Photo by Erin Nelson.
Nate Bower, owner and physical therapist of Uncommon Physical Therapy, works with Kevin Garcia, a student athlete at Pelham High School during an appointment Sept. 13.
Nate Bower moved to Birmingham to pursue his dream.
Bower grew up in Minnesota, the son of a Mayo clinic surgeon. While he entertained the idea of becoming a physician, his love for sports and athletics led him to choose the path of physical therapy.
“I grew up playing a number of sports even into college, and I wanted to stay close to that,” Bower said. “Physical therapy was the best option for me.”
Bower attended physical therapy school in St. Louis, and after completing his sports physical therapy residency in Wisconsin, he decided to put himself with “the best of the best in sports medicine.” He and his wife moved to Birmingham where he accepted a job at Champion Sports Medicine.
“My wife found a position at UAB and I found a great job at Champion and it worked out,” Bower said.
During his time there, Bower worked his way up from staff member to management, followed by a leadership role. He said he always knew in the back of his mind that his goal was to start his own practice.
He decided to take the leap, leaving his position on good terms, and opened Uncommon Physical Therapy in May 2022 in Greystone.
The mission of his business was to put others' needs above his own.
He chose the name Uncommon for his practice from a Herb Brooks quote in the movie, “Miracle.”
“He [Brooks] had a quote in the movie that said, ‘You can't be common; the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon.’ I was also reading this book by Tony Dungy called ‘Uncommon.’ I woke my wife up at 2 a.m. and told her I had the name for the business,” he said.
Bower said the name speaks to what their story is: coming to Birmingham and intentionally trying to create this uncommon feel about healthcare.
“Sometimes you feel like a number or aren’t getting individual attention,” he said. “That’s why we went to this model of one-on-one. I feel the care provided is just more personal. It develops relationships that are more meaningful and I think the outcomes are better.”
Bower decided his practice would be an out-of-network health care provider, so customers pay out of pocket but can file with their insurance if it provides out-of-network benefits. He believes the traditional insurance model inhibits his ability to properly examine, diagnose and provide intervention in the way he feels is best for his patients.
“The whole idea is just to get away from the traditional model,” he said. “I think people deserve something better. There are only a few practices similar to this in Birmingham, but around the country the cash-pay model is flourishing. I think it improves the accessibility to health care and makes it easier on the patient when they have someone they trust and confide in.”
Bower is the sole practitioner at Uncommon Physical Therapy and said his business is different because his patients don’t have to have an injury to receive physical therapy services.
He works with youth clients, including athletes in soccer, baseball and golf, to help prevent injuries from occurring.
His other services are tailored to specific populations, including a program for golfers. Bower recently completed the Titleist Performance Institute and is now certified as a medical provider under the company. The clinic has a golf simulator where Bower can view the client’s swing and break down biomechanics that can help improve their mobility and power, or work to put less strain to prevent injuries.
Other programs are for running, strength and conditioning and recovery.
Faith, family and friends are what matter most to him, Bower said.
“The Birmingham community has become our family,” he said. “The people here have been incredible to us since we stepped into Alabama and this is our way of giving back to others.”
Uncommon Physical Therapy
► 7350 Cahaba Valley Road, Suite 104 (Greystone)
► Appointments are available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
