you can speak with a member of the Tandem Physical Therapy team over the phone, get some advice and determine whether physical therapy is the right choice for you.
Finally, you can arrange for a complimentary discovery visit, which is a free 30-minute assessment where you come over to the clinic, meet with one of our doctors, ask them all of your questions, we’ll ask you questions, and ultimately that session is about helping you make the best decision possible for your health.