Yousef Ghandour

DPT, MOMT, FAAOMPT

A leader and educator of the physical therapy field. Dr. Ghandour's patients say he has a soothing presence, yet also inspires motivation and diligence to work through their challenging exercises.

Dr. Ghandour was the first physical therapist to market a specially designed pulley, the TheraPulley™, for all consumers — the stay-at-home mom, business traveler, or Major League Baseball player.

With more than 30 years of professional physical therapy expertise, Yousef Ghandour specializes in human body biomechanics, having developed a rehabilitation philosophy centered on more repetition and less weight, modernizing the way patients heal and stay strong.

As a junior in high school living in Amman, Jordan, he was asked by his cousins, who were physicians and pharmacists, “what do you want to do for a living?” He knew he wanted to combine sports and medicine, but there were no physical therapy schools in Jordan. So Ghandour left his native country in 1979 on a quest for a career in physical therapy in the U.S. He landed in San Diego, California, and volunteered in the Physical Therapy department of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, where he was first introduced and made welcome in the field.

He received a B.S. in Physical Therapy from Long Beach State University, went on to complete advanced training in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy with the Ola Grimsby Institute and became a Fellow at the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy in 1994 ( F011). He founded QTEK Products in 2000 and developed the TheraPulley™ among other tools to support Physical Therapists, athletes, and people looking for at home fitness solutions.

Inventing the Therapulley™

Yousef Ghandour was first introduced to the pulley technique at the Ola Grimsby Institute (OGI) where he completed his Masters of Orthopedic Manual Therapy. Frustrated by the outcome of his patients by traditional physical therapy approaches, Ghandour realized that the Scandinavian approach to orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy/ MET had a unique approach to patient care. This progressive PT approach was modified and advanced by OGI into the Scientific Therapeutic Exercise Progression (S.T.E.P.) concepts, trademarked by the Ola Grimsby Institute.

S.T.E.P. is a series of exercises designed to help heal injured tissue with controlled resistance. The pulley technique emerged from the S.T.E.P. technique, which allows for isotonic, isometric, and eccentric training. The pulley, advanced by OGI, provides more consistent resistance at any angle throughout muscular range of motion compared to free weights and elastic bands.

Inspired by Mr. Grimsby’s approach to physical therapy, Ghandour decided develop and trademark his own custom therapeutic exercise pulley system, the TheraPulley™. This patent-pending device fills the need for a quality, durable, and cost-effective product to perform exercises outside the clinic, ultimately contributing to a swift and complete recovery. Ghandour values creating functional products that produce real benefits for his patients. The TheraPulley™ is an outcome of his extensive physical therapy expertise and his propensity towards product development.