Nick Liatsos stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall, looks like he stepped out of a men’s fitness magazine, and still competes actively in sports, basketball mostly, a love of hoops that dates back to his days as player at Lynn English High School and in the St. George Greek Orthodox Basketball League .
It was that early connection to athletics that inspired Liatsos to consider studying Physical Therapy at Boston University and pursuing a career in the profession.
“One of my friends, Tim Trahant, a Lynn English classmate and athlete, was getting treatment for his shoulder dislocation and he came in to school one day and said, ‘I went to a physical therapist and they really helped me out,’ and he suggested that I look in to it.”
Liatsos walked in to the Lynn English guidance department, started looking at career manuals, and learned that “job growth was 100 per cent in physical therapy.”
“I love physical education and the sciences and it turns out with all my injuries in high school and college, I became much more passionate about physical therapy. And Tim (Trahant) also became a physical therapist, briefly worked for the Boston Bruins, and he’s still an excellent practitioner in Connecticut.”
Liatsos has owned and operated the HealthPro Physical Therapy office in Lynn since 1996. The practice has been a success and Liatsos counts numerous pro and college athletes among his clients.
Liatsos is taking a big step forward in his career, expanding his practice to include a second HealthPro Physical Therapy office at 385 Broadway, Suite 201, Revere. His wife, Laurie, an avid tennis player, will serve as billing manager for both offices.
In addition to helping athletes of all ages rehabilitate from sports-related injuries, Liatsos also treats men and women who have been injured in automobile accidents, or have sustained lower back, shoulder, neck or knee injuries. He also helps people with postural training and recommends exercise programs for the home.
“If a person sustains a fractured leg, for example, they would come to my office for physical therapy after the cast comes off their leg,” said Liatsos. “If a person has an ACL injury or cartilage injury, they should see a physical therapist following the procedure. A lot of people make the mistake of going back to their sport without doing a proper course of therapy. I’m big into manual therapy (use of the hands in treatment) with the proper dosing of therapeutic exercise.”
Liatsos is also a certified strength and conditioning coach (CSCS) and will graduate from Northeastern in 2016 with a transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT). He has chosen a case analysis of former National Hockey League player Bryan Berard’s rehabilitation from his back injuries for the subject of his doctoral thesis. Liatsos was Berard’s physical therapist during his NHL career.
“One of the best phone calls I ever received was when Bryan was in training camp and he thanked me for his care following his injuries that allowed him to resume his career,” said Liatsos.
Liatsos grew up in Lynn and attended Lewis Elementary School and Pickering Junior High before enrolling at Lynn English, graduating in 1988.
He played forward and center at English on Ron Bennett-coached teams. Six-foot-six inch Joe Calnan, a Northeastern Conference MVP, Shawn Bleau, a soccer great, and Greg Landry and Gordon Laro, who both went on to play at BC and in the NFL, were among his teammates. He played intramural basketball and was a member of the powerlifting club at BU.
Looking back at his days growing up in Lynn, he cites as a tremendous influence his former middle school teacher, the late Vin Olivo, who also coached basketball at various schools including St. Mary’s in Lynn.
“Vin was a great guy and a great teacher – he was my math teacher,” said Liatsos. “He was very engaging the way he taught classes. He motivated his students. I’ll never forget his teachings. He had an everlasting impact on me.”
Among his fond memories of English is his impactful athlete/coach relationship with Buzzy Barton, the current Lynn councilor-at-large who was assisting the basketball program when Liatsos was a student. “Buzzy’s a great guy.”
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Nick Liatsos.
tsos credits Dr. Avery Faigenabum, one of the foremost authorities in youth strength conditioning, for his guidance and helping him break in to the lecture circuit. He is also grateful to mentors Charles Poliquin, a strength coach to professional and Olympic athletes, and Dr. Edgar Miller, who practices osteopathic medicine, and one of his former professors, Dr. Arsenio Perez, for his important lessons about the brain, nervous system, and their role in human movement.
Liatsos and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters, Sophia, 12, and Eva, 9, who both play basketball and soccer.