From prison to Beverly Hills, Dr. Summer Haviland has applied her healing powers in nearly every imaginable scenario.
As a former brigade physical therapist for the California Army National Guard, Haviland has provided curative relief in a skilled nursing setting, an acute hospital, a combat surgical hospital and more.
Haviland has even served “the famous, fancy people” of Hollywood.
“I treated a stunt guy who does a lot of TV commercials, but not for a stunt-related injury,” Haviland recalls. “He’d been in a vehicular accident.”
Summer is now practicing in Chattanooga, where she and her husband, Dr. Keith Haviland, operate Patriot Physical Therapy on Shallowford Road. Together, they bring more than 50 years of experience to bear on a variety of issues.
“We treat neck, shoulder, back and knees injuries, as well as a lot of orthopedic issues, whether it’s from work, a motor vehicle accident or playing pickleball,” says Keith, a 34-year veteran of the U.S. Army.
Keith chose physical therapy as his life’s work after injuring his knee while enlisted in U.S. Army Ranger School in the early 1990s and experiencing a quick turnaround due to physical therapy.
“I was up and running in a couple weeks,” he remembers. “I thought that was impressive, so I pursued that degree with a vengeance when I went into university.”
Keith graduated with a doctorate in physiotherapy from Western University of Health Sciences in California in 2008. Summer completed her doctorate at the University of Southern California.
“I knew I was going to do physical therapy from the age of 13,” she says. “I wanted to be in a practitioner role, but I didn’t want to work ER hours and I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab coat, so this was a good fit for me.”
After Keith retired from the Army in 2023, the Havilands moved to Chattanooga to open their own clinic.
“We were looking for a ‘love God and country’ kind of place,” he says. “We thought Chattanooga would be a great home for Patriot Physical Therapy.”
Patriot PT provides services ranging from laser and electrical stimulation to ultrasound and manual therapy.
“We do a lot of soft tissue and deep tissue work,” says Summer. “Dry needling is good for chronic pain. We also do prescription exercise therapies, which will look different based on whether it’s a balance issue with a post-stroke client, for example, or the patient has been in a car accident.”
Because Tennessee is a direct access state, people can call or walk in and request treatment. Access to services varies is based on how the patient is paying, says Summer.
“If you’re paying cash, that’s the end of the story. You can come in as many times as you wish. You don’t need a referral for Medicare, either, but you do need to have a primary care physician on file. Veterans Affairs requires veterans to have an authorization number, which I can call and request.”
Coverage can vary as well depending on ever-changing regulations, Summer adds.
“We’re constantly adjusting to changes in regulations. For example, health insurance providers rarely cover our dry needling, but some veteran plans and a few private plans do cover it.”
Patriot PT accepts most health plans, Keith notes, and members of the Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce receive a 10% discount.
Keith and Summer make up the entire roster of care providers at Patriot PT, so patients are guaranteed to see one or the other rather than a physical therapy assistant, he says.
Patients might also see the doctors out in the community, as they have become fixtures at their children’s sports activities. The couple have a teenager playing football at East Hamilton High School and a 9-year-old competing in gymnastics at Apison Elementary.
Patriot PT is located at 7003 Shallowford Road. Call 423 888-6238 to make an appointment. Learn more at patriotpt.com.