C.O.R.E. clinic aims at complete recovery
The husband and wife team of Mark Rathjen and Claire Lakatos-Rathjen, who both have doctorates in physical therapy, have opened their own physical therapy and sports performance clinic, C.O.R.E., near 176th and West Center Road. One of the unique features of their clinic is an 85-foot- long padded turf area.
After years of working for others, the husband and wife team of Mark Rathjen and Claire Lakatos-Rathjen decided that opening their own physical therapy clinic would benefit them as well as their clients. They would be spending more time together, and their patients would receive the full spectrum of attention that they wanted to provide.
With that in mind, Mark and Claire recently opened C.O.R.E. Physical Therapy and Sports Performance at 17660 Wright Street. Their motto, “Together We Are Stronger” reflects both their joint venture and the way they help people who need their expertise.
C.O.R.E. is an acronym that encompasses the key components they offer in physical therapy: conditioning, orthopedic, rehab and exercise. Their goal is not to just get someone walking without a limp after injuring a leg, but returning to doing the things they enjoy without limits. “CORE” also refers to the basics of recovery.
“You have to start at the core before you can move on,” Claire said.
Mark is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), who has been working as a physical therapist for 10 years. He has also been a certified strength and conditioning specialist for 15 years. At UNL, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise/Sports Science, he was on the powerlifting team; he also has an extensive background in martial arts. He earned his doctorate at Des Moines University Medical Center.
Claire is also a DPT, practicing physical therapy for the past eight years, and she is one of only two women in the state to hold a board certification for sports specialist. She is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and strength coach. She played sports in high school and at Creighton University, where she was named the Female Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year and was Division I All-American. She earned her doctorate at Creighton University as well.
What they provide at C.O.R.E. is what Claire likes to call “full spectrum health care,” treating everything from surgery rehab to ACL tears, sports and motor vehicle injuries, and specializing in sports performance. She explained that the typical PT clinic is limited in the services it can offer because of lack of space and equipment.
“We had to hand off people to a personal trainer or medical trainer,” Mark said.
Claire noted that patients would sometimes ask them to meet them at the field to show them how to get back into shape for their sports. At C.O.R.E. the owners have installed 85 feet of padded turf wide enough and long enough for two athletes to run full speed side by side to get back into pre-injury, competitive condition.
“The turf gives more balance and more control,” Mark explained. “You can bite into the turf.”
The turf is one of the options they offer that gets patients back to performance level.
“We are the only ones who take you from the beginning of the injury all the way to full recovery,” Mark added. “What we wanted to do here is to create something unique and innovative. That’s why we have an open concept with high ceilings where you can throw a ball. We’re probably the largest in Omaha with the longest continuous turf.”
The clinic has weights and other exercise equipment in the main room, but also has private rooms for one-on-one treatments, like massage therapy.
Safety is a priority for the therapists. The weights have a safety strap system and are rubberized. The floor is padded to reduce impact on joints.
Mark and Claire treat their patients themselves so they get to know them well. They are also proud to be a family business from the ground up.
“My brother designed the space and another brother designed the logo,” Mark said.
Claire added that her parents, who once owned a restaurant, helped them set up the bookkeeping for the business. To keep costs down, Mark and Claire did as much of the work preparing the facility as they could.
The community they work in is also important to them, and they do community outreach. One way is by providing fitness evaluations for a trail-running group that holds a 24-hour treadmill challenge as a fundraiser for M.S.
They are very excited about the new business and their plans to keep adding services so that clients can come to one place for a variety of treatments and not have to deal with several specialists and locations.
Mark pointed out that patients can go to a physical therapist and receive treatment under insurance coverage, even without a doctor’s prescription. And if a doctor recommends physical therapy, the patient can choose where to go. He and Claire hope to be that choice.
C.O.R.E. Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Clinic is located in Suites 9 and 10 at 17660 Wright Street, just south of West Center Road.
For more information, call 402-933-4027 or visit their website at coreomaha.com.
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