Dr. Andrew Merget, DPT

I was getting worse with leg pain and by the end of July I was limping, barely able to walk. On my first visit with Dr Merget he assessed me and showed me a movement that helped relieve my pain in just one day! I've only had 3 visits so far but am already able to walk 70% better! Now I know what to do when the pain starts again...takes about 10 minutes to do my routine and I can walk without pain again! I know this will only improve....and surgery isn't in my future. Dr Merget is a wise and caring person... and truly a gift!

Amazing results quickly. He is extremely knowledgeable and personable . I had never heard of The McKenzie technique but I did research on back pain and found it and discovered that he was local . My first experience with Andrew was when he treated my husband for leg pain ( his neurologist wanted to do surgery ). He explained that if it was a mechanical problem and not structural he could most likely help him- long story short, my husband left his office pain free a year ago and remains so today. We've sent several friends to try him and they had similar results . Three weeks ago my back went out as it has periodically over the years and I could barely walk. This time rather than heat, ice, back relaxer pills and several weeks to heal I called Dr Merget immediately. He saw me the next day and I had a friend drive me as I couldn't drive. It took me 20 minutes to get into the car with much pain. Once again, I left his office pain free!!!! The whole world needs to hear this !!!

I had been to several physical therapists about two herniated discs that were causing significant pain. In my case, Lumbar steroid epidural injections and acupuncture were also not super helpful in relieving pain. I had also consulted a neurosurgeon about a microdiscectomy surgery to relieve the pain. Then, I was referred to Andrew. Andrew was a master diagnostician. He suggested evidence-based exercises to help alleviate the pain. He specializes in the McKenzie Method and curated the exercises to meet my needs. He was also a great teacher because he explained what was causing the pain, gave specific feedback to make sure I did the exercise correctly, and taught me how the exercises could help treat symptoms in the future. He is very attentive and helped me improve my quality of life!

Highly recommend Andrew Merget. He is a knowledgeable and patient Schroth physical therapist. He has worked with two of my daughters to help with their scoliosis. They are doing Schroth therapy with him and utilizing a WCR brace. His depth of knowledge about scoliosis and treatment options has made him a valuable resource for us. He is very detailed and has worked well with both of my daughters on their scoliosis specific needs - both in person and online.

I was having severe burning in my upper back/shoulder area as well as pain in neck area and tingling in my hand. I saw a chiropractor and a physical therapy office for 6 weeks - 2x/week and had no resolve! After only 2 visits with Andrew @ Take Control Physical Therapy I was on my way to healing and significantly less amount of pain! He takes the time to explain what & why I had the symptoms I was feeling. And teaching me to correct to the point of feeling so much better. Highly recommend Andrew Merget!

I have suffered with lumbar spine nerve pain for several decades. This has produced extreme pain and lower back that often extended into my legs, as far down as my ankles on occasion. After numerous hospitalizations and dozen of trips to physical therapy, I knew nothing of the Mckenzie Method. Recently re-locating to Jacksonville, I heard of Take Control Physical Therapy and Dr. Andrew Merget. Having worked EMS, I was immediately impressed over the phone with Andrew's manner and keen interest in me as a patient. I felt better after the very first visit, and his therapy continues to produce not only relief, but real hope of actual healing. Dr. Merget has unusually patience and highly competent evaluation skills. I highly recommend Dr. Merget for your physical pain issues.

After 18 years of no problem with a former sciatica issue I recently developed foot drop on the same side. I was referred to Dr Merget by my physician in the wake of a recent MRI suggesting that L5 S1 surgery was needed. 3 weeks and 4 visits later my symptomology is significantly better and the McKenzie method diagnosis indicates that surgery will not be required. What a game changer and I highly recommend that anyone with skeletal issues get an evaluation with Dr Merget. Keep in mind that if the diagnostics indicate that this method will not solve the problem he will tell you that as well and recommend surgery. #TakeControl #DrMerget

I can’t recommend Andrew enough. I originally saw him for help managing scoliosis, and he explained difficult concepts to me in a way that I could understand and implement. I later came back because of some very intense nerve pain in my back and shoulder blade area. He figured out what was wrong with me over a virtual call within minutes. He gave me a very simple exercise to do and I saw significant improvement before I got off the call with him. Prior to seeing him, I had been to multiple appointments with 2 orthopedic surgeons, 2 physical therapists, and a specialist. They all ended up telling me they didn’t know what was wrong me. I wish I would have saved time and money by just going to Andrew first.

I’m 65. I’d hurt my back as a kid. As I've gotten older I began to have problems to the point where I couldn't even walk. Andrew provided (remotely, which I didn't think was possible for a PT session) a thorough assessment of my back problem. He created a structure I was able to follow that completely opened up the problem in a safe way. The movement "prescription" was counter-intuitive, not what I could have figured out on my own. He explained everything so that I would understand and know how to keep moving forward on my own, regaining strength and flexibility and how to maintain the steady improvement. My back not only got better, the emotional climate I was stuck in changed. He was patient and kind, and a generous doctor of PT who provided everything he had to help me regain mobility and strength in my back. Also he helped me regain ‘hope’ I was beginning to lose, addressing an unspoken fear that I was going to become incapacitated. I’m so grateful to Andrew for his work!

Andrew Merget did an excellent job treating my symptoms, I've been pain-free for a month, and have a maintenance plan to address symptoms if they return. Andrew is an attentive communicator, and took my preferred activities into account over the course of treatment. I would happily recommend Andrew Merget to anyone needing treatment from a physical therapist.

Andrew has been my PT for my many injuries; acute and chronic, head to toe (literally). He has also been my mentor as a colleague and Doctor of Physical Therapy. I feel so confident in his ability to assess and diagnose any symptoms that anyone is having. His expertise allows him to be extremely efficient in ruling in / out diagnoses, and being able to triage people that will not respond to Physical Therapy. He won't waste anyone's time. Andrew is truly brilliant at what he does. I am a high level athlete, and he has helped me to heal and understand injuries that I have dealt with for 15 years. I have also been fortunate enough to seek his counsel to co-treat patients that I have not been able to fully understand what is going on. 10/10 would recommend!

This was the best physical therapy experience I have ever had; I have had chronic neck pain after a cervical spine fusion and consequently have seen many physical therapists throughout the years with no real success. I was quite hopeless and thought I was going to have to suffer with that pain lifelong. I am an avid rock climber, mountain biker, etc and it was interfering with my ability to engage in these activities comfortably, not to mention disruption in my ADLS. I heard about Andrew through a friend who spoke very highly of him. I went in with the hopes of act least gaining minimal function without quite as much pain, realistically I wasn't very optimistic with past PT experiences. Not only did I gain significant function but the pain reduced by 75-80%, long-term, in a relatively short period of time, remarkable. The hands-on scientific approach he used was nothing short of miraculous. I recommend him highly to anyone!

Dr. Merget has been a monumental help in improving my low back pain. Before seeing him I had a lot of pain, could not run could not bend, and would be crippled with pain. He has helped improve my condition immensely. He is thorough, knowledgeable and so helpful! He offers Tele-health appointments and can treat you from afar. My husband has never set foot in his office and has had amazing results using tele-health and Dr. Merget's hands off approach. He will teach you how to fix yourself! Do not live in pain! Please do yourself a favor and schedule an appointment with Dr. Merget! He can help you! He can help you from afar if you can't come in to see him! You won't regret it!

I worked with Dr. Merget for 8 months and only have positive comments. Very accommodating to his patients, flexible. Dr. Merget has excellent communication when it comes to explaining what he is doing and why he is doing. He doesn’t leave the patient confused on why the Dr. is using this method to help the patient. My back problems were worked through and fixed! I strongly recommend Dr. Merget!

Andrew Merget is an excellent Physical Therapist. He is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, really good at listening, personable, friendly, and excellent at explaining exercises, why we do them and what we are striving to do with the physical therapy. He helped me with several problems that I did not go to him for in the first place, as well as the problem for which I originally consulted him. The method he uses, the McKenzie Method, is top-notch, since you only try one exercise at a time to find the exercises best suited to your particular problem. I was very impressed with the treatment methods Andrew used and the results we achieved using them. I would highly recommend Andrew Merget!

Andrew was fantastic at diagnosing and treating my issue. He had a good "poker face" so he didnt lead me to just give him answers he wanted to hear, which I think is crucial to good diagnosis. The exercises to treat my issue were very succinct and easy to follow through with. He is great at explaining what is wrong and how exercises fix it.

Andrew was very receptive to feedback, good at listening to my questions and concerns, and provided useful and informative responses. His treatment suggestions were effective and he was very knowledgeable. Overall, my experience with Andrew was extremely positive.

Dr. Merget uses an evidence based approach to treating his patients, and it works! I had back pain for over a decade and had to give up running (one of my major hobbies) and had a lot of trouble bending, tying my shoes, you name it. Andrew helped diagnose the problem and provided evidence based physical therapy to correct the issue and get me moving again. He has helped me get back into running and has made my back pain virtually disappear. I highly recommend him for Physical Therapy!

I had chronic neck/shoulder pain for years. I had seen a long list of practitioners in hopes of getting some sort of relief. Other therapies provided relief, but they were always temporary. A friend recommended Andrew to me. Admittedly, I was initially skeptical. After all, I had spent thousands of dollars over many years and nothing had really helped. I had finally become resigned to the fact that this was the body I was stuck with - pain and all. My friend continued to encourage me to reach out to Andrew so I finally indulged her. My first appointment was very thorough and Andrew gave me hope that this was NOT something that was chronic. Throughout the short time we met I felt less pain and was able to get back to the active lifestyle that I love. Andrew will teach you movements to decrease your symptoms and movements that you will be able to continue yourself. I can literally treat my own symptoms now! Give Andrew a call. He will help you get your life back too.

Andrew/this clinic are a God-send. I am training for Special Forces selection and was about to get surgery on my hip for a torn labrum. It would've put me out for 9 months at least. My symptoms were not normal for a torn labrum, but I had been to 2 doctors and 3 different physical therapists and they all were stumped. They assumed it must be my labrum. After a one hour consultation with Andrew Merget, he figured out it was a disk in my back. This was only 5 weeks ago and I am pain free. It is remarkable how simple and effective my treatment has been. The level of professionalism and expertise at this clinic is unparalleled. Andrew has been super helpful and thorough every step of the way. I'd give 6 stars if I could.