For the David family, physical therapy is more than a profession — it’s a bond that spans generations, nurtured through shared values, mutual respect and a deep connection to the Mt. Lebanon community.
Joe David opened David Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center on Castle Shannon Boulevard more than 30 years ago. Today, all four of his children — Jeremy, Justin, Jonny and Samantha — have joined him in the practice, creating a uniquely family-run operation that blends clinical expertise with a personalized approach to care.
“It’s kind of the dream to have your children working alongside you,” Joe said. “I’m very proud of who they’ve become, how they treat our patients and how they treat each other.”
Jeremy David, the eldest sibling, said he didn’t initially envision joining the family business. While he worked summers at the clinic, he also explored finance, taking a part-time job at Merrill Lynch in college. But after his junior year at Virginia Tech, he realized what drew him in wasn’t numbers — it was people.
“I enjoy being with people, getting to know them, learning from different walks of life,” said Jeremy, who earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. “We’ve got a good culture here that my dad created. He brought in good people — staff and family alike. That makes this place what it is.”
Jeremy works primarily out of the flagship office in Mt. Lebanon. He said that the annual David family vacation — a tradition Joe insists on — helps them all reconnect away from the demands of the business.
“It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year,” he said. “A time to reset and just be together. Now, having kids of my own, I value it even more.”
Different paths, same purpose
Though each sibling arrived at the profession from a different direction, they all cite their father’s influence — especially his belief in “treating the mind before treating the body” — as a guiding principle in their work.
Justin David, the second oldest, initially set out to become a Division I basketball coach. After walking on to the team at the University of South Florida, a series of injuries, including throwing out his back changed his trajectory.
“I found myself in the athletic trainer’s room almost every single day nursing some sort of injury,” said Justin, who later earned his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. “I got to see the emotional side of everything… I was like, wait a minute, this is something I can see myself doing I want to be helping people off the table and back to what they love to do.”
Today, Justin manages the practice’s Southpointe location in Canonsburg, which focuses on sports-related rehabilitation and offers facilities for athletes, including turf and a basketball hoop. “It’s not just table work,” he said. “We help people bridge the gap from rehab to real-life movement — whether that’s the court, the field or everyday activities.”
Jonny David, a 2015 Mt. Lebanon High School graduate, always saw himself joining the family practice.
“Being around the clinic growing up, watching my dad work, I saw how meaningful it is to talk with people, help them and figure things out together,” he said. “It just clicked for me early on.”
Jonny went on to play basketball at the University of Kentucky and earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. After initially splitting time between Mt. Lebanon and Southpointe, he joined Justin full-time at the second location last fall as patient volume steadily grew.
“I love walking people through their recovery journey,” he said. “There’s something satisfying about building relationships and seeing the impact we’re making.”
New generation, shared vision
Samantha David, the youngest sibling and most recent hire, joined the team in early 2025 after completing her doctorate at University of Pittsburgh. A former competitive dancer, she hopes to specialize in dance medicine.
“I think it takes a dancer to really treat dancers correctly,” she said. “That connection and understanding can’t be taught; you have to have lived it.”
She said watching her father and brothers build trust with patients helped shape her own approach. “We’ve all learned from my dad’s belief that before you can heal the body, you have to build trust with the person.”
Samantha said there’s little separation between work life and home life. “There are no real boundaries. We’ll be out to dinner, and someone brings up a patient — it just happens,” she said. “But I honestly enjoy it.”
Joe sees opportunity for continued growth now that the next generation is fully onboard.
“For a long time, I was content with one great clinic in Mt. Lebanon,” he said. “But now, with all four of them working, we’re talking about the possibility of more locations. It just has to be the right fit.”
Still, the family remains grounded in what matters most.
“We’re not a chain,” said Justin. “Every patient is personal. That’s why people come back.”
Jonny agreed: “We love what we do. It doesn’t feel like work. We’re proud of what we’ve built — one patient, one relationship, one family moment at a time.”