Laura Diamond to present at Children's Hospital Boston SMA Day
Saturday, May 1, 2010

Laura will be presenting at the Children's Hospital Boston Department of Neurology's fourth annual Boston SMA Day. This one-day conference is intended to bring researchers and families together to share the most up to date information on Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Laura will be presenting a segment on aquatic physical therapy for kids and adults with a focus on pediatrics. The presentation will show video segments of aquatic physical therapy with a young child at Beede.

All parents of children with special needs, not just SMA, are invited to attend. Anyone who would like to learn more about aquatic physical therapy and how it can be used to help their kids realize their dreams and achieve goals in the water should attend.

This free conference will take place at The Conference Center at Waltham Woods, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA. Laura will be presenting from 1:45pm to 2:25pm. For more information, or to be placed on the guest list, please email Laura at laura@diamondphysicaltherapy.com or contact Jayson Caracciolo, MPH, Children's Hospital Boston, at Jayson.Caracciolo@childrens.harvard.edu or 617-355-2752.

Please click here to view the conference brochure.

Upcoming 2010 Classes
Presented by Laura Diamond, MS, PT
All classes take place at Beede Swim and Fitness Center, 498 Walden Street, Concord, MA
You must pre-register at the Beede Center to reserve your spot. Call 978-287-1000 for more information. Cost is $20.00 per class for Members, $25.00 per class for Non-Members.

Lower Extremetity, Upper Extremetity, and Core Strength in the Water
SHALLOW WATER CLASS

Come and learn about lower extremity and upper extremity water exercises that will increase your strength, range of motion. This class will also include core strength and abdominal exercises to increase your postural awareness. Learn alternatives to your land-based exercise program. If you are a lap swimmer, you can do these for a few minutes while you are in the water. If you are a water exercise class participant you might benefit from some specific instruction that you can use in your classes.

Please note that this is an introductory class only and not meant to be a substitute for physical therapy. No handouts will be given to participants.

JOIN US IN THE THERAPY POOL

Friday, January 29th, 11:45am - 12:45pm
Friday, March 12th, 11:45am - 12:45pm
Friday, May 14th, 11:45am - 12:45pm
Friday, June 11th, 11:45am - 12:45pm

LIMITED TO 8 PEOPLE!

Abdominals and Core Strength in the Water
Come and learn about deep water exercises that will increase your postural awareness and abdominal strength. Find out how you can gain core stability with water exercises. Learn alternatives to your land-based exercise program. If you are a lap swimmer, you can do these for a few minutes while you are in the water. If you are a water exercise class participant you might benefit from some specific instruction that you can use in your classes.

Please note that this is an introductory class only and is not meant to be a substitute for physical therapy. No handouts will be given to participants.

JOIN US IN THE DIVE WELL THIS SPRING!

Wednesday, April 7th, 3:30 - 4:30pm
Wednesday, April 28th, 3:30 - 4:30pm

LIMITED TO 15 PEOPLE!

January 2002
Carving Out a Niche
   Do you dream of owning a private practice? New clinicians often dream of going into private practice with a vision of a large office space, fancy equipment, and lots of high technology. This type of office demands a full staff-an office manager, administrative assistant, and many therapists, physical therapy assistants, and aides. The price tag of starting this kind of private practice as well as the overhead in running it can be astronomical. In order to produce the revenues that result in reasonable profit margins, this model necessitates managed care contracts, high volume, and, in some instances, a lower level of quality care.

   In the 1990s, when managed care took over our health care system, many practices downsized, which meant leasing a smaller space or sharing a space, being solo practitioners, and becoming their own administrators. Many therapists have been successful in this alternative model. The key to success in a downsized world is to have a niche practice, meaning performance of services that are different from those of most practices and for which there is a great demand.

...to continue reading the article, visit the Rehab Management web-site.

March 2000
An Entrepreneurial Spirit
   There are people who ask themselves "Wouldn't it be nice to do X," all the while resigning themselves to the idea that X is a dream they will never pursue. Then there are those to whom that phrase is usually a prelude to action. Such a one is Laura Diamond, PT, MSPT, who diverged from an aquatic physical education career in mid-stream to pursue a physical therapy degree and build a practice that is now, she says, exactly what she wanted when she made that decision.

   In 1984, Diamond was working as an aquatics consultant, using a warm-water pool at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Her undergraduate degree had been in physical education, and to that she had added credentials as a Water Safety Instructor Trainer and experience as an aquatics director at the Boston YMCA. Branching out as an independent contractor, Diamond offered aquatic consultation and physical education to clients such as the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation and Perkins. When she found that she very much enjoyed working with a population of clients with mild to severe disabilities, Diamond sought a way to make that the primary focus of her career.

To continue reading the article in pdf format, click here to view the article using the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader® installed, you can click on the image to download it now.

1998 and 2002
American Physical Therapy Association - Combined Sections Meeting
Boston, MA
The Aquatic Section sponsored Laura Diamond to speak on "Analysis of Swim Strokes: Modifications for Neurologic, Orthopedic, and Chronic Pain Clients"

2002
American Physical Therapy Association - Combined Sections Meeting
Boston, MA
The Private Practice Section and the Aquatic Section co-sponsored Laura Diamond to speak at "Business Basics: Targeted Practice Areas: How to Get Started"

2001
Private Practice Section
Annual Conference & Exposition
Memphis, TN
Laura Diamond presented on "Building a Successful Cash-Based, Niche Practice - An Aquatic Therapy Manual"

2001
The Daily News - Family Line
"Diamond speaks at meeting"

Laura Diamond - a resident of Stow and a physical therapist spoke on "Aquatic Practice Management" at a national meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association. The gathering was held last month in San Antonio, Texas.

The owner of Diamond Physical Therapy Associates, she founded the organization in 1993. Specializing in water therapy techniques, she practices at locations in Newton Corner, Brighton, and Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Diamond holds a master's degree in physical therapy from Boston University and a bachelor's degree in physical education from Saint Lawrence University.

For more than 25 years she has been involved in the field of aquatics, serving as an Aquatics Director, Instructor, Consultant and Practitioner. Her training includes work with therapists at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the New England Rehabilitation Hospital.

In the March 2000 issue of the "Physical Therapy Magazine," she was featured in an article about building a successful private practice.

2006 Past lectures have included these topics...