DR. ORIT HICKMAN
PT DPT TPS
Dr. Orit Hickman earned both her Masters in Physical Therapy and Clinical Doctorate from Temple University. She was an adjunct professor in the University of Washington physical therapy program and a kinesiology instructor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. She is a member of the APTA, PPSIG, and PPSAPTA. She has been an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and is currently a Certified Therapeutic Pain Specialist.
Personal Life
Dr. Hickman is opinionated and a bit of a bulldog when she wants to get something done. She is highly motivated to learn and better herself to help others. She is comfortable sharing her vulnerabilities to help others not feel alone. She values transparency and honesty and tries to exemplify those traits in her day to day life. Her friends and family describe her as enthusiastic, outgoing, and stubborn.
Dr. Hickman, her husband Matthew, and their son Emerson moved to the Seattle area in 2007. Outside of work, she loves to sail with her family. She was even the Commodore for the Roche Harbor Yacht Club! On dry land, she enjoys creating art-mixed media, acrylic paintings, hiking, and strength training.
One of her favorite family traditions is having breakfast at her in-laws house 1-2 weeks before Christmas. Her mother-in-law typically makes Christmas cookies and orange rolls which are cinnamon rolls with orange glaze instead of cinnamon. Her father-in-law made baked eggs which are eggs cooked in muffin tins that are lined with bacon or turkey bacon. After breakfast, they bring out all the ornaments that her in-laws have collected. Many of them are from Orit herself as their Jewish daughter-in-law. She has given them an ornament every year for the past 21 years. Then, they decorate their fresh Christmas tree.
Why Physical Therapy
Dr. Hickman is a physical therapist because she loves treating patients. She specializes in working with patients with persistent and complex pain conditions. She believes physical therapy is a two-way street. As a provider, she comes to the table giving 125% effort to help someone get better. If they are ready for it, they make tremendous gains. If not, then it is her job to help them figure out what steps need to be taken to get them ready.
Dr. Hickman's vision for the future of physical therapy is that all clinical providers are educated in and proficient in assessing for and treating nociplastic pain. Too many providers are still rooted in the "tissues," and she wants to see providers be mindful of the psycho-social aspect of pain, as well as the underlying biology that occurs in the central nervous system. To make this vision become a reality, she created a training program for her team to understand and treat nociplastic pain.
Why Pain Science Physical Therapy
Dr. Hickman created Pain Science Physical Therapy and is the clinical director/owner. She opened the clinic because she wanted to treat patients in one-on-one sessions, which she could not do at other clinics. Opening her own practice helped her discover that she really enjoys leading a team and seeing the business grow. Her responsibilities include treating patients, marketing, HR, and managing the finances. One of her favorite things about PSPT is getting to work with her staff and patients. The clinic is like a second home for her.
She believes that patients come back to PSPT for personalized care. They know that the PSPT team knows them and cares about them as patients and as people. In the next five years, she would love to see PSPT continue to grow! She wants to open 3-4 more clinics in and around the Puget Sound area. She wants to provide even more people with the quality of care that PSPT has to offer. She says, “There are so many patients who would benefit from our model of treatment and so many people who would enjoy working in this type of clinical setting.” She also plans to move away from patient care to focus on growing the company and spend more time mentoring young new providers so that they can provide this quality of care to patients who need it.
