-Parker Johnson
“I met with Brandon for the first time 8 months after my ACL surgery. Had already been working with a PT in another state for months, but needed a new one after moving.
At the time every day was filled with stiffness and pain. Sitting for long periods of time would ruin my day and any type of athletics was out of the question.
After 6 months of personalized rehab and performance training with Brandon Guastafeste (AAA), I had joined two sand volley ball teams was back to being active everyday.
Today, I can’t tell which leg had surgery without looking at the scar.
If you’re looking for a PT that’s going to improve your quality of life, you’ve found the right place.”
-Joel A. Beyioku
“To even start to comprehend how Brandon changed my life, I will just give a quick background. I had an exploratory knee arthroscopy surgery due to pain and discomfort that wouldn’t go away for months. Pain was worse after surgery and it never went away. I spent 2 years trying to find adequate PT. I couldn’t go downstairs without pain, couldn’t walk for long periods of time, couldn’t squat, couldn’t live life like a normal human. It was truly the end of the road for me. As an Implant Surgeon myself, I was very specific about the kind of therapy I wanted and knew I needed. But most importantly I needed someone who really knew what they were doing. Nothing worked and an orthopedic surgeon told me I had 35% muscle activation in my right leg. Spend thousands and went to 3 different PT clinics without success.
I stumbled upon Brandon in Raleigh NC and started doing 1 on 1 personal PT sessions. From the first day I met him, I just knew this guy was obsessed with everything PT related. I had never stumbled upon someone with such a wealth of knowledge regarding physical therapy and rehab. He knows the foundation, he knows the treatments and tailors everything to your specific needs. Not a one size fits all approach like any other major PT clinic. He spent countless hours with me, months, until he rehabilitated my knee, I was able to go downstairs, squat over 200 pounds, started feeling better both physically and mentally. I saw light at the end of the tunnel. His techniques, his ways, his protocols, are all tailored and have such a solid scientific foundation. After a year of PT I moved to another state and he continued doing my PT through video. Brandon is the ONLY Doctor I would trust for any PT and any injuries. I saw him rehabilitate many knee patients with incredible success. There is no one else with his kind of expertise and his immense humbleness. Trust me, Brandon is your go to!”
-Eric J.
“All Around Athlete was crucial in my ACL recovery. Working with Brandon in a 1 on 1 allowed key skills and movements to be identified and broken down in order to really focus on them. Brandon takes the time to understand your goals and you sport to tailor the recovery process in a safe way to get you back and stronger than you were before the injury. Brandon is incredibly motivating and provides a supporting environment that was so helpful. I highly recommend All Around Athlete!”
-Riley M.
“Brandon guided me through ACL surgery recovery. As my physical therapist, he was always attentive, thorough, and passionate.
We met once a week during my recovery. He always came prepared with a detailed list of exercises that were tailored to my specific recovery needs. When teaching me how to do each exercise, he made sure to emphasize not only proper form, but also why each movement was important for my recovery. This helped me see how each exercise served as a building block towards my ultimate goal of returning to soccer.
One stand out aspect about working with Brandon was his use of video analysis. He would record my exercises to capture the differences between my surgical and non-surgical legs and to monitor my progress over time. He used these videos to further inform his plans for my sessions, making sure to address areas I was struggling with. Being able to see the videos helped me understand deficiencies between my legs and what I needed to improve on. It was also incredibly motivating to see how I was getting stronger from seeing these videos.
Brandon’s commitment to my recovery went above and beyond. He often stayed beyond our scheduled time to ensure I got the most out of each session and gave me “homework” exercises to do between sessions so I could continue making progress on my own. He was also easily accessible through text and FaceTime and genuinely cared about my wellbeing, frequently checking in to see how I was doing, both physically and mentally.
With the help of Brandon, I was able to become stronger than I was before my injury. I highly recommend Brandon and All Around Athlete to anyone going through physical therapy and looking to get back to their sport after injury!”
-Michelle B.
“As an athlete, I have a relatively high pain tolerance as I’m normally working through some type of injury in the gym without much complaint, but a significant shoulder injury seemed to gradually worsen over time and began limiting what exercises I was able to perform in the gym. That’s when I started to work with Brandon and for about 3 months we met virtually once a week as he constructed a program to get me back lifting pain free. We took a step back from the normal workload, which was mainly bench pressing and rowing movements, and prioritized mobility work. Within just a few weeks we made incredible progress and gradually increased the range of motion and progressively overloaded the weights incorporated. I still perform some of the mobility exercises that we used at the very beginning of the program as a warm up to my current upper body workouts. I can’t say enough about the care Brandon showed towards me during this process. Not being able to engage in the activity I enjoyed after a high level athletic career became somewhat depressing. Brandon’s positive attitude and encouragement regarding even the slightest bit of progress helped me stay optimistic and was a stress relief in itself. From there I trusted and remained within the course of his set expectations in the program to its entirety in order to prevent getting ahead of myself and avoiding a setback. It has now been over a couple years since the shoulder injury and I haven’t experienced any aggravation to the prior injury. I would highly encourage any athlete at any level to reach out to Brandon regarding injuries they are concerned about as I’m confident he will quickly get you back to doing what you love.”
-Mikey Walsh; Former Division 1 Athlete, Current Bench Press Lord
“I have never been someone who wanted to go to the gym or see a personal trainer, but when just walking wasn’t cutting it and I knew I needed strength training I knew something had to change. I reached out to Brandon for private one on one training. I initially thought I would go maybe a couple of times over the course of a month and then transition to doing it at home. Brandon made me feel so safe while I was getting stronger. He encouraged me every session and I was so excited to go. Instead of starting a home program for me he gave me the basics and passion to go to the gym and be able to go direct my own program.
Brandon taught me proper technique and what the moves should make me feel in each muscle. He has a great program where he directly tailors a plan for you based on the goals you give him. His physical therapy background really comes through in adjusting moves that may have some pain associated and the right way to do it for you!
And this man made me enjoy battle ropes!
I feel so confident today going to the gym on my own. He even checks in on me and makes sure all is good and if I need any help!”
-Kristin