• Manual therapy techniques are meant to restore tissue elasticity and readiness for neurological recruitment as well as to decrease the resistance to movement that can build up in the body

  • Tissue mobilization: I will use an array of tissue techniques informed by Functional Mobilization, Fascial Manipulation, Astym, Functional Range Release, Myofascial Release, Active Release Techniques, Strain-Counterstrain, and Positional Release.

    • More often, I think of these through the nicknames I've given them relative to the experience associated with them:

      • Pin and stretch

      • Pin and contract

      • Scrubbing 

      • Scraping

      • Relaxing tension

      • and the Dimmer Switch/Volume Knob

  • Joint mobilization: I will use techniques informed by Functional Mobilization, Muscle Energy Techniques, and Osteopathic Manipulations

• The brain-body connection is like a cell phone connection. It requires sufficient signal strength and volume control to communicate effectively. This goes two ways. The brain needs be sending appropriate signals for the movement task at hand and the tissues in the body need to be sending sufficient information to the brain. Volume control is like the brain's control over tension in muscles: we don't want it too loud or too quiet and we definitely don't want static noise. We all have way more influence over our bodies than we realize, and I hope to help you realize that power. 

  • PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation)

  • DNS  (dynamic neuromuscular stabilization)

  • Mindfulness to modulate awareness

  • Breathwork to improve autonomic nervous system balance

  • Guided Imagery to modulate body control and coordination 

  • Cueing and biofeedback provided by the therapist, walls/floors/surfaces, and mirrors

  • Often combining strategies for connectivity with manual techniques provides powerful improvements!

• You live in your body far longer per week than you will get physical therapy. What you do with your body is vitally important to its health. 

  • This requires a holistic perspective on the following aspects as they relate to your movement goals:

    1. breath

    2. nutrition

    3. sleep

    4. cardio and strength fitness

    5. mental health 

  • Regarding the movement system, we will take from 5 basic categories of what you can do for yourself, with an emphasis on what practices will not just feel better, but make you a better functioning version of yourself:

    1. Symptom modification

       • From foam rollers to discussing the timing of meds, cupping to taping, electrical stimulation to heat packs, trigger point devices to stretching: these things often do little to change the body for the better, but they can sure be important to feel better

    2. Specific exercise

       • Isolated stretching or strengthening of specific muscles groups or movements

    3. Habit change of posture and body mechanics

       • Making a change in how we do the things we do

    4. Mindful movement drills

       • I view this as combining #2 and #3: whole-body movement drills wherein you can emphasize one or more targets of improvement

    5. Conditioning

       • Using strength and conditioning principles to develop the changes in your body you need to be more resilient to the forces of life

• University of Indianapolis, Doctoral of Health Science (DHSc), current

• University of Indianapolis Krannert School of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, 2011

• University of Indianapolis, B.S. of Human Biology, 2009

• DNS Clinical C Course, December 2023, Robert Lardner PT

• DNS Clinical B Course, October 2022 and July 2024, Robert Lardner PT

• DNS Clinical A Course, October 2021, Robert Lardner PT

• IPA: Functional Mobilization: Upper Extremities, 2020, Christopher DeMarco DPT, CFMT, FAAOMPT

• IPA: CoreFirst Strategies: Principles of Posture and Movement which promote an Automatic Core Engagement (ACE), 2019, Seth Blee DPT, CFMT, Linda Costello PT, FOC, CFMT

• IPA: Functional Mobilization I: Soft Tissue Mobilization, PNF, and Joint Mobilization, 2019, Christopher DeMarco DPT, CFMT, FAAOMPT

• RockTape FMT Movement Specialist Certification, 2019, Meghan Helwig PT, DPT

• IPA: PNF I: The Functional Approach to Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, 2018, Linda Costello PT, FOC, CFMT, Ann Kaminski MPT, CFMT, OCS

• Teaching People About Pain, 2018, Adriaan Louw PT, CSMT

• CREAT: Decoding Dysfunction: A Practical & Functional Approach to Difficult Diagnoses, 2018, Anita Davidson PT, DPT, CAFS

• (Re)Defining the Core: The Key to Functional & Corrective Exercise, 2018, David Lemke NMT, sEMG Tech

• Safe Strides: A Vestibular Disorder and Balance Dysfunction Specialty, 2015

• Physical Therapy Guide to PT Practice 3.0, 2015, Peter Altenburger PhD, PT

• Orthopedic Trauma Symposium, 2014, Marcy Strine RN

• Advanced Evaluation and Treatment of Hip Pathologies, 2014, Erik P. Meira PT, SCS, CSCS

• Astym treatment for the Upper Extremity and Shoulder Girdle, 2013, Bob Helfst MS, PT, ATC, CSCS and John Zanas PT, CSCS, PES

• Astym Treatment for the Lower Extremity, Pelvis, and Lumbar Spine, 2013, Bob Helfst MS, PT, ATC, CSCS and John Zanas PT, CSCS, PES

• APTA Clinical Instructor Credentialing Course, 2013, Valerie Strunk PT, MS and Renee Van Veld PT, MS, DCE

• Concepts in Applied Biomechanics, 2012, Robert H. Meier CO, BOCO

I have not only sought out some of the highest-level knowledge and skillsets from reputable, advanced educational programs to stay at the forefront of providing high-quality care, but I also have to practice what I preach as well. As a toddler I broke a collar bone, I had a devastating femur (thigh bone) fracture at ten years old, had abdominal surgery for an appendectomy at eleven, fractured or dislocated both thumbs, and sustained numerous other less-severe injuries throughout my childhood. I felt I had recovered fully from each of these injuries and fully got back to all the activities I wanted to do. However, I later learned, I did so through compensations around the lost function these injuries caused in my movement system. These compensations, as well as others I had picked up from bad habits of posture and body mechanics, caused me to hit a point of frequent injuries that came out of nowhere and developing chronic pain by my early twenties. I felt fragile and that everything was going downhill. I couldn't sit on my stool in physics lab in undergrad without severe pain. I had developed knee, hip, and back pathologies that limited my ability to exercise and began to have chronic neck pain and intermittent spasms with sometimes severe pain that I would push through just to keep going in my early adulthood and as I started a family. Something as little as sneezing could set off another episode. The worst part is that what I learned in PT school didn't help me much. I could manage my pain and conditions much better without requiring medical interventions or painkillers, but I didn't have the resources to create a better version of the body I was living in and prevent the pain and injuries from continuing to accumulate. So, I invested a lot of energy and resources into continuing education and looked for new information everywhere I possibly could. What came of this process defines how I practice today. I learned that "better" is always an option and what "better" can mean was beyond what I thought possible. We don't have to wait for something to be severe or for disability to take hold. There's so much more that we can do for ourselves and achieve with the help of highly skilled therapy. Our movement is worth investing in, whether to overcome our current condition or to train our bodies in preparation for what we want to still be doing in our last decade of life. So take care of yourself, and, if you can, someone else too.