Megamotion Physical Therapy has been providing pain relief and increased mobility since 2017.
So many people sought relief from back, hip and other muscular-skeletal pain that owner Jeorge Arcellana expanded from one location to two without advertising, his practice growing by word-of-mouth referrals. Currently, he has five employees including two other physical therapists on staff.
Physical therapist John Klupa and Arcellana operate at the Oneonta location at 5392 state Highway 7, which opened in 2021. The location at 3507 Post St. in Clinton in in Oneida County was established first nine years ago.
Arcellana was born in the Philippines.
“When I was a kid, I grew up with my grandparents. I remember they suffered from aches and pains as they aged,” he said.
His uncle and several cousins are doctors; other relatives became nurses. He is the only one in his family who chose physical therapy.
“As a kid, I always knew I would be in the medical field,” he said.
He was exposed to a faith healer when he was still young. He recalled that when he was in sixth grade, his sister had a toothache he helped relieve.
“I held her tooth and prayed and was able to pull her tooth out,” he said.
About 1,000 students started out with him in the physical therapy program at Far Eastern University, which he called “one of the best schools in the Philippines.”
By the second year, the number of students dropped to 500, and by the third year, only 150 were left. He was one of only 65 physical therapists to graduate from the demanding program in 2004.
He landed a job in the outpatient clinic at one of the biggest hospitals in Manila and became a supervisor. At the recommendation of his mother, he studied for and passed the state boards required to practice in the United States.
When a friend said a recruiting firm was looking for his skills, he moved to the United States in 2009 and started out as a traveling physical therapist. He became director of rehabilitation for Otsego Manor in Cooperstown and worked with the geriatric population for eight years.
Arcellana said he was inspired to start his own business to help older people so they “don’t end up in nursing homes,” he said. By helping them maintain their mobility and get stronger, which also prevents them from falling, he said he noticed they can remain in their own homes longer.
As Arcellana called on doctors in the Oneonta area to build his referrals, he met Dr. Goodwin Njoku, who is a primary care physician in private practice. Njoku remembered referring a stoke patient who was paralyzed on one side of his body and lost his ability to walk for 12 years.
After working with Arcellana and doing physical therapy, the patient regained his strength and coordination and was able to walk again without a cane, Njoku said.
The patient would drive to Clinton for physical therapy several times a week. Arcellana said he was willing to open an office in Oneonta and used space in Njoku’s practice for four years before finding his own space.
Arcellana said he is not a miracle worker.
“I am just his instrument,” he said, referring to God. “I have the knowledge and strength to do it (heal),” but he also adds prayer as one ingredient to help his patients heal and improve their quality of life.
Arcellana said he also provides clients with the encouragement and education they need to manage their pain or recover after orthopedic surgery.
Megamotion also provides manual therapy, including massage also known as soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization and neuromuscular techniques to help relieve pain. According to Megamotion’s website, “Common injuries treated with ultrasound include bursitis, tendonitis, muscle strains and tears” and others.
For a full list of the 22 conditions that the physical therapists at Megamotion treat, visit https://megamotionpt.com.