Experience Exceptional Healing
At Backtalk with Hugh, we prioritize your health and recovery. Our expert care focuses on personalized treatment plans and proven methodologies.
With 40 years of experience, Hugh specializes in the McKenzie Method, ensuring effective outcomes.
Hugh has helped countless individuals reclaim their mobility and alleviate pain through expert guidance and patient-centered techniques.
Care at Its Core
We believe in empowering our clients
with the knowledge and strategies to manage their conditions. Our methods promote independence and prevent
recurrence through education.
About Hugh Murray
Hugh Murray is a licensed Physical Therapist practicing in West Virginia and Ohio, with a passion for helping people move better and live pain-free. Based at Riverside Physical Therapy in South Point, Ohio, Hugh brings nearly five decades of experience to his patients.
Practicing for 49 years, Hugh remains energized by the joy of helping others regain function and independence.
Patient-centered educator:
He loves teaching individuals how to manage spinal and joint problems, emphasizing practical self-management strategies to keep you pain-free.
MDT founder in the US and mentor (retired):
Hugh is a retired faculty member of both the McKenzie Institute International and the McKenzie Institute U.S. He had the privilege of meeting and studying with Robin McKenzie in 1979 in New Zealand, an encounter that profoundly shaped his clinical philosophy.
What he brings to you:
A thoughtful, evidence-informed approach grounded in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), with a focus on clear assessment, personalized treatment, and durable outcomes.
A joyful professional:
He finds real joy in watching patients recover and thrive, and brings warmth, humor, and genuine companionship to each session. Why does he continue to practice? He likes the challenge of difficult pathology/patient. He likes teaching people how to manage their spinal and joint problems to keep them pain-free.
What patients can expect:
Thorough, compassionate assessments that identify the root cause of pain.
Individualized treatment plans that emphasize self-management and long-term relief.
Techniques rooted in MDT to improve mobility, reduce pain, and prevent recurrence.
A collaborative partnership where you understand the “why” and the “how” of your care.
Why choose Hugh
Deep expertise across a wide range of spinal and joint conditions.
A lifelong commitment to teaching and patient empowerment.
A warm, patient-centered approach that honors each person’s unique needs and goals
If you’re seeking a clinician who combines decades of experience with a genuine passion for education and patient success, Hugh Murray welcomes you to Riverside Physical Therapy in South Point, Ohio.
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A more detailed bio
Born and raised in West Virginia with 2 great parents and 3 wonderful sisters.
I graduated from Physical Therapy School at West Virginia University in 1976. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the West Virginia University School of Medicine. It was the highest degree you could achieve as a Physical Therapist. At the time, everybody practiced in a general way. Six months after graduation I went to a Geoff Maitland course (Mobilization of the Spine), for two weekends, taught by Peter Edgelow, who had recently taken the 3 month Spinal course in Australia from Mr. Maitland.
On Mr. Edgelow’s recommendation, I applied and was accepted into the Kaiser-Permanente Hayward Orthopedic Residency in Physical Therapy. It was based on 3 schools of thought: James Cyriax, an Orthopedist in England; Geoff Maitland, a physiotherapist in Australia and James Keltonborn, a physiotherapist in Europe. Six months into the program, a person I had heard of but knew nothing about, Robin McKenzie, a Physiotherapist from New Zealand. He spent a week with us lecturing and in the Clinic. He had developed and was continuing to develop and refine Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy. At the time it was not well researched. However, the results in the clinic were better than I had seen from anybody else and Mr. McKenzie was willing to evaluate patients in front of PT’s and MD’s something I had never seen before and really have not seen since.
I returned to West Virginia in 1980 to work for group of Orthopedic Surgeons at Scott Orthopedic. It was a great education and learning situation from a great group of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Several years later I opened a private practice at Huntington Physical Therapy, HPT. And then in 2003 opened a practice in Charleston, West Virginia. And I was practicing there until September, 2024 when I went to work for Joe Lambiotte, PT at Riverside Physical Therapy in South Point, Ohio.
I continued to study under Robin McKenzie every opportunity I had when he came to the United States. I completed the Diploma program under the McKenzie Institute in New Zealand. Then he asked me to serve on the faculty of the McKenzie Institute, United States and I taught the two introductory courses Lumbar Spine and Cervical, Thoracic and Headaches.
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching those courses, teaching the Clinician Decision Course, an Exam Proctor and leaning from a great group of Mckenzie Faculty in the United States and Canada. I retired in December 2024.
I am on the Board of Directors of the McKenzie Institute Canada and enjoy serving with them and assisting them in any way possible. I am also on the Physical Therapy Licensing Board. Recommended by the West Virginia Physical Therapy Association and placed on the board by Gov. Justice. I also represent Physical Therapists and Chiropractors on the PEIA, Public Employees Insurance Agency.
I presently practice part-time at Riverside Physical Therapy in South Point, Ohio. We are located about one block from Sam’s and Walmart in South Point. You can easily make an appointment by calling 740-894-0000.