Claire Bowe, front right, leading a group at Rose Physical Therapy. (Photo by Damon Bowe)

With many joining the LGBT sports community in D.C., the need to address the prevention of injuries and rehabbing injuries is more important than ever.

As an athlete, finding a facility that has experience with sports injuries is crucial to staying or getting back to training and competing. One such facility in D.C. is Rose Physical Therapy Group, located just off the Farragut North Metro stop.

Founded in 2013 by Claire Bowe and her husband Damon, the facility has grown to eight therapists with a second location coming soon. Originally from Oregon, Bowe had been working at other facilities and had a vision for what she wanted to accomplish when she set out on her own.

“I wanted to work with a higher skill set of clients,” Bowe says. “I tied that down right at the beginning that Rose PT would be a clinic for athletes.”

Focusing on that, the therapists at Rose PT are using techniques that can reduce the possibility of an athlete having to have surgery. Those techniques include Active Release Technique, Trigger Point Dry Needling and the McKenzie Method.

“We use diagnostic protocols that help delineate which tissue is involved, which helps point to the best treatment,” Bowe says. “I really wanted our focus to be on differentiating so we can get to the heart of the matter faster.”

Several of the LGBT-based sports teams have received support from Rose PT including TriOut, District Multisport and the District of Columbia Aquatics Club.

Just last week, District Multisport needed a place to try on its members’ new racing kits as a group and was welcomed at the Rose PT facility. It was exactly what Bowe was hoping to accomplish when creating the atmosphere for the clinic.

“We wanted to create something that was very nurturing and very familial,” Bowe says. “It is important for us to have a place for athletes to get well and a place where they can be comfortable.”

Another focus for the clinic is to keep athletes in their sport while they are rehabbing or training with pain. Bryan Frank receives race sponsorship from Rose PT and has taken advantage of its services while recovering from a dislocated shoulder after a bike crash.

“The therapists at Rose PT respect what you are trying to accomplish as an athlete and don’t expect you to stop training when you are injured,” Frank says. “They help us get back out there after solving the issue, not putting a Band-Aid on it.”

Frank also visits the clinic when he is healthy and has found its techniques useful with his racing.

“They have educated me on functional movement and other techniques they are trained in,” Frank says. “I usually go in before a big race for Active Release as it is thought to serve a greater purpose than just getting a massage.”

What the therapists offer at Rose PT are things that can’t be accomplished at home, though they give athlete exercises to complete on their own.

“There is a lot of hustle and bustle at the clinic and we want the athletes to feel taken care of,” Bowe says. “Our clients come in for their one-hour appointment and all of the focus is just on themselves.”