Dr. Karen Thomas, PT, DPT

Dr. Karen Thomas, PT, DPT Start here! Free quiz👇
https://programs.ventureoutwellness.com/starting-point-quiz-opt-in

Back Pain Relief — Built for Real Life
Founder | Veteran Physical Therapist
Helping you resolve back pain with self-guided programs
Back pain?

If back pain is something you’re navigating right now—quietly, inconsistently, or with more questions than answers—this ...
02/03/2026

If back pain is something you’re navigating right now—quietly, inconsistently, or with more questions than answers—this is for you.

Every Monday, I send out the Monday Morning Brief: a short, grounded note designed to help you start the week with a little more clarity and a little less guessing.

Inside, you’ll find:
• Simple perspective on back pain that comes and goes
• Stigma-free guidance for high-demand lives
• Practical ways to listen to what your body is signaling
• Occasional Q&A based on real questions I hear every week

No hype. No pressure. Just steady support.

If you’d like it delivered to your inbox each week, you can subscribe here 👇
https://ventureoutwellness.mykajabi.com/TheMondayMorningBrief

If you’re thinking about your back every day, this is your sign.Not because it’s unbearable.Not because it’s an emergenc...
02/02/2026

If you’re thinking about your back every day, this is your sign.

Not because it’s unbearable.
Not because it’s an emergency.
But because it’s just disruptive enough to affect your sleep, mood, and physical performance — and keep you quietly guessing.

This is something I see all the time with military service members and frontline workers.

Your back flares after flying, long drives, sitting too long, lifting, or busy weekends with your kids.
It’s not bad enough to go to medical — but it’s bad enough to chip away at your quality of life.

And here’s the part most people don’t talk about:

Waiting to ask for help doesn’t protect your career.
It quietly increases wear on your body and slows your recovery.

The longer you wait to take action, the harder it becomes to tell what’s actually driving the pain — and what will truly help.

That’s why I built the Low Back Pain Starting Point Quiz.

This is:
✔️ Not a diagnosis
✔️ Not rehab
✔️ Not a generic exercise program
✔️ Not a medical paper trail

It’s a starting point — designed specifically for military and frontline workers who need clarity before things escalate.

The quiz helps you:
• Identify your primary low back pain pattern
• Get clear on what to focus on now
• Stop chasing things that aren’t helping

You don’t need more information.
You need a place to begin.

👉 Take the Low Back Pain Starting Point Quiz (link in bio) and get oriented today.

🧡If you know and care about someone who keeps “pushing through” back pain — share this is simple, clear place to start.

02/01/2026

It’s cold. It’s Sunday. And the world feels loud.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tense, or worn down — you’re not alone.

So many of us are carrying a lot right now. Responsibilities. Uncertainty. The constant pressure to keep moving, keep doing, keep holding it together.

Slowing down doesn’t always feel natural — but sometimes it’s exactly what our minds and bodies are asking for.

Maybe today looks like sitting somewhere quiet.
Choosing to reset today, caring for your health and well-being.
Taking a big breath in and on the exhale letting your shoulders drop, relaxing your jaw, releasing any resting tension across your forehead, neck, and chest.
Simply giving yourself permission to pause and recover - knowing that this will help you move in a more grounded, centered way through the rest of this week.

You’re allowed to rest.
Here for you.🧡





01/30/2026

Today I planned to go live on Instagram to offer real-time support for low back pain questions.

And I learned something new — Instagram requires 1,000 followers to go live… and I’m not there yet.🙌✨

That said, my intention hasn’t changed.

I do want to support you in real time — I just want to do it in the way that’s most helpful for you.

So I’d love your input 👇
If Instagram Live isn’t an option right now, how would you like to receive this support?

• Stories with Q&A
• YouTube Live
• Short daily Reels
• Something else entirely

👉 I’ve got a poll up in my Stories right now asking how you’d prefer to receive this real-time / office-hours style support.
The poll will be up for the next 24 hours.

👉You can also comment here or DM me if you have another idea — I’m reading every response.🧡💪

I’m building this in a way that actually supports you — and your input really matters.

01/30/2026

Stress doesn’t just live in your head — it settles into your body.

I’ve spent nearly two decades working as a physical therapist alongside people in high-stress, high-responsibility roles, and I’ve seen this pattern over and over again:
👉tight muscles, disrupted sleep, lingering pain, and a nervous system that never quite gets the signal that it’s safe to stand down.

The body holds what the mind carries.

That’s why restorative, nervous-system-focused practices matter. Not to “fix” you — but to help your body shift out of fight-or-flight and into a state where recovery can actually happen.

I talked about this recently in Fit&Well, where I shared my three favorite yoga poses for high-stress days and why they’re so effective for calming the nervous system.

Relief doesn’t always come from doing more.
Sometimes it comes from giving your body permission to reset.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.fitandwell.com/wellness/yoga/a-physical-therapist-says-yoga-is-highly-effective-for-stress-management-and-shares-her-top-three-poses-for-high-stress-days

And if this resonates, feel free to share it with someone who could use a little more calm in their day. 🧡

01/29/2026

Back pain can be confusing, frustrating, and isolating — and you shouldn’t have to navigate it alone.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be going LIVE on Instagram Monday–Friday from 11:30–12:00 ET for Back Pain Office Hours.

This isn’t just Q&A.

It’s a space for:
• support when you’re overwhelmed
• clarity when everything feels confusing
• perspective before you jump into another program or fix

Some days I’ll answer your questions.
Some days I’ll share patterns I’ve seen over nearly two decades of working with people in pain.
Every day, the goal is the same: help you better understand your back and what actually matters right now.

No pressure.
No one-size-fits-all advice.
Just real conversation and guidance to help you move forward with more confidence.

👉 Follow me to get notified when I go live.
I’ll see you at 11:30!

👉DM me “START” and I’ll send you my Low Back Pain Starting Point Quiz.🔥Low back pain doesn’t need more guessing.It needs...
01/28/2026

👉DM me “START” and I’ll send you my Low Back Pain Starting Point Quiz.🔥

Low back pain doesn’t need more guessing.
It needs a better starting point.

If you’ve tried exercises, stretches, or “whatever worked last time” — and the pain keeps coming back — it’s not because you’re doing it wrong.

It’s because most people jump to treatment before they understand what’s actually driving their pain.

Before doing more, you need clarity.
Before fixing anything, you need orientation.

That’s why I created the Low Back Pain Starting Point Quiz — a simple, stigma-free way to help you understand why your back pain may be happening and where your most logical next step should be.

👉DM me “START” and I’ll send you the free quiz.🧡

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Washington D.C., DC

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