Physical Therapy

With our advanced Physical Therapy techniques, we aim to resolve the mechanical failure causing you pain.

Whether you’re experiencing joint pain, excessive muscle tension, muscle pain, decreased or inefficient mobility or headaches — we will analyze and treat your body based on why the dysfunction is caused.

What makes Thrive different? Our comprehensive Physical Therapy program focuses on treating sport, orthopedic, and other injuries as part of a system, rather than as an isolated injury or symptom. Our aim is to identify the root cause of your pain and balance the biomechanics of your body’s entire system.

Thrive Proactive Health is a participating provider with the following insurance plans: Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Anthem HealthKeepers, Inc., Optum / United Health Care, Tricare Prime & Tricare Select, Cigna, Aetna PPO,  Optima PPO, Medicare, Worker’s Comp

Physical Therapy Applications

Theragun®

Known as the NBA’s secret weapon, the Theragun® works to loosen tense muscles, relax tendons, improve mobility and more!

Thriver Love Notes

Just about the BEST PT place I’ve ever been to! Professional, caring, knowledgeable, and committed to fixing you. Wholeheartedly recommend Thrive!
Scott O.

Meet Your Physical Therapy Experts

Julie Blandin

PT, ATC, CSCS, PRC, DipACLM • Provider 

Biomechanical Specialist & Movement Expert and Physical Therapist

Julie is an industry leading Sports Rehab and Postural Restoration® Specialist with over 17 years of experience in the Fitness and Sports Medicine industry. She is the only Hampton Roads Therapist Certified Provider in Postural Restoration®.

Through her diverse educational background and willingness to explore the unknown, Julie has developed an extensive and unique postgraduate skillset to offer you a holistic perspective on injury rehabilitation, prevention, and maintenance. Julie’s expertise bridges the gap between rehabilitation and performance. She highly values and understands the integration involved in the continuum of care associated with treating athletes and patients of all ages.

She has aborted many traditional therapy techniques in the quest to learn an advanced science that offers even the toughest patients some if not complete relief.

“I love purpose, passion, and serving others. Helping people achieve their goals and the health of our team is extremely important to me. I liberate and amplify the strengths and talents of others and facilitate teamwork so that we together can exceed expectations.”
– Julie

Julie’s Experience

• Licensed Direct Access Physical Therapist
  advanced training in: 

  • Movement Impairments
  • Functional Movement
  • Osteopathic Manual Medicine
  • Pain Science
  • Dry Needling
  • Vacuum Cupping Therapy
  • Anatomy Trains
  • Various Manual Therapies
  • Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization
  • Certified Provider in Postural Restoration

• Certified Athletic Trainer: experienced working with athletes of all levels, including: 

  • Weekend warriors
  • Elite collegiate
  • Professional
  • Tactical

• Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach

• Extensive Post-Graduate Study in the Postural Restoration Science

• Faculty Member of the Postural Restoration Institute: teaching nationally to: 

  • Health Care Practitioners
  • Strength Coaches
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Fitness Professionals

On a personal note…

• Loves boating, beach days, and country concerts
• A proud military wife
• Loves to eat anything Italian
• Favorite movie – Fast & Furious
• Favorite music – Country

Dante Leone

PT, DPT, OCS, DipACLM, CSCS • Provider

Business Operations Director, Physical Therapy Director

Dante believes in empowering people to have the knowledge and tools they need to control their health and wellness. As a healthcare professional, he takes pride in guiding his patients to improve their well-being and be able to enjoy all of life’s activities.

Dante loves being able to work one-on-one with all types of people to build strong lasting relationships around the common goal of optimizing health. He understands the complex biological, psychological, and social impacts to our health, and addresses these various factors with a holistic treatment approach.

Dante has spent his career in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy, as well as an embedded physical therapist in an industrial setting. He has worked with a variety of patients, including athletes, weekend warriors, post-surgical, manufacturing, and chronic pain.

Dante’s Experience

• Doctor of Physical Therapy from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
• Certification in Dry Needling
• Pain Neuroscience Education
• Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition

On a personal note…

• A proud father of two young boys, and husband of a teacher
• Passionate about the impacts of nutrition on health
• Dante grew up in Wisconsin, but definitely born for the beach life
• Loves being outdoors, going to the beach, live music, obstacle course races/Mud runs, vegetable gardening and cooking.
• Favorite music – Jam band, folk, americana, alternative, R&B, Neo-soul
• Favorite movie – He loves documentaries. Some of his favorites include The Game Changers, What the Health, Forks Over Knives, A Life on Our Planet.
• Dante was lucky to go to Sicily with his wife for their honeymoon, and would love to go back. It doesn’t get any better than Italian food straight from the source.

Giselle Vermilyea

DPT, RYT • Provider

Physical Therapist

For Giselle, yoga has been an excellent way to balance mind and body while promoting healthy movement patterns. She aims to integrate principles of yoga with her physical therapy practice and as it ties into postural restoration. She believes that movement is medicine and everyone is capable of changing and optimizing their personal journey with health and wellness.

Giselle’s Experience

Giselle’s clinical experience has been largely in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy. Throughout her education and training, Giselle has aimed to dissect what motivates others to pursue healthier, holistic, and more sustainable outcomes rather than chasing symptoms.

She has had the opportunity to work with individuals of all ages and functional capacities – from military members to weekend warriors – and enjoys the challenge of creating an individualized treatment plan to optimize one’s movement.

Education / Certifications / Training Courses

• Doctor of Physical Therapy from Samford University in Birmingham, AL
• Certified in Dry Needling
• Registered yoga teacher, certified in hatha-vinyasa yoga instruction
• Further education in Nutrition and Healthy Living from Cornell University

On a personal note…

Giselle has been fortunate to be well-traveled from trips with her family growing up, but would love to visit more of Europe with her husband and son! She lived in Japan for three years before moving to Virginia Beach and loved the opportunity to live abroad. She finds cultural immersion eye-opening and fascinating.

• Giselle is a proud mother and military wife. She values time with her family and creating experiences with her baby boy and husband.
• Hobbies include going to the beach, cooking and trying new foods, yoga, hiking, and cycling

Brooke Chandler

PT, DPT • Provider

Physical Therapist

Brooke is a Virginia beach native and has found most joy in her career by combining her expertise of manual therapy with movement to guide her patients. She is very excited to incorporate postural restoration into your plan of care to optimize your daily life. She believes there is a way to navigate your path to restore doing what you enjoy pain-free, even if it means that path looks a little different than what you imagined. She encourages all her patients to be open-minded and positive.

Brooke’s Experience

Brooke has spent most of her career working with outpatient orthopedics. This has encompassed providing treatment for a variety of patients including post-surgical, athletes, weekend warriors, active duty military and families.

Education / Certifications / Training Courses

• Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
• Extensive education in Manual Therapy courses

On a personal note…

Brooke is a proud mother, military wife, and fur mom to 2 pups.  She loves volleyball and has played since the age of 14 and now coaches. Her favorite hobbies include reading a good thriller book, traveling, and getting together with friends for karaoke.

Frequently Asked Questions
About Physical Therapy at Thrive

When should I consider seeing a physical therapist?

Thrive physical therapists are pain and movement specialists. We encourage you to come see us as soon as possible whenever you experience any pain, mobility issues, or limitations in any of your activities. The sooner you address the issues the better and the quicker we can work together to get you back doing all the things you love.

Do I need a physician’s referral to use Thrive’s physical therapy services?

In most cases you do not need a physician referral to see your physical therapist at Thrive. In the state of Virginia you can access a physical therapist directly, saving you time and money. There are some exceptions depending on your type of insurance and plan, but our staff will be happy to assist you to determine your specific health insurance benefits.

What is the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy?

Physical therapy is the practice of guiding people to more awareness of how their body moves, and improving how their body moves. Occupational therapy is its own specialty practice focusing on improving your ability to complete activities of daily living and fine motor tasks of the hand. Think daily bathing/dressing tasks, handling objects, and writing. Occupational therapists also specialize in specific hand splints.

What can I expect at my first physical therapy appointment?

In your first session, your physical therapist will learn the history of your injury or issue, as well as the current state of your pain, strength and mobility. This will then allow us to create a road map to success in the form of a treatment plan.

Patients should always leave the first visit with a better understanding of their injury, as well as techniques to begin treating which may include exercises, posture and activity modifications. If a patient arrives in pain, we want them to leave not only in less pain but with a positive outlook moving forward.