SMOKEY POINT — The local area has no shortage of medical clinics and practitioners of health and wellness, so when North Sound Physical Therapy conducted its open house at its new location, its members offered their thoughts.

“It’s not just here,” said Kathleen Buchanan, who offers yoga, nutrition and wellness coaching through Be Well. “I think it’s everywhere. Everyone is getting older, and there’s been an explosion of both access to and information about different avenues of health care, and the Pacific Northwest in general has always been willing to look outside the mainstream for advice.”

Dr. Jason Hontz, who offers neck and back pain relief as a chiropractic physician, relocated from South Everett because he prefers the “nice, down-home feel of the community” in Arlington and Marysville, while physical therapist Marty Stanton, who owns all four branches of North Sound, simply sees Smokey Point as an area where he’s managed to generate interest and trust by offering a range of services.

“A lot of places will hire professionals and try to mold them into a shared philosophy,” Stanton said. “Unlike generalists, we can provide multiple specialists on site, each of whom has their own fields of interest, whether it’s treating vertigo, sports-related injuries or Parkinson’s. You’re not limited to just one type of health care here. It’s a real one-stop shop.”

Stanton also takes pride in North Sound being locally owned and operated, “rather than answering to an office in Tennessee or somewhere.”

Although this winter has been relatively light in snowfall, the folks at North Sound all acknowledged that adjusting to the coming spring will involve getting more active physically, so each offered a few tips.

“If you’re preparing to play a sport, be specific in how you do it,” Stanton said. “Don’t worry about bench-presses if you’re going to be skiing. You should mimic the stretching of the muscles that will tend to pull most during those activities.”

Hontz encouraged those who experience any significant discomfort to have it checked out, rather than merely assuming that it will pass. Buchanan echoed Stanton’s advocacy of diversity in care by telling prospective clients to seek out a program of care that will work for them.

“We’re all individuals, down to the biochemical level,” Buchanan said. “If there was one food plan or exercise routine or lifestyle that worked for everyone, then everyone would lose weight and be fit. Don’t try to cram yourself into a box just because it might fit someone else.”

North Sound Physical Therapy is in Suite 103 at 3204 Smokey Point Dr. in Arlington.