Дарина Попова — фото буде згодом

/ Team

SEMERIK
DENYS

Physical therapist

Injuries and surgeryMusculoskeletal systemNeurology

Physical therapy is not a pill that solves everything in one session. It is a process that takes patience and effort, and that is exactly why it works.

Master’sBogomolets NMU
UAH 2,000first visit, 90 minutes

UAH 2,000 — first visit, 90 minutes. No prepaid packages.

Experience2 years
Fieldinjuries, surgery, musculoskeletal
Also handlesneurology: TBI, stroke
BookingPick a time →

/ what people come with

WHAT PEOPLE COME
TO HER WITH

Not the diagnosis on a referral, but the way people describe it themselves.

  • Muscle overload — the feeling that one part of the body is working for two
  • A sense of asymmetry: «I feel twisted», «one leg takes more load»
  • A tilted pelvis that makes even standing uncomfortable
  • One leg overloaded because of work habits or a usual posture
  • Recovery after injuries and orthopedic surgery
  • Conditions after neurological illness

/ The main mistake

WHAT PEOPLE DO
BEFORE THE FIRST VISIT

Three habits that most often spoil things before we even meet.

First a person tries to work it out alone — from unverified sources and AI advice, instead of asking someone who knows. Then they ignore the body’s signals to the last, until the problem becomes unbearable. And after an injury it is the opposite: they protect the affected area for far too long, and that has consequences too.

«Pain should be treated like a fuse: it signals that something is wrong with the body and something needs to change.»

Denys

/ Case

THE BODY IS CAPABLE OF MORE
THAN IT SEEMS

A case Denys brings up himself.

After being given a diagnosis, a client almost stopped loading the affected leg — she had taken the doctor’s advice too literally. The hardest part was not the recovery itself but the fear and the barriers that had built up in her head.

They started with the simplest functional tasks and gradually increased the load. At some point she could not believe she was able to do what had seemed impossible for years.

«In moments like that I understand that physical therapy is not just exercise. It is getting confidence and quality of life back.»

Denys

/ boundaries

WHAT HE
DOES NOT DO

The limits of competence are not a weakness but the condition under which a result is honest.

  • Does not prescribe medication — that is not within a physical therapist’s remit
  • Does not try to be a specialist in every field at once
  • Refers you to the relevant doctor when surgery is needed
  • Refers you when the answer is medication rather than movement
  • Works by the principles of evidence-based medicine — no «signature methods»

«If I cannot help someone with physical therapy, I refer them to another specialist in the right field.»

Denys

/ result

HOW HE KNOWS
IT WORKED

Not by a table of measurements but by specific things.

  • A person starts smiling because they can now do what they could not before
  • The fear of loading the area they had been protecting disappears
  • The normal range of movement returns in everyday life, not only in the gym
  • The person understands what to do on their own and no longer depends on sessions

/ Path

EDUCATION
AND PRACTICE

Over two years in rehabilitation: outpatient practice, inpatient care and neurology.

  • 2024 — 2026
    Kyiv Institute of Rehabilitation Physical therapist. Outpatient practice, record keeping, evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation, working in a multidisciplinary team with doctors.
  • 2026
    National Research Center for Radiation Medicine Physical therapy for neurological patients — after traumatic brain injury and stroke. Inpatient care, intensive care, palliative care.
  • Master’s
    Bogomolets NMU Therapy and Rehabilitation program.
  • Bachelor’s
    V. I. Vernadsky Tavria National University Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy program.

Assessment and scales

  • Initial and follow-up physiotherapy assessment
  • Functional status assessment
  • Manual muscle testing (MMT)
  • Berg Balance Scale — balance
  • TUG — timed up and go
  • Rivermead Mobility Index — mobility
  • Modified Ashworth Scale — muscle tone
  • TCT and MRC — trunk control and strength
  • Building an individual physical therapy plan
  • Therapeutic exercise and adjusting the program to progress
  • Teaching correct technique and preventing repeat injuries
  • Record keeping and tracking progress

/ Outside the clinic

WHAT HE DOES
FOR HIS OWN BODY

A question clients ask more often than you would think.

He does sport and keeps in shape. He performs the exercises he gives clients himself — so as not to ask for what he cannot do. He goes to the gym and sometimes plays basketball. He also pays attention to recovery and nutrition: a physical therapist should show by example that fitness and health matter.

/ booking

Start with a movement assessment

Ninety minutes of tests — and it is clear what exactly we are working with, how long it takes and what load is safe right now.

First visit — UAH 2,000, 90 minutes · Kyiv, Pechersk

/ questions

WHAT PEOPLE ASK
MOST OFTEN

The first question is the one Denys hears at almost every consultation.

How long will recovery take?+

It is individual: it depends on the specific condition and on how the body responds to load. After the first assessment Denys will give a benchmark for your case — not a promise but a range that the tests show.

I do sport. What restrictions will there be?+

Temporary restrictions and contraindications are individual too. Part of your training usually stays — the only question is which parts and how much. That is decided at the assessment, not in advance.

Can I come without a doctor’s referral?+

Yes. If the assessment shows that surgery or medication is needed, Denys will say so directly and refer you to the right specialist.

Do you prescribe medication?+

No. That is not within a physical therapist’s remit. If medication is needed, that is for a doctor.

How much is the first visit?+

UAH 2,000 for 90 minutes: a movement assessment, a trial session and a plan. We do not sell packages up front — you pay for the visit that happened.