Pain therapy, precision care, personal training, medical fitness therapy…how does this all work?
Hello, my name is Joshua Slone, and I am your local exercise physiologist and health coach.
You may be unfamiliar with exercise physiologists, as we are most commonly found in cardiopulmonary and clinical rehabilitation settings. We are degree-holding allied healthcare professionals eligible for National Provider Identifiers (NPIs). Our scope of practice includes therapeutic physical activity, behavior change coaching, and lifestyle management. We support patients using evidence-informed, biopsychosocial models of care and provide ongoing guidance as individuals navigate complex health and functional challenges.
Health coaches serve a complementary role within the allied healthcare continuum, reinforcing sustainable lifestyle and behavioral changes that align with a client’s health goals and medical care plan.
As an exercise physiologist and health coach with specialization in pain management and complex health conditions, I support patients through medically informed physical activity, lifestyle optimization, and general wellness care. My approach synthesizes evidence from exercise physiology, physical and occupational therapy principles, pain science, psychotherapy frameworks, and nutrigenomics, all applied strictly within my scopes of practice and guided by ongoing continuing education.
Why Refer Here?
- Evidence-informed, biopsychosocial assessment and ongoing care
- Clear, collaborative communication with referring clinicians
- Support for patients with complex pain, deconditioning, or activity avoidance
- Safe, individualized therapeutic activity aligned with medical care plans
- Improved functional tolerance and reduced secondary complications
In short: I provide evidence-informed therapeutic activity and lifestyle support for patients with complex pain and functional limitations, working in alignment with referring clinicians and providing ongoing updates.
I support patients who require medically informed movement guidance outside of episodic rehabilitation or who benefit from longer-term activity support. I do not diagnose or prescribe medication. For referrals, please see the FAQ section below.
Here’s answers to common questions physicians have asked me…
What can my patients expect working with you?
They will receive an evidence-informed assessment and ongoing care that prioritizes safety, real-world relevance, and their values.
What can I (the doctor) expect from you (the therapist)?
I will seek guidance, restrictions, and letters of clearance for physical activity as-needed and will keep you apprised of your patient’s progress via regular progress notes, usually delivered quarterly. I value open dialogues with my patient’s healthcare teams as this helps me help them immensely.
How do you handle adverse reactions or poor tolerance to the care you provide?
Generally, my patients tolerate care exceptionally well without issue. On occasion, severely deconditioned patients may experience greater levels of discomfort, requiring adjustment of the treatment plan or additional rest days, but this is a true rarity in my practice. I continually triage between discomfort and true red flags and adverse events.
If care is intolerable, the plan is reviewed, adjusted, and accommodates the patient’s abilities accordingly, and if needed, the patient is referred back to their physician or relevant specialist for further care.
How do I refer patients to you?
Patients may be referred directly with a brief letter that contains their name, reason for referral, and any relevant and/or co-morbid diagnoses. Patient contact information may be included to facilitate outreach.
Referrals may be submitted via fax to 760-820-4184.
All services are provided on a cash-pay, out-of-network basis. No insurance authorization is required.
When is referral here not appropriate?
I am not a replacement for acute medical care, diagnostic evaluation, or skilled physical therapy when hands-on rehabilitation is indicated. Patients requiring immediate medical workup, red-flag symptoms, unstable conditions, or post-operative protocols that are best served by physical therapy should be directed accordingly.
Are you going to give my patient medical advice?
No, I am not a medical provider. My patient education is limited to general and specific information about the client’s health condition(s) or injury(ies), general and specific information on nutrition and supplementation, general health & wellness, and the psychological considerations of pain and exercise therapy. I use public-facing information as appropriate for educational purposes.
Are you going to talk with my patient about their medications?
Yes, but only to gather information to be used to maintain their safety, such as asking them what medications they take, their schedule and dosing, and for what they are prescribed. This is also a part of pre-participation screening that is industry standard to ensure client safety. I provide evidence-informed education about nutrition and supplementation as it relates to exercise tolerance and safety.
I perform medication interaction checks using Epocrates, especially when the patient is using dietary supplements for health or performance purposes. I perform this check for my own clinical awareness as to the side effects, drug-drug, and drug-disease interactions of their medications as this directly impacts safety and efficacy of physical activity-based therapies and may partly or wholly contraindicate therapy.
What is this “precision care” you mention?
Precision care within my scopes of practice is a subset of precision medicine, which is healthcare that is genetics-informed and uses a wholly individualized and unique approach to every client’s care.
Briefly, the genetic screening I use does not assess risk factors for disease, but rather looks at the impacts that specific genes and collections of genes have on biochemical pathways in the body, such as those related to adipogenesis, inflammation, and methylation.
I use the action reports generated by the testing results to inform my exercise, nutritional, lifestyle, and supplementation recommendations, addressing root causes of my client’s concerns rather than symptoms.
My testing is not diagnostic for any disease state nor is it pharmacogenetics. Care remains strictly within my scopes of practice and does not tread on medical care scope.
All clients are told to clear nutritional and supplementation recommendations with their physician, registered dietician, or pharmacist as appropriate before starting.
If you would like to know more about the genetic testing I employ and how it can help improve your patient’s care, please have your staff reach out to me to arrange a phone or in-person consult.
What is your specific training and credentialing background?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and am currently a master’s candidate at USC–Keck, with advanced academic training focused on pain science, clinical exercise physiology, and behavior-based care.
I am an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, ACE/DSWI Certified Health Coach, and MedFit Medical Fitness Specialist, with additional specialty training in sports medicine through MedFit Education.
My clinical training includes interdisciplinary exposure within physical therapy clinics, along with direct mentorship and applied training alongside physical therapists and chiropractors in musculoskeletal care, pain management, and vestibular rehabilitation principles.
If you have questions regarding my scope, training, or suitability for a specific patient, I welcome your inquiry.
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