David G. Burchuk, Owner PT, ATC
David G. Burchuk, Owner PT, ATC
Founded Lighthouse in 1996 – 26 years
My interest In Physical Therapy came about while working part time as a Gymnastics coach. As a coach I had to analyze the body’s movements to figure out the best corrections to give the athlete that would make the biggest change in their performance. This became my passion and led me to switch careers over 26 years ago from Mechanical Engineering to Physical Therapy in order to work with people instead of paper and pencil.
My training started at Penn State University with an Associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology in 1983. My mechanical engineering degree helped me to understand how forces impact the body. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont in 1990. Since then I have had various rehabilitation experiences from hospital inpatient setting, home care, sports medicine, and outpatient PT. My interest in Manual therapy came about in 1992 while realizing muscle strength can be greatly reduced or inhibited from structural restrictions. This led me to intensive training in Integrative Manual Therapy.
As I continued to acquire a multitude of tools and manual therapy techniques for the various systems of the body, I realized that addressing the underlying causes was much more effective than just treating the symptoms. This became my inspiration and vision for Lighthouse Physical Therapy that was founded in 1996. Within a few years as more people sought me out, it became evident that I had to surround myself with other like-minded, highly skilled and caring therapists to provide quality care to a greater number of people.
The sense of joy and fulfillment I get from helping clients return to things they like to do is truly a rewarding experience. I love seeing the amazement on people’s faces when they realize how much better they feel or how they can move again. I learn so much with each and every individual I work with. They give us the answers if we learn how to listen to them and their body’s inner wisdom. My thanks is having a client leave our clinic where we have truly made a difference in their life.
When not working I enjoy skiing, hiking, kayaking, sailing, and woodworking. I have 2 beautiful children Alec and Alicia. My lovely wife JoAnn has been my biggest support and inspiration. We like to go out to dinner, work out together, laugh, travel and watch movies.