Dr. Colleen McGonagle shares her genuine and pleasant personality with everyone. Colleen’s patients are instantly put at ease by her reassuring and compassionate nature, and she continually puts forward valued, comprehensive and rewarding therapeutic outcomes. She provides personalized care, utilizing evidence-based techniques and offers a patient-centered approach to address a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions.
Colleen McGonagle grew up in Billerica, MA and graduated from Billerica High School. She was on the track and field team, throwing the javelin, and played recreational softball. It’s through sports and exercise that Colleen developed her initial interest in healthcare.
Colleen attended Plymouth State University in NH, majoring in exercise and sport physiology. This major provided a strong science-based curriculum of advanced courses in exercise physiology, exercise testing and prescription, strength and conditioning and research methodology with an emphasis on the improvement and understanding of human performance. Colleen was in the school’s health & human performance club and worked on an extensive research project studying the effects of caffeine on exercise.
After graduating with her Bachelor of Science degree, Colleen began the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at University of New England in Portland, ME. Her clinical rotations included working at an outpatient clinic in Kennebunk, ME where she gained experience with geriatric, neurological and orthopedic patients, as well as amputee rehab. She then worked at another outpatient clinic in Wells, ME treating under an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, learning the McKenzie Method, also known as Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT.) MDT is a treatment and assessment method for musculoskeletal pain. Colleen also earned a certification in Blood Flow Restriction (BFT.) BFT is a technique that combines low-intensity exercise under reduced arterial flow conditions. It allows people to use low loads yet achieve results like high intensity training. Her final rotation was at an outpatient clinic in North Andover, MA. There Colleen learned more manual-based skills, using the Hesch Method to treat sacroiliac joint dysfunction of the pelvis and sacrum.
In DPT school, Colleen volunteered with the Travis Mills Foundation. The foundation supports post-9/11 “recalibrated” veterans and their families through various programs that help overcome physical and emotional obstacles. She attended the nationally recognized retreat located in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine and assisted veterans with adaptive activities, including a plane pull! Colleen’s capstone project was a published case report on a Six-Minute Walk Test and its Effectiveness at Tracking Progress in Patients with Post-COVID Conditions.
Dr. McGonagle graduated her DPT program and started working at HD Physical Therapy in June of 2023.
Dr. McGonagle has a license to practice physical therapy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is certified in CPR, First Aid and AED and is a member of the APTA – Orthopedics section.
Outside of work, Colleen enjoys reading, going to concerts and walking her Pit mix dog, Bailey; they currently reside in East Billerica, MA.