About Desire Wellness

Marty Sanchez, PT, DPT, GCS

As the Founder and Owner of Desire Wellness, I began my career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2005. I had the opportunity to practice in various settings as both a staff practitioner and in a management role. These settings include high-profile hospitals, community care centers, multiple rehabilitation centers, and Alaska's largest orthopedic care clinic up until now.

During this time, I've realized the gap that exists for the majority of individuals to be able to acquire skilled professional physical therapy and professionally guided exercise programs. Patients who can access professional physical therapy services are insured and are fortunate to navigate through the health care system built in the U.S. Also with the development of easy-to-use platforms that assist the public with services and learning modules, I saw an opportunity to reach individuals seeking to improve themselves around the world.

My goal is to serve customers around the world with the best effective and efficient guided online physical therapy exercise programs.

Emily Sanchez, DPT

I completed my doctorate in 2007 from Loma Linda University. I transitioned my career to promote health and wellness by becoming a certified health coach. As a doctoral trained physical therapist, I understands the science and physiology of how our eating habits will immediately improve and prolong our lives.

From 2007 to the present, I have had the opportunity to practice in a variety of settings. These settings include acute care in hospitals, short- and long-term rehabilitation, and home health.

I look forward to working with you and guiding you to reach your goals.

Alona Stein PT, DPT, PRPC, COMT

Dr. Stein attended Ithaca College where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in clinical science in 2001 and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree in 2002 through their entry-level bachelor’s/master’s program.

Following this, she attended Boston University and earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree in 2006.

Dr. Stein has earned the Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification through the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute in November 2021.

Dr. Stein is also currently completing her Master of Healthcare Administration graduate degree through Des Moines University.

Appreciation Letter from Dr. Jim Levine, MD

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to share my gratitude, respect, and admiration for my physical therapist, Dr. Marty Sanchez.

I suffered a shoulder injury from a fall while I was hiking in September 2023, and was operated on by Dr. Jeff Moore in November. In a follow-up appointment, I asked Jared Crawford, PA who he recommended that I see for physical therapy, and he immediately recommended Marty. That was the one name that he gave me, and I'm very glad that he did.

I come here as a patient, but also as an M.D. for 25+ years. My specialty is emergency medicine, and so over the course of my career I've worked with many hundreds of physicians, nurses, technicians, and medical practitioners of every kind. Marty stands out to me as one of the truly excellent ones.

My shoulder injury was complex and on my dominant side, so by the time I saw Marty 6 weeks post-op I had been markedly disabled and in considerable pain for three months. I was eager to start PT, but I also had some fears about it, including of course whether my physical therapist would be competent, but most notably that he would be cavalier and overly aggressive, with the consequent risk of causing harm to the surgical repair and healing tissues which could not be fixed. I had no reason in particular to be worried about Marty; on the contrary. It's just that after a long career as an ER doc I've seen countless misadventures, and on top of that I had been through a challenging and painful three months with my shoulder injury, and starting PT felt like the light at the end of the tunnel. Recovery from this kind of surgery is not in my bailiwick, and I just didn't want anything to compromise the outcome.

When I met Marty, I was almost immediately reassured. He was very knowledgeable and confident, but not at all cocky. It was obvious that he had been down this road countless times with countless patients, but he treated me like an individual, not a cog in the wheel. As a physician, I was deeply impressed with the care he took to elicit a detailed history before he jumped to the examination and interventions. It was clear that he was tailoring his approach to my particular situation, which is somewhat atypical because of the complexity of my injuries and surgery. His examination which followed was also comprehensive and nuanced. And instead of jumping into 101 rehab maneuvers right off the bat, he first zeroed in on what had been the biggest issues in my life for the past 3 months: pain and difficulty sleeping.

His care has been unfailingly comprehensive, sophisticated, and warm. He listens to my concerns, stays assiduously on top of my progress and roadblocks, and continuously tailors the particulars and intensity of his interventions based on them. He always has another trick up his sleeve to zero in on whatever has become the obstacle-of-the-week. And he makes it fun. Truly. It's been a painful process, no question, but I look forward to coming to my appointments. I've made tremendous progress in my function and pain since I began my physical therapy, and know that I owe Marty a huge debt of gratitude for his expertise, wisdom, enthusiasm, and kindness.

Sincerely,

Jim Levine,
MD, FACEP