One of the best ways to treat arthritis, muscle pain, headaches and mobility issues, according to Barker Keith, is through physical therapy.

Having co-owned Lakeway Aquatic Physical Therapy for almost two-decades alongside his wife, Dr. Melody Medley-Keith, Barker said he’s treated countless clients from Lakeway and surrounding communities through water- and land-based treatment techniques.

The Keiths opened Lakeway Aquatic Physical Therapy in 2001, and since then they’ve been working to help clients of all age groups recover from a wide variety of ailments.

“We treat [everyone from] pediatrics to seniors,” Barker said, adding that his clinic offers services that include dry needling therapy, which is similar to acupuncture in its targeting of chronic pain and inflammation, as well as balance and mobility training.

The practice specializes in land-based therapy, which is administered at the Lakeway location at 900 S. RM 620 in the Lakeway Commons shopping center, as well as aquatic therapy, which is administered at the Keiths’ Bee Cave location within the Nitro Swimming Center located at 15506 W. Hwy. 71. Barker added that since their private practice began, the list of treatment has expanded significantly.

“With aquatic physical therapy, you can do your rehab in a non-weight bearing environment and expect a faster rehab cycle and less pain,” Barker said. “You’re only 40% weight bearing in water.”

The water-based rehabilitation method allows patients to strengthen their muscles without feeling the added burden of gravity, making the practice suitable for post-surgery patients or those experiencing swelling, he said.

But, the clinic doesn’t only specialize in land and aquatic physical therapy. Among other additional qualifications, the practice is also a certified Lake Travis sports medicine clinic that provides sports concussion rehabilitation, and is a certified Lee Silverman Voice Treatment [LSVT] Big facility, which is a program that treats Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to close temporarily, at least some facets of the Keiths’ business have remained open, Barker said.

The practice, which is designated by the state as an essential service, has not closed its Lakeway location even as restrictions have been imposed on other businesses due to the pandemic, Barker said, and added the Bee Cave location is preparing to reopen by mid-June, when the Nitro Swim Center is expected to increase its capacity to more clients.

Barker said it is important that these services remain available for community members who may be suffering.

“Medication only masks the pain,” Barker said. “It doesn’t fix the problem. We fix the problem.”