TURNER - SmartCare Physical Therapy announces the addition of a new physical therapist to manage the Turner clinic. Scott Dening, PT, joined SmartCare on Sept. 15 as director of the Turner office.

Dening has eight years of professional experience in Maine and New Mexico, encompassing a variety of clinical settings with an emphasis on orthopedics and musculo-skeletal pain problems. He is a graduate of Quinnipiac College in Connecticut, with internships in Alaska, Texas and New York.

Dening has advanced certification as a McKenzie spine care practitioner, specializing in neck and low back pain caused by disc problems. McKenzie is an internationally recognized physical therapy approach to disc problems that teaches patients how to correct spine pain and disability through specific exercises that seek to reduce disc bulging.

He also has advanced certification in the use of Kinesiotape. This is a special elastic tape that can enhance nerve input and muscle control through feedback from nerve receptors in the skin overlying muscles. His advanced training also includes mobilization-with-movement, a type of gentle manipulation that restores pain-free movement and coordination across painful joint structures such as neck, shoulder, elbow, ankle injuries.

He will divide his time between Turner and Dixfield clinics to fit patient needs.

SmartCare is an outpatient physical therapy practice with clinics on Weld Street in Dixfield and Route 4 in Turner.