Meet Mikael Joergensen | Physical Therapist and Insert Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikael Joergensen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikael, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I’m the Insert Guy. For years I have been making custom made inserts for adults and children. Still today I’m surprised how quick inserts can make a difference in pain relief and enhance walking & running.

As a Physical Therapist I enjoy helping patients recover from their injury and return to work or sports.
I have a passion for motivating and helping people reach their potential – both physically and mentally.

I help a lot of kids with heel pain. Working with kids is a big joy for me.
For kids it’s very important to be active with sports. Especially now a days where we sit more than ever and kids socialize more via online interactions.
But when kids gets injured and can’t parttake in sports anymore it’s frustrating – both for the child and parents. When kids can’t be active for a longer time, it affects them physically, mentally and socially.

For active growing children a common injury is heel pain related to inflammation in the growth plate, called Sever’s Disease. One of the best ways to relieve children for this type of heel pain is a special insert, called Solemaids. It’s a custom made insert from Denmark – and I found it so effective, that I got certified in making them and I’m now the American provider of this Danish insert.

To experience the joy in a parents face when they see their child being back in sports using the Solemaids inserts is the biggest reward in my job. And most of my new clients is word of mouth, when one child of the team gets pain relief form the inserts – then the word gets around quick. Now that more parents are getting awareness of the Solemaids inserts, it’s my job to also create more awareness among doctors and podiatrists to know about the inserts – so they can help their clients faster.

Sever’s Disease can be very debilitating for a child and some children can deal with heel pain for many months or even years. For me to be able to help them with a quick and easy solution as the Solemaids inserts has been very satisfying. In the near future I hope that more and more parents and professionals know about this solution of treating heel pain in growing children – so kids can be having fun doing sports again without pain.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have been working as a Physical Therapist for more than 25 years. First year I worked in a hospital and ever since worked in private practice. The last 16 years I have been a business owner. In Denmark I was a co-owner of a large Physical Therapy Clinic with one main hub and 2 branches. Each place had fitness centers and we had a staff of 40 people. We tried to create a private health care center, where our clients could get help from Physical Therapists, Psychologists, a Sports Physician, Dietitian, Podiatrist, Masseuse and an Acupuncturist. Like a one-stop-shop – so the client sometimes could see 2 specialists at the same visit.

Developing a private health care center was a very exciting journey – but also exhausting. I got more and more ready to try something new and in 2019 I sold my shares in the business and moved to California. I have never been afraid of trying something new and I try to look at the unknown as opportunities. But getting used to a new city, new culture, different climate – and restart my life during Covid 19 was quite a challenge. But I’m so happy I did it.

I work and live in the small town of Montrose in Los Angeles. Montrose reminds me so much of Europe with cute shops and restaurants. Everything is in walking distance and it’s a safe and relaxed community. Here I have my own little business, where I offer treatment, training and make my custom made inserts. I love what I do and I’m happy I can set my own hours and decide how much I want to work. I’m blessed to be my own boss – and I try to have a good work life balance – like we have in Europe.

For me moving to California has been a great experience. Not everything has been easy – but life has again and again showed me, that working hard, staying positive, treat people with respect & kindness and trusting in God – always pays off.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in a very green and peaceful part of LA called Montrose. We have cute shops and restaurants and the little town is full of coffee shops and frozen yogourt places.

A perfect day for a visitor would be getting up early and go for a nice hike around the Brand Library in Glendale (https://www.brandlibrary.org/) and after the hike visit their beautiful and unique library. Then head to Montrose and enjoy a late breakfast and coffee at Toasted café (https://www.toastedcafemontrose.com/). After that visit Descanso Gardens (https://www.descansogardens.org/) and enjoy the beautiful area with flowers, lake and serenity.

Enjoy a light lunch at Gio’s bakery (https://www.giosbaguettes.com/) – their Turkey/pesto panini with salad is a treat. Then take a stroll around the small shops in Montrose or head out to the out door mall – Americana – in Glendale 12 min. away.

Dinner could be in the beautiful outdoor patio at Casa Cordoba (https://casacordoba.com/) in Montrose – and get a taste of Spain.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to all the parents out there, that motivates their children to be physically active. It’s time consuming as a parent to take the kids to practice and games, to coordinate leisure and homework and sometimes also to deal with pain and injuries. Dreams can be shattered and not being able to play is tough. It is a lot of work as a parent – I know from our own 2 boys.
But being consistent and keep motivating your children to participate in sports is so worth it for their physical and mental growth – both now and in the long run.

I also want to give a big shout out to my own parents, that always have supported and helped me, no matter what crazy idea I would come up with. They have both stayed in their line of work for more than 40 years and they have taught me a lot about loyalty, dedication and perseverance. I think we all need good role models to look up to – and my parents are definitely some of my best role models!

My wife is also one of my big role models. The love and kindness she shows me, our boys and people around her, is truly amazing. She is the most patient and helpful person I know. The world needs a lot more of her kind to be a happier and more peaceful place.

Website: https://nordicbodylab.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nordicbodylab/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nordicbodylab

Image Credits
Mikael Joergensen
Liz Gallegos
Solemaids