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From the Washington Ballet to Wimbledon

The Journey of a Lifetime for Jefferson Physical Therapy Graduates

For 1994 Thomas Jefferson University master of science in physical therapy graduates Miriam Graham and Reshma Rathod, meeting on the first day of orientation was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and business partnership that spans three decades—and is still going strong.

“I think what connected us initially was that we were both from Maryland,” says Rathod. “We were cadaver partners and lived on the same hallway and floor of the Orlowitz building.”

“Another thing that was magical about it is that’s where we learned our working ethic of getting the information and sharing,” says Graham. “It was a very competitive process to get into physical therapy school, but then you learn to put your competitiveness aside and help each other. That’s what really solidified our friendship—we were in the lab getting work done, but we supported each other in excelling.”

When asked to describe their Jefferson experience, both Rathod and Graham had the same answer. Rathod shares, “It gave us confidence. I felt supported when I was there. We had a good connection with the professors and were able to interact with different disciplines and students of all different subspecialties. It’s the networking and being able to build relationships.”

Graham agrees. “I learned so much about professional inquiry and research. It was the process of learning how to ask questions, take in the information, and make your own decision—the confidence to say, ‘That rings true; I think that’s right,’ or ‘No, that doesn’t ring true, I’m going to keep looking.’”

Following graduation, both joined the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where they spent the next decade gaining invaluable experience. Graham, a lifelong dancer, worked inpatient before transitioning to outpatient in a satellite clinic and leading the performing arts treatment program. Rathod worked inpatient, moving through different subspecialties, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and orthopedics, before moving to outpatient.

“Over the years, we worked our way up the career ladder,” says Rathod. “Miriam and I were charged with teaching the network the manual therapy skills that we were working to develop professionally.” 

One day, Graham beeped Rathod at the hospital with a life-changing idea. “She said, ‘I think we need to start a business,’” Rathod says. In 2004, they made the leap to start their own practice—and never looked back.

“The practice is called Restore Motion,” Graham says. “It’s evocative of what we do, and is also our initials, Reshma and Miriam. We knew that through the education we received and the experience we had, we could really provide a different type and quality of service if we did it in a private practice setting. That was the drive. It was grit. We started with a portable table and a biofeedback unit in the back of our car. We would drive to people’s homes and do therapy there until we had enough working capital to build out a space. We were in the black in four months.”

Rathod had additional training in women’s health, and the pair developed an important market niche for their practice. “Initially, our market was not only orthopedics and osteopathic manipulation, it was looking at women’s health, specifically pelvic floor disorder,” says Graham. “Then, very soon after we opened the doors, men were calling us. We focused on pelvic health, the integration of the whole body, and how that relates to the person in their dynamic environment and what they want to do. We had good success.”

“We’re doing manual therapy, which uses manual skills to improve overall function of the body,” shares Rathod. “We’re looking at the biomechanics of that body and trying to reestablish that homeostasis or that normal biomechanics.”

“The other facet of Restore Motion’s women’s health focus concentrates on the female athlete,” continues Rathod, who works as one of the providers for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). “Since 2007, I have traveled internationally to five to six different tournaments each year as one of their physical therapists. Sometimes I’m the one doing their treatments right on the court. The great thing is that we’re able to learn from therapists from around the world and bring some of those concepts back to incorporate into our practice.”  

This past summer, Rathod, who is also a member of the WTA’s Hologic Women’s Health Taskforce, which collects data on professional athletes to incorporate and develop treatment protocols, was on-site with the players at Wimbledon.

In addition, the practice works with the Washington School of Ballet, providing physical therapy and a wellness program for the students. “I attended as a young girl and through adolescence, so it’s very rewarding to come back,” says Graham. “We’re charged with doing health promotion and injury prevention and provide workshops in technique. It goes back to learning your anatomy, your body, and how to best use it to decrease injury and improve performance.”

The duo believes strongly in education and community service. “We teach, host courses in our clinic, and invite our colleagues and peers,” says Rathod. “Our clinic is also an approved clinical affiliation site for doctor of physical therapy students, who come and complete their curriculum. We also go out into the community for outreach programs, whether it’s on pelvic floor, fall prevention, or ergonomic issues. It’s just a matter of identifying the need of our community and being able to support it.”

The Restore Motion team has also taught the medical staff of the WTA and the Washington, D.C., women’s professional soccer team, the Washington Spirit.

“Our passion is to advocate, particularly for women,” Graham continues. “Women have often been neglected in research because of hormonal fluctuation and childbearing issues. In 2024 Reshma and I both spoke separately for the NIH task force looking into funding for women’s health.”

This year, as Restore Motion celebrates its 20th anniversary, it boasts 10 employees and two incredibly dedicated and passionate leaders. “I still enjoy and have passion for the profession,” says Rathod. “It’s very dynamic, and I’m evolving with it. It’s been a wonderful path for me.” 

Graham is equally as committed. She shares, “I love what I do, and I see new possibilities every day. It is rewarding to be able to improve the quality of people’s lives in so many different arenas. Everybody has the right to feel good and strong in their body and soul.”

“I think we just always had this common vision,” says Rathod. “Miriam thinks this way, I think that way, but we always end up at that common vision.” 

“It all got started in the cadaver lab,” says Graham. “Jefferson really does hold a special place.”

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