meet yOur therapist

Hey everybody! Forgive me for the long-winded intro but stick with me. My name is Jack Gerlitz and I’m a local physical therapist that proudly serves the Greater Richmond, VA area. I’m originally from Middletown, DE but attended James Madison University for my B.S. and Virginia Commonwealth University for my doctoral training in physical therapy. I fell in love with Virginia and now consider it home!

My journey into PT began when my grandmother moved in with my family during my second year of college. She was diagnosed with RA and osteoporosis several years prior and was declining in her mobility and overall independence. She was incredibly strong woman and extremely active before her diagnosis. Her medical advice given at the time was to slow down, stop exercising, and focus on pharmaceutical regiments. Unfortunately, her condition continued to decline, despite following this advice and we were forced to accept that was the way things go. I could only think that there had to be another way.

Fast forward several years, classes, and clinical experiences later, I found out that there is another way. I learned as a physical therapist that there are very few conditions that exercise does not improve, and for many, it is superior to traditional medical interventions. To put it simply, Movement is Medicine.

After graduating PT school, I worked in several outpatient physical therapy settings including private practice, rural hospital based, and corporate physical therapy clinics. From these experienced I have treated a vast variety of patient populations ranging from general orthopedics, post- surgical diagnoses, weekend-warrior, marathon runners, and geriatrics. While, I enjoy working with all orthopedic conditions, I have gained a special interest and taken extensive coursework in management of neck pain, headaches, jaw pain, and vertigo/dizziness. I am also certified by the Dry Needling Institute for application of dry needling services.

While I wasn’t able to use my knowledge and skills to help my grandmother, I see her in every patient I treat. I have a passion for building meaningful patient relationships, meeting people where they are on their journey through pain, and guiding them through recovery to meet their goals. I believe everyone should have the privilege to live a fulfilling, healthy life that isn’t controlled by pain.

Outside of PT, I enjoy running on the trails, golfing with friends, and traveling with my beautiful wife, Kristen.