Edison stressed the personal care that they give their patients. She and Settanni not only provide physical therapy services, but emotional support, as well.

In their first week in business, the pair saw about 15 patients. Edison is there in the mornings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Settanni is there those afternoons. Edison said she eventually plans to be there full time as the business grows, and hopes to add Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday hours. She also plans to decorate the office with pictures of scenic shots from Valley Stream.

She said she has had to learn a lot of the business management responsibilities she didn’t have to deal with in the past, such as purchasing, billing and networking. Edison has been meeting with doctors, hoping they will recommend patients in need of physical therapy to Paramount.

Settanni said a good rapport with doctors can really make a difference. “I have established relationships with many physicians in Valley Stream, Lynbrook, and Rockville Centre,” he said. “Many of these physicians have advised me that there is a need for a quality, professional physical therapy facility in the area. Our goal at Paramount Physical Therapy is to offer one-on-one care in a professional manner by highly trained orthopedic and sports physical therapists. My philosophy has always been to take care of my patients as if they were my family. When you care for patients that way, they trust you and respond to treatment better.”

For Edison, her main priority to make sure her patients are happy and that their quality of life can be improved from her work. Seeing the end result of treatment, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the patient, is the best part of her job. “We’re definitely able to see progress and make lasting changes,” she said. “Getting them to their end goal, getting them back to their prior level of function is very rewarding.”