Dr. Flora Cohen
MS, DPT, CFMT
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Flora Cohen is an experienced Physical Therapist with a focus on Orthopedic and Neurological patients and pelvic pain rehabilitation. With over 20 years of experience, she is committed to a holistic, functional approach focusing on her client’s own needs and healing.
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Her passion for physical Therapy is rooted in a love of both the arts and science. Immersed in the arts from a young age, Flora credits her folks for placing her in ballet and piano early on. As a pupil, she was always drawn to the sciences, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with honors from the College of Mount St. Vincent. Not fully knowing what to do after college she volunteered at various PT clinics at various NYC hospitals, which eventually led to her completing a dual Bachelors and Master’s degree in Physical Therapy at SUNY Stony Brook- where she realized she was finally “home,” combining her passion of science and art to co-exist and thrive together.
Flora has worked at clinics and hospitals all over New York,
with patients of all ages and ailments.
The drive to provide help to people has fueled her work her whole career, whether helping cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering regain and feel how small gains led to climbing summits later on or working as an inpatient physical therapist at both Beth Israel Medical Center and New York Hospital Weill Cornell in the early 2000s assisting acutely ill patients on vents to post amputation patients in need of limb reshaping for prosthetics.
From here Flora’s attraction to helping patients beyond the hospital bed gave way to studies in manual therapy, craniosacral therapy, strain counter strain and pelvic pain, and with it- her love for orthopedics grew. She eventually pursued her Doctoral degree from SUNY Stony Brook, and became a Spine Clinical Specialist at Weill Cornell’s spine clinic where she noticed there was a lack of care and resources towards pregnancy and pelvic pain. Hence, another specialty emerged.
Her extensive time with clients in the healthcare system has made her realize that there is a great need for practitioners who advocate for them with conditions related to painful pregnancy, incontinence and painful intimacy, just to name a few. But most of the time this need to truly be a holistic therapist is hindered by the time constraints of the healthcare system, which does not allow adequate time with her clients.
Utilizing all the tools in her toolbox of her education, experience and training, she began one of the most challenging but rewarding jobs of her career. Flora took up a Residency coupled with rigorous mentorship at the Institute of Physical Art – one of the country’s leading physical therapy clinics. She obtained her Certification in Functional Manual Therapy under direct supervision of the founders which she credits for her unique and specialized care. Here is where she appreciated the interconnectedness of the body down to how breathing affects health and function. She dedicated time to learning more about headaches, TMJ pain and airway inefficiencies and their impact on both performance and rest.
Flora is proud to now have created a space where she can give her clients the time it takes towards healing and rehabilitation, creating a practice where she can meet her clients one to one hearing their stories, studying their movement patterns and getting to know their pain through all her senses.
Knowing the body is a matrix of many components, ideally governed by adequate sleep, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, treating clients solely on the basis of their diagnosis would be a disservice. Instead, Flora uses her love and knowledge of science and art to co-exist in treatment, exercise and education. Ultimately addressing each client's specific goals helps Flora attain the ultimate goal which is to give them the tools necessary to be independent and thrive in what they most want to do.
Flora still dances and loves listening to music, and continues to lab assist in courses and attend conferences as science is always evolving and changing and there is always more to learn.
Contact Flora HERE
to schedule a consultation or appointment.