Smart Athlete Physiotherapy - Home

Live, Move, Train Smarter We help the athlete within us move
without compensation and pain, creating
the freedom to do what you love most!
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Bulletproof Your Body We help the athlete within us move
without compensation and pain, creating
the freedom to do what you love most!
Book Now
Maximize Athletic Potential We help the athlete within us move
without compensation and pain, creating
the freedom to do what you love most!
Book Now

SERVICES

Our services are designed to get you back to what you love to do and take your game to the next level.  If you answer yes to any of the following, we have the solution.

  • Pain that affects your movement
  • Stiffness that doesn’t go away
  • Reliance on pain killers
  • Unable to participate in activities you love
  • Lost time to train or compete due to injury
  • Have recurring injuries or migrating pain
  • Feel your workout routine is hurting you
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Physiotherapy Services

• Sports Injury Rehab • Running/Gait Analysis • Dry Needling
• Postural Restoration • Pelvic Health
• Preventative Care Plans • Deep Tissue Laser Therapy

Athlete Management Services

• Athlete Risk Assessment • Return to Sport Testing & Training
• Tennis Performance Training • Sports Recovery Services
• Speed & Agility Training • Team Workshops

SUCCESS STORIES

"I've struggled with nagging injuries for years.  Smart Athlete Physiotherapy helped me train and compete pain free.  Without them I would not be a reigning Xterra National champion in my age group. They are caring professionals working as a team to help improve my performance and health. I appreciate the fact that my strength coach and physical therapist work together, observing my training, to make me the best athlete that I can be. As a coach, I encourage my athletes to also take advantage of their team of experts. Thank you SA for making this year such a success."

Margo Pitts
Founder & Head Coach of B3 Triathalon

"I've struggled with nagging injuries for years.  Smart Athlete Physiotherapy helped me train and compete pain free.  Without them I would not be a reigning Xterra National champion in my age group. They are caring professionals working as a team to help improve my performance and health. I appreciate the fact that my strength coach and physical therapist work together, observing my training, to make me the best athlete that I can be. As a coach, I encourage my athletes to also take advantage of their team of experts. Thank you SA for making this year such a success."

Margo Pitts
Founder & Head Coach of B3 Triathalon

"I went to Jeff after having pain in my knee for over a year. Within a few weeks he helped me get back on court in time for some important matches. I know for the rest of my career that whenever I am having pain or discomfort in my body that I need to go see Jeff to get healed up."

Thai Son Kwiatkowski
Professional Tennis Athlete, Former NCAA Single Champion

FREE REPORTS ON HOW TO AVOID PAIN

TEAM

Smart Athlete PT has put together a collection of Raleigh’s most experienced physio’s in treating athletes and over-use injuries.  Upon your introductory call to Smart Athlete we figure out which physio you best match up with to maximize your time with us.

Physiotherapists

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Jeff  Vajay is the founder of Smart Athlete PhysioTherapy and a life long athlete. For nearly two decades, Jeff has worked with athletes from the NHL, NFL, NBA, ATP, WTA, MLB and US Olympic Track and Field, as well as various college athletes.  He’s spent four years as a sports medicine therapist for the United States Tennis Association Men’s Professional Circuit and currently travels internationally as a Physiotherapist with the ATP World Tour.

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Michael Vita is the co-founder of Smart Athlete Physiotheray and has been practicing in the areas of orthopaedics and electrophysiology over the last 19 years.  He utilizes his knowledge in these areas to the benefit of the client.  Michael has worked with client s ranging from chronic pain patients to amateur and professional athletes. Treatments typically integrate a comprehensive neuro – biomechanical approach with manual treatment specific to the injured region.

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Jon Paryz, co-owner of Smart Athlete earned his Physical Therapy degree from Daemen College in Amherst, NY in 1993 and became NSCA Certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2002. Specializing in sports medicine, manual therapy and general orthopedics, he focuses his treatment of the body as a whole and on re-educating proper movement patterns. He believes a proper and thorough evaluation to identify the source of the patient’s dysfunction and symptoms is the key to long-term relief and assists in prevention of re-injury. Utilizing functional manual therapy as well as patient education he is able to help achieve his patients’ goals and speed the recovery process. 

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Emily Lusnia earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Saint Augustine in Saint Augustine, FL in 2012, with a heavy concentration in manual therapy. She earned her B.S. in Kinesiology at Campbell University in 2009. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate Of Health Science at Campbell University. Emily is a registered yoga teacher with the yoga alliance (RYT200) and certified in Functional Dry Needling.

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CarolAnn Wiggs has been a physical therapist in outpatient orthopedics for over 10 years. She enjoys treating a variety of conditions, including lower extremity conditions, temporomandibular disorders, and postural dysfunctions. She has a certification in dry needling from Master Dry Needling.

Performance Coaches

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Quentin Guichard is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.  He leads our Sports Performance Training and Tennis Performance Training programs. Quentin grew up in the French Alps, and although skiing is part of his DNA, tennis is what brought him to the U.S. in 2004. He played Division I college tennis for Charleston Southern University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Master of Business Administration. 

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Andrew Hodges has worked with clients and athletes of all ages, levels, sports, and abilities. He holds a Bachelors degree from Elon University, where he played Division 1 NCAA Tennis, and later earned his Masters degree from Duke University. He has been certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) as well the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). In addition, Andrew is a certified professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association, the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) and Functional Movement Systems (FMS). As a Strength and Conditioning Coach, he has worked with NC State Basketball and Tennis Programs and was the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for Chris Evert’s IMG Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fl. In particular, Andrew has extensive experience in high performance athletes and functional movement.