STAFF
CHRISTOPHER FORD, PT, MPT
Chris Ford, PT, MPT founded ABC on April 1st, 2001. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1995 with a Masters of Physical Therapy. His specialty is back pain, neck pain and migraines. He has developed an extremely accurate alignment technique for the spine called the “Leveling Technique.” He has been in several articles in “Advance for Physical Therapy and Rehab Medicine,” featuring his unique plan of care. Chris’ goal is to teach the “Leveling Technique.” and his philosophy of care around the globe. He is a member of APTA, PTWA, Tacoma Executive Association, ToastMasters, Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce and a former member of Tacoma Rotary 8.
Chris is proud of the fact that our clinic gives relief to patients who haven’t had results anywhere else. The ability to positively change people’s lives for the better is the biggest motivator. Chris lives in University Place with his wife Carole. He has two daughters, Jordan and Tara.
Tracy Teague, PT, MPT
Tracy Teague, MPT received a Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of Puget Sound in 1992. Tracy became interested in the rehabilitation process while recovering from an injury while playing baseball at the University of Washington. This began a passion for helping others recover from their injuries so they may continue with their work, lives and activities they love. He believes in working in collaboration with the clients’ goals so they may obtain their highest level of function possible. Tracy believes that educating his clients on their injuries and anatomy and teaching them how to best become an active part in their own long term recovery helps facilitate a more long lasting results.
Tracy loves spending time with his wife, two children and 2 dogs. His passion outside of work is golf and working out in the gym He also loves hiking with his wife and dogs, working on household projects and working on his cars (especially detailing). Tracy also participates in many volunteer activities with his wife to help make his community a better place to live.
DUSTIN HENDRICKS, PT, DPT
Dustin Hendricks PT, DPT earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University or New England in Maine and his Bachelors of Science from Cleveland State University in Ohio. His clinical rotations took him all over the country allowing him to get exposure to a wide variety of diagnoses and treatment styles, shaping his approach to physical therapy. He enjoys getting to know his patients and their goals inside and out of the clinic to promote long-term success. Dustin’s treatment philosophy involves addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of health. He believes this is the best way to get you back to doing the things you enjoy most. Dustin is passionate about helping others and would take pride in helping you today!
AARON LATIMER PT, DPT
Aaron Latimer PT, DPT earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2008 and his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Eastern Washington University in 2005. His clinical experience includes outpatient Physical Therapy with the Spine Team in Spokane and Aaron served as a Physical Therapist in the US Navy. While in the Navy, Aaron had exposure to a wide variety of diagnoses and treatment styles at the Naval Hospitals in Portsmouth and Bremerton and while serving aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was also the Tactical Athlete Sports Medicine Manager with SEAL Delivery Vehicle TEAM ONE in Pearl City, Hawaii. He decided to join Alternative Back Care because he was eager to learn the “Leveling Technique” and apply it to patents to improve their quality of life. Aaron’s treatment philosophy is a simple one…”If it is supposed to move and doesn’t, move it” and “If it’s not strong enough, strengthen it.” He believes this is the best way to reduce pain and to get you back to doing the things you enjoy most.
Sean Armentrout, PT, DPT
Sean Armentrout, PT, DPT earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Washington and his Bachelors from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Sean is a former officer in the U.S. Air Force which brought him to Tacoma in 2004. He served as a JAG attorney for seven years while in the Air Force before deciding to leave the court room for the treatment room. His perspective has not changed which is to advocate for his client for optimal results. His time in the military reshaped his focus and his desire to help others in a more direct way. He agrees with the philosophy that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Sean believes that a good therapist must look beyond just the physical impairment and listen to the patient in order to work towards a common goal. Success isn’t just regaining your range of motion or strength but helping someone return to what they love and participate in those things that give their life meaning – with reduced pain.
Sean was a patient and is now a member of the team at ABC Physical Therapy. He lives in the North End of Tacoma with his wife Jordan, their puppy Charlie and their cat Albus.
Ryan Taniguchi, PT, DPT, OCS
Ryan Taniguchi is from Hilo, Hawaii (Big Island) and initially came to Washington for college. Ryan attended the University of Puget Sound for his undergraduate degree and finished with a double major in Exercise Science and Business. After undergraduate, Ryan worked as a produce clerk and a part time teacher until he realized he wanted to advance and apply his knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology to help others. For these reasons, Ryan applied and was accepted to the University of Puget Sound’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. He graduated from this program in 2018 and since that time has been trying to hone his therapy skills and reasoning. He currently holds a board certification as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and is always interested in learning new approaches to optimally treating patients/clients. Hence, Ryan applied and enthusiastically accepted a job with ABC physical therapy to learn and become proficient with the “Leveling Technique” to help his patients/clients reach a level of comfort that encourages them to live their life to the fullest.
During his “free time”, Ryan enjoys sleeping in, running errands, doing yardwork, and lifting weights to productively pass the time. Other “Ryan relaxation activities” include watching Brooklyn 99, Parks & Rec, anime, Marvel movies, and (some) sports as well as participating in trivia/video games with his housemates. Ryan occasionally has the “travel bug”, but usually visits his family/friends in Hawaii. Lastly, Ryan’s favorite movie of all time is “Rocky” and has watched each Rocky movie at least 7 times (20+ for a few of them) because he believes that anyone who is willing to go through all of the obstacles and changes needed to achieve his or her dream is worth watching and supporting
KARL ALBERT, PTA
Karl is a Tacoma native, born and raised, who loves his hometown. He has attended the University of Washington, College of Forest Resources and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1981 and is a recent graduate of Green River Community College: Associates in Applied Science in 2014.
Helping his patients become pain free and able to return to their normal activities is what brings him joy and purpose to his job as a PTA here at ABC Physical Therapy. He is a firm believer in the full circle approach to resolving back pain that we utilize here at ABC Physical Therapy. Once he aligns a patient, seeing how dramatically their back pain is relieved and posture improved keeps him enthralled in the work that he does. In addition to our specialties, Karl has completed continuing education on comprehensive knee rehabilitation.
KARINA BAYAUA, PTA
Karina is a recent graduate of Olympic College Physical Therapy Assistant program. She is driven by results, and it motivates and excites her to see patients achieve their goals. She enjoys working at ABC PT for the team approach when it comes to treating each patient and seeing their reactions when they achieve a state of pain relief. She enjoy teaching patients how to achieve and maintain a pain-free lifestyle that allows them to get back to doing what they love. Since starting in August 2017, she has grown more knowledgeable in the different techniques ABC has to offer and look forward to continuing my education in manual therapy and neurological treatment concepts, such as NDT for stroke patients.
Karina was born in the Philippines and has lived in Washington since 2004. In her down time, she enjoys journaling, swimming, trying out new recipes and browsing the bookstore.
SHANNON GARRETT, PTA
Shannon Garrett, PTA, graduated from the Physical Therapist Assistant program in 2011 with an Associates in Applied Science. Since graduating she has had many opportunities to work in multiple physical therapy settings. She spent several years in an out patient setting working with a multitude of injuries and people of all ages. Along with that she was spending a couple days a week doing home health care where she found that she also really loved working with the geriatric population and developing her skills as a well rounded therapist. She then took a job as a civilian contractor for the Army working on a study focusing on multidisciplinary treatment for rehabilitation of active duty soldiers with chronic pain. She found her job there very rewarding. When that contract ended it brought her here, to ABC physical therapy where she is very excited to join this team and embrace a new innovative approach to reducing peoples back pain.
Shannon is a proud mother of two grown kids and had her first granddaughter in January 2018. She enjoys being active with yoga, backpacking and being outside as much as possible.
Miranda Carter, PTA
Miranda Carter, PTA is a graduate from the PTA program from Olympic Community College in Bremerton. Entering in the Physical Therapy field Miranda was working in an Olympia outpatient clinic. After that she had worked in a variety of clinics all the way up I-5 to Federal way. Building meaningful relationships with her patients along with driving success for their goals is her favorite part of the clinic setting. As Miranda became more confident of becoming an exercise expert she decided to expand her knowledge by joining the ABC team. ABC has provided her great hands-on skills and exercise training to further improve the independence with pain free relief of her community.
Miranda originated from Alabama but spent a great time of her life in Belfair, Washington having the best of both worlds living on opposite sides of the country. She is a frequent concert goer and loves to be a part of the music/art scene. Road trips and traveling is what she likes to do with her vacation time.
Vohn Ryan Guevarra, PTA
Vohn Ryan Guevarra, PTA, graduated from the Physical Therapist Assistant program in 2021 at Green River College in Auburn, WA. Prior on becoming a Physical Therapist Assistant, Vohn served in the Army as a Combat Engineer from 2010-2018. He was stationed in Fort Hood, Tx for 5 years and Fort Lewis, Wa for his final 3 years. He did two combat tours overseas and unfortunately gotten hurt which was sent to physical therapy to get back in shape. He spent a good number of months in rehab with amazing PTs and PTAs, which made his decision on going back to school and to become a Physical Therapist Assistant. Vohn did his first internship at ABC Physical Therapy, both staff members and the work environment were so awesome, he knew where he wanted to work once he got his license.
Vohn was born and raised on the island of Saipan (one of the islands from the Northern Marianas Islands), Vohn love to play all kinds of sports; basketball, football, tennis, you name any sport, he would probably give it a shot. He has two dogs named Douglas (corgi) and Nike (dachshund mix).
Tyler McKennon, PTA
Tyler McKennon is a recent graduate from the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Olympic College. He completed a clinical rotation at ABC PT and enjoyed learning about their special approaches to back care. He loves seeing how physical therapy can transform patients’ health and give them back their range of motion and physical confidence. He enjoys helping patients return to and maintain a pain-free lifestyle.
Born and raised in Seabeck, Tyler grew up in a very active sports family. He still loves playing sports,but spends most of his time these days hiking or running on local trails. Tyler’s love of fitness and movement sparked his interest with corrective exercise and proper body mechanics to prevent injuries. He lives in Port Orchard with his wife, dog, and cat and they can often be found on nearby trails.
Glen Holmes, PTA, LMP
Glen is originally from Montana, where he graduated from the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell with an Associates in Applied Science. He is also a Licensed Massage Practitioner.
Glen had an interest in helping others relieve pain from an early age which eventually led him to pursue Massage Therapy. He earned a degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant to deepen and expand his skillset so he could help more people with chronic and acute back and neck pain.
When not at work, Glen enjoys spending time with his family exploring the outdoors, gardening, and going for bike rides.
MICHAEL FERREE, PTA
Michael Ferree was born in Portland, Oregon but grew up in Washington State his whole life.
He attended Bates Technical College and majored in Fire Science. He wanted to pursue a career in Fire Fighting, but an injury caused him to abandon that idea. He has always enjoyed helping people and his personal injury led him to a career in the Physical Therapy world. He graduated from Whatcom Community College/ Pierce College hybrid PTA program in 2022.
He loves spending time with his family. In his spare time, he likes to play video games and is an avid bowler. He also loves going on walks around Pt Defiance and exploring the natural beauty of this wonderful state.
JOHN CASEBERE, LMP
John Casebere, LMP, went to Alexandar School of Natural Therapeutics and fully graduated fCertified Zen Bodytherapy® Practitioner, Certified Zen Triggerpoint® Practitioner, Advanced Zentherapy Practitioner®, Advanced B.E.S.T.® Practitioner
John began his massage career in Fircrest, Washington as a partner in Evergreen Holistic Practitioners. He graduated from Alexandar School of Natural Therapeutics and has further training with The Upledger Institute in CranioSacral® Therapy, and The St. Johns Institute for Neuromuscular Therapy. John is also certified as an advanced B.E.S.T. practitioner by Dr. Ted Morter, Jr. in Bio Energenic Syncronization Technique and the International Zentherapy Institute, Inc., in deep body work and has been training in deep body work with William “Dub” Leigh and Bill Thompson since 1997.
John is certified in both Zen Bodytherapy®, Zen Triggerpoint Anatomy and Advanced Zen Bodytherapy®. John teaches Anatomy and Kinesiology, Clinical Treatment, Documentation and Practice Management at Alexandar School of Natural Therapeutics, Inc.
N.Evelyn Root, LMP
MELANEY HAMBY
Melaney has been with ABC Physical Therapy since 2002. She is our Medical Biller and Manager. Melaney is a part of numerous organizations outside of ABC. She was awarded the Business Examiner’s Top 40 Under 40 award in 2017. She is a member of Toastmasters International, Chamber of Commerce, The Tacoma Elks and a member of the Puget Sound Victory Riders. Melaney enjoys spending time with her family, riding her motorcycle and traveling around the world. Melaney is an avid couponer who loves to share her successes with others by teaching them how to do the same. Melaney loves working at ABC because she believes in the philosophy of care and loves helping others.
VENA FOSTER
Vena has been with ABC since 2016. She is our Patient Care Representative and handles all new patient insurances and authorizations. Vena has her certification in Hospital Administration. She enjoys reading and loves spending time with her Husband, Son, and their dog Kallie. Vena is very passionate about the high level of care that everyone receives at ABC and truly believes that every patient can leave better.
Employment
“Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life,” is one of our favorite mottos. Our clinic is therapist-owned and dedicated to providing our clients with first-rate care, inspiration and result-oriented solutions to ease their discomfort. Our innovative philosophy of care allows us to successfully treat patients with back pain and migraines. Come see why we have such a high success rate with our patients!
We look for quality individuals who are motivated and committed to a high standard of patient care with a great attitude, compassion and a willingness to have a good time. We offer our employees medical and dental insurance, paid holidays, sick and vacation time, IRA with employer contributions, continuing education assistance, APTA & PTWA membership dues, license renewal, competitive wages and a friendly and positive work environment dedicated to your success.
Join our team and help achieve relief! Contact Mel Hamby at 253-564-2220 or send your resume to achieve@abcphysicaltherapy.com