Genuine Care Physical Therapy focuses on holistic healing

The new Genuine Care Physical Therapy clinic in Del Mar Highlands Town Center’s goal is to help people experience life fully and without pain, to find relief and healing for irritating and debilitating pain in a natural way.

Founder Youngsun Kim was previously the director of rehabilitation services at Palmdale Regional Medical Center’s Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute. He worked at the medical center for 14 years but grew frustrated by the limitations of the hospital system—he wanted to open his own clinic that promoted natural wellness and holistic therapies.

“My passion is to help people achieve an active and mobile life without painkillers, surgeries and injections,” said Kim.

Kim moved to Carmel Valley a year ago and opened Genuine Care in April with his wife Eunjin “Jina” Kang, a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist.

Kim served in the Korean Army as a Secret Service operative for two Korean presidents. A graduate from Sahmyook University (South Korea) with a B.S. in physical therapy, he completed his doctorate at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Utah. He is a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist and sports clinical specialist and has a manual therapy certification from the Evidence in Motion Institute and a TPI certification from Titleist Performance Institute.

Kim said his oriental background really helps him understand the importance of the holistic approach as oriental medicine focuses more on the whole person and the mental, spiritual level than just the physical problem.

“The five-to-10 minutes that a doctor has to spend time with patients is not enough time to find the root cause of the problem,” Kim said. “At Genuine Care Physical Therapy, we take the time to examine our patients’ problems from a multidimensional perspective so that our patients recover permanently. Our patients recover, they don’t mask the pain.”

While they help people of all ages, the target age bracket is 45 and above—the most common problems Genuine Care sees are lower back pain and sciatica. Genuine Care can also can help with neck and shoulder pain and knee pain as well as arthritis and balance issues such as dizziness and vertigo.

Kim said a potential patient is anyone who feels that they have slowed down because of pain or has lost mobility or independence. With many issues, it is easy to blame age for “wear and tear” and Kim said many people incorrectly assume they just need to deal with pain or ignore it—both scenarios lead the patient to a life of constant pain.

“This life of pain is one that our dedicated team at Genuine Care Physical Therapy strive to heal,” Kim said. “Our passion is just getting people back to the lifestyle they enjoy, to be able to experience life 100 percent.”

All sessions are conducted with a board certified specialist, including hands-on treatment and customized exercises for every patient, promoting stretching, balancing and strengthening.

Asking the right questions and building genuine relationships with his patients is important, Kim said.

“Every individual is different and that education piece is a luxury that the medical profession doesn’t have,” Kim said.

In his consultations, called “discovery sessions”, he gets to the root of the issue and charts a holistic and natural path to wellness. Rather than popping a pain pull or getting a shot, he believes in possible cures such as changing bad habits, exercising regularly, managing stress, seeking mindfulness, nourishing the spirit through faith and eating healthily, are key elements to living longer and stronger without pain and disease.

Kim said he has heard from patients who said they never knew physical therapy could help them in the way that it has. He loves the success stories— someone who had given up golf due to pain being able to get back to the sport they love; helping someone with shoulder pain be able to hold their grandchild again.

“I know that if I do the right things, if I’m genuine, that people will respond to my service,” Kim said. “I love my job. Physical therapists don’t save people’s lives but helping people improve the quality of their lives is our job and that really makes me tick and makes me happy.”

Genuine Care Physical Therapy is located at 12925 El Camino Real, suite J27. For more information visit genuinecarept.com or call (858) 847-2025.

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