Case Managers / Physicians

Thank you for inquiring into our services. We offer fully licensed and registered services in Occupational Therapy,  Physical Therapy, and Athletic Training.  Mr. Kolly has 13 years of college education including a doctoral degree, board certification as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS), and specialist degree in orthopedic manual physical therapy.    Please take the time to tour our website and call or visit with any other questions.

We believe that patients want to be treated by the best physician and specialist.  We pride ourselves in offering the best rehabilitation clinicians and the most comprehensive continuing education packages.  We are confident that our level of competency is unique to this area and that your patients will receive the highest standard of care at Xcel Physical Therapy.  Surgeons take pride in their procedures and we pride ourselves in maintaining the integrity of their work and progressing their patients to an optimal level of function.

Xcel Physical Therapy specializes in occupational/industrial rehabilitation, spinal rehabilitation, and sports medicine/orthopaedic rehabilitation. We offer 1:1 Physical Therapy services for the acutely injured and chronic patients as well as specific programs for the injured worker including work hardening, back schools, and Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE).

Mr. Kolly started his career as an Athletic Trainer, rehabilitating injured athletes to their pre-injury status. Seeing patients return to sports was satisfying and rewarding but the field lacked some critical education. He therefore pursued his Physical Therapy degree. Not satisfied with his level of education and training in spinal care he went on to receive his Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT) degree through a residency program by Oakland University. This training was critical in his understanding of spinal mechanics, stabilization, and recovery (healing).  To prove his knowledge he took and passed the OCS exam setting himself apart from other Physical Therapists in the area.

What he has ascertained, in his career, is that athletic patients were motivated to return to play, abstained from poor social habits and lacked a complicated medical history. Injured workers typically don’t have those same driving factors and often feel cheated by our medical system.  Concurrently we have seen a  growing number of workers seeking disability and compensation for their injuries.

He believes that these clients need additional positive re-enforcement and motivation that most therapists are not trained to provide. He also believes that these clients need supervised, progressed exercise with safe body mechanics and clear education to improve their quality of life both physical and social. In Northern Michigan most occupational injuries are treated in physical therapy centers that are not specialized or trained in this clientele. Rarely, do these clients receive the true benefit of occupational rehabilitation with the appropriate exercise equipment or supervision needed. He has been a longstanding patient advocate yet acknowledges the financial burden of disability and unemployment.

Mr. Kolly further believes that injured athletes (recreational or competitive) require treatments with a broader understanding of kinematics and joint structure than do many lay persons.  It is Mr. Kolly's work experience as an Athletic Trainer combined with his credentials in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy and Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist that guide his decisions about appropriate intervention.

Work hardening/conditioning when conducted by trained therapists is geared toward returning injured workers to some level of beneficial work. Clients typically begin with general strengthening and conditioning and progress with their resistance and duration. Clients generally begin with 2-3 hours per session and progress towards 8 hours of occupational rehabilitation with the goal of returning to work. The patients that can’t return to the same occupation can often find other occupations involving less hours or different capacity.

We offer Functional Capacity Evaluations (F.C.E.) by ErgoScience. F.C.E. can be a vital component to disability claims and when performed by trained, licensed individuals. Functional Capacity Evaluations are becoming more standard in our litigious state and when done by qualified, licensed staff can be of tremendous value.  Unfortunately, many practitioners in the state do not receive specific training and certification or licensing in the field. Without such training and knowledge, they are unable to provide you with the skills or defensible knowledge to support their findings. Documentation and credibility are valuable assets when dealing with the courts.

Benjamin L. Kolly has been trained and licensed in this field by ErgoScience¹.  The ErgoScience F.C.E. is substantiated by reliability and validity research conducted at the University at Birmingham.² It is the only standardized F.C.E. that I am aware of that has studied and published the validity and reliability on all aspects of the examination. To my knowledge, this is also the most standardized, quality examination currently produced. The examination includes dynamic strength, position tolerance, mobility, fine motor skills, balance, coordination, and endurance. Additional information provided by this F.C.E. includes tolerance to the eight hour work day, self limiting behavior, overall level of work as defined by the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)³ and Job Demands Analysis / Classification of Jobs (COJ)⁴ when provided.

To obtain specific information about any of our services or of one of your patients please call Xcel Physical Therapy at (231) 238-4090.

1 ErgoScience, Inc; 15 Office Park Circle, Suite 214; Birmingham, AL 35223; phone 205-879-6447; toll free 866-779-6447; fax 205-879-6397; http://www.ergoscience.com.

2  Lechner DE, et al. Journal of Occupational Medicine.  Sept 1994 Volume 36, No9: pages 997-1004.

3 Dictionary of Occupational Titles Revised, 4th Edition, Volumes I & II, Government Bookstore.

4 Classification of Jobs 2000, Elliot & Fitzpatrick, 1800-843-4977.