About

Welcome, I am Adam Van Nortwick, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Lifetime Runner.

While competing as a division III college track and field runner, I sustained what might have been a career-ending injury. I pursued many different types of treatment in an effort to return to the sport I loved, but I was repeatedly met with failure. I was unable to run for more than ten minutes without having to walk back to where I started from due to the extreme pain in my left foot. I was told surgery was my only option and started to believe it. Thankfully, with some excellent guidance from my family, a physical therapist, and an orthopedic surgeon, I was able to return to running and had a successful collegiate career, where I became a division III All-American in 1500 meters. My experience drastically altered my life and career path and put me on my mission to help all runners stay healthy and perform at their best.

After recovering from my injury and finishing out a successful track season, I immediately transferred schools and started working toward my degree in athletic training. I continued competing in both track and cross country while I finished my degree. The experiences I had gave me valuable insight into what it’s like to be both an athlete and a health care provider. I began to learn how injury prevention and rehabilitation principles could be integrated into an athlete’s every day routine.

I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2007 with my bachelor’s degree in athletic training and began working as an athletic trainer at Longwood University. From 2007 until 2010 I gained valuable experience in sports medicine working with athletes from a variety of sports including cross country, track and field, soccer, baseball, and basketball. Each sport gave me the opportunity to learn and grow in my ability to prevent and rehabilitate sports injuries. While working at Longwood, my experience with the Postural Restoration Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska awoke a desire to learn more and drove me to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. 

I graduated from Lynchburg College in 2013 with a doctorate in physical therapy and immediately joined the staff at Appalachian Physical Therapy in Broadway Virginia. The opportunity I have had to learn and practice at Appalachian Physical Therapy has allowed me to develop my skills and pursue my passion: prevent and rehabilitate running injuries. I learn from my co-workers and patients daily and am excited when I discover better ways to help my runners recover and stay healthy. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the site and I hope you find value in the information contained within these pages. This page is a representation of my ongoing work so make sure to check back often for new content!