Hi, my name is Aija Paegle. I hold a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and am a certified functional manual therapist and Pilates professional. I have gained the trust of my patients and their physicians over almost 20 years of experience in helping people recover from injuries, improve their wellness, and achieve their physical goals.

My journey began as a professional dancer, touring the USA and Europe for 15 years. The risk of injury in my line of work made me realize the importance of knowledge to recover from injury. While in NYC, I apprenticed with Romana Kryzanowska, the protégé of Joseph Pilates. After certification, I started teaching Pilates in NYC and was the first to spread the method to Latvia and other Baltic countries. Pilates helped me “fix myself” and inspired me to pursue a career in physical therapy.

I have a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Hunter College, City University of New York, as well as a Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy with Evidence in Motion. Additionally, I am a Certified Functional Manual Therapist (CFMT), which involves using a combination of manual, osteopathic, and movement re-education techniques to create a personalized treatment plan focused on healing tissues, managing pain, and addressing underlying compensations specific to each individual.

For over 13 years, I served as an advanced clinician at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in NYC. During my time there, I treated a diverse range of patients, including professional athletes, complex spine patients, and scoliosis. At HSS, I was actively involved in creating professional education courses and the development of the hospital’s clinical Pilates program. Additionally, I continued to work with dancers by providing backstage treatment to Broadway performers in NYC and treating performers at the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA during breaks in the summer.

Parallel to the clinic, my passion is to share knowledge. I designed and taught an adjunct course on Pilates for Physical Therapists for Columbia University’s graduate program for Physical Therapy for nearly a decade. I have presented at national and international rehabilitation conferences, including the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS), and Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). I presented at TEDXRiga on a topic I am especially passionate about Breath. In my talk, “Take a breath,” I shared how dealing with injury or illness forced me to rethink the phrase and how Breath has become one of the most important tools in “fixing” myself and the most important tool I can share with the world.

Now based in Maine, I split my time between Scarborough Physical Therapy Associates and my private practice offering online access to physical therapy, Pilates, and Schroth-based exercise coaching services to busy or far-away people so they can feel better no matter where they are.