SPORTS INJURIES
At PhysioMender, we specialize in treating sports injuries and athletes of all levels. With a deep knowledge of sport-specific demands — from endurance running and cycling to lifting, coordination sports, and everything in between. We understand repetitive training loads (associated with practice, training, and competition) overuse risks, faulty movement patterns, and how imbalances lead to injury.
We thoroughly assess injuries to understand the root cause, but also where you are in relation to sport specific demands. We work specifically on optimizing mobility, strength, function, and resilience so you can return sport safely. We specialize in getting athletes back to their sports as quickly as possible, but also adhere to evidence-based return to sport and competition criteria to prevent re-injury.
WE SPECIALIZE IN THESE SPORTS:
| RUNNING | (Sprints to ultramarathon distance) |
| CYCLING | |
| GOLF | |
| BASKETBALL | |
| SOCCER | |
| FOOTBALL | |
| HOCKEY | |
| TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS | |
| SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING | |
| HIKING | |
| GYMNASTICS | |
| PICKLEBALL AND TENNIS | |
| SWIMMING | |
| THROWING SPORTS | (Baseball and softball) |
| LIFTING AND FITNESS ATHLETES | |
| DANCERS | |
| BOWLING | |
| VOLLEYBALL |
KNEE INJURIES
Struggling with knee pain during squatting, stairs, hills, kneeling, walking, running, jumping, or daily tasks? At PhysioMender, we specialize in comprehensive knee injury treatment and differential diagnosis of joint, soft tissue, and nerve issues. Most knee injuries like patellofemoral, meniscus, and tibiofibular joint pain or dysfunction respond exceptionally well to conservative physical therapy — often avoiding surgery entirely.
We evaluate the entire kinetic chain (back, hips, ankles, feet) because the knee is often the “noisy victim” of issues upstream or downstream. This thorough approach ensures we treat the real cause, not just symptoms, starting with targeted knee interventions and progressing to full-body optimization. Our goal: stronger, more resilient knees so you return to all movements, activities, and sports without pain, and moving better than ever.
Did you know most meniscus tears and patellofemoral issues heal effectively without surgery through our proven methods?
WE ALSO EXCEL IN POST-OPERATIVE REHAB FOR:
| TOTAL OR PARTIAL KNEE REPLACEMENT | |
| ACL RECONSTRUCTION / REPAIR | |
| MENISCUS REPAIR / MENISCECTOMY | |
| TENDON / LIGAMENT REPAIRS |
SHOULDER PAIN
Shoulder pain with overhead reaching, lifting, dressing, sleeping, sports or workouts? PhysioMender providers are specialists in identifying the true source — assessing neck, nerves, scapula, thoracic spine, and full arm function. We effectively treat impingement, rotator cuff injuries/tears/tendinopathy, labral issues, nerve compressions, sprains, strains, and more — restoring pain-free function fast.
We also provide expert post-surgical rehabilitation for rotator cuff repairs, labral repairs, biceps tenodesis, subacromial decompression, and shoulder replacements.
LOW BACK PAIN / SCIATICA / LUMBAR NERVE ROOT COMPRESSION / SCIATICA
Has back pain been limiting your bending forwards, sitting, standing, lifting, sleeping, walking or exercise? Experiencing sciatica or nerve symptoms? At PhysioMender, our experts will differentiate disc, facet, SI joint, soft tissue, and nerve issues (including stenosis vs. disc herniation) using movement and functional testing in combination with nerve testing to understand the whole picture.
We address nerve/joint priorities first, then correct full kinetic chain contributors for lasting relief and prevention. We focus on continual progression, as we work towards your goals, and achieving a high level of function and strength, making you resilient to re-injury.
We specialize in post-op care for microdiscectomy, laminectomy, fusion, and disc replacement.
NECK PAIN / CERVICAL NERVE ROOT COMPRESSION
Has neck pain or headaches been limiting you from turning your head, looking up or down, sleeping, reaching overhead or lifting objects? Have you experienced pain, numbness or tingling that goes down the arm? PhysioMender providers specializes in treatment of neck pain and cervicogenic headaches (meaning headaches coming from the neck).
We differentiate and diagnose facet and disc joint pain vs. nerve and soft tissue origin. Additionally, looking closely at the function of the thoracic spine, ribs, scapula and shoulder, we gain a more complete picture of the neck and upper body, so we are confident we are getting to the root cause including positional changes and movement patterns that often influence neck function.
Post-operatively, we commonly do rehab after microdiscectomy, disc replacement, laminectomy, laminotomy, and spinal fusion.
PRE-SURGICAL / CAN I AVOID SURGERY?
Considering surgery? PhysioMender’s thorough evaluation determine if conservative care can eliminate pain and restore full function and allow surgery to be avoided. Certain specific surgeries are an absolute must, but many surgical cases resolve non-surgically with our expertise. Injuries that commonly respond well to conservative treatments include disc herniations (with or without nerve root compression), hip impingement, shoulder impingement, knee “bone-on-bone” arthritis, meniscus and labral dysfunctions.
Our team specializes in extensive testing of joint, nerve and muscle function to understand how your injury site and whole body moves and functions with activities. X-ray and MRI alone provide some good information, especially ruling out cancer and fractures, but unfortunately lack in diagnosis capabilities for soft tissue injuries related to scar tissue, tendinopathy, sprains/strains, tendonitis, and are many times inconclusive at determining what is a non-surgically treatable joint or nerve injury.
Findings like disc herniations, arthritic changes, meniscal tears, and facet arthropathy are so common on radiographic imaging of people that have NO PAIN. This is why you should never be rushed into surgery purely based on image because the source of your pain may have nothing to do with what showed up on the picture. We will test all structures and help you more accurately come to a specific diagnosis and can help you make best decisions of when surgery is absolutely needed. We appreciate all our surgeons and work closely with them as a team to provide the best care. We also can help make recommendations for the best surgeons for your injury.
If surgery is needed, PhysioMender’s prehab programs reduce swelling, improve ROM, strength and function, so that you go into surgery optimized, so that you can bounce back from surgery quicker than normal. Pre-surgical physical therapy is usually performed 1-2 months before surgery, but can start earlier if you are wanting to know if the surgery can be avoided. Pre-surgical rehab is most often recommended before surgeries for joint replacements, rotator cuff, hip, shoulder, ACL, neck, back, nerve, disc or knee replacement.
POST-SURGICAL
Looking for someone to guide you back to full function after surgery? At PhysioMender, our providers are experts in surgical protocols, up-to-date on most effective treatments and techniques, progressing gently yet effectively to minimize pain, maximize motion/strength/stability, and exceeding surgeon expectations for the rehabilitation process.
Our goal is to consistently progress, early on this means reducing pain, swelling and tissue irritation, and consistently determining current tissue capacity, so that we can keep stimulating tissue remodeling and strengthening.
We don’t settle for mediocre results. We make sure to optimize motion, strength, and stability, so that you return to the highest level of function. We want you to feel way better than you did before surgery, and get you back to a healthy and active life.
Some of the surgeries that we are known for treating include but are not limited to:
Spine: (cervical, thoracic, lumbar): discectomy, disc replacement, laminectomy, laminotomy, fusion, scoliosis corrective rods
Shoulder: Rotator cuff repair, total shoulder replacement (arthroplasty), Labral repair, subacromial decompression, biceps tenodesis
Hip: total replacement, resurfacing
Knee: replacement (partial or total), ACL reconstruction (ACL repair) meniscus arthroscopy, meniscectomy, meniscal repair, quad and hamstring tendon repair
Ankle: Achilles repair
Other: Fusion / ORIF with screw or plates for almost any fracture, various other tendon or ligament reconstruction
HEADACHES
Headaches can be so debilitating! At PhysioMender, we specialize in differential diagnosis and treatment of headaches. Did you know that it is estimated that up to 80% of headaches are suggested as coming from the neck, known as cervicogenic headaches. With many headaches being the result of changes in soft tissue stiffness or weakness, postural loads, closure of the upper neck, and spinal muscles or joint referral patterns that oftentimes present as starting at the base of the skull, referring to behind ears, to temples, behind eyes, and to the forehead or top of the head.
Also less common at the upper neck but can occur are disc herniations that also have a similar referral pattern but could also involve nerve root compression. And even less common is involvement of cranial nerve 5 (trigeminal nerve), which actually has convergence from the brain stem down to C1, 2, and 3 (the upper neck): if this is involved usually headaches are quite extreme with facial or teeth pain, numbness, tingling, burning, or we can see jaw symptoms as it supplies strength and control to a number of jaw muscles.
The good news is that our team are experts in treating these types of cervicogenic headaches, getting to the root cause, and finding long lasting solutions to manage headaches.
JAW PAIN OR TEMPORODMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) DYSFUNCTION
Have you been experiencing pain, locking, clicking, catching with opening or closing your mouth? Jaw pain with trying to eat a big burger or chew something hard like nuts or carrots? Are you having jaw pain with yawning, singing or yelling? PhysioMender providers specialize in jaw (TMJ) treatment, whether the disc has moved, or the soft tissues have tightened from clenching your teeth. We assess the whole area, including movement of the neck and the soft tissues that attach to the jaw, especially because the many of the soft tissues of the neck attach to the jaw, but also because of how upper neck trigeminal nerve convergence can sometimes be playing a role in jaw muscle function, and sensation changes to the jaw and face.
We also provide after-care for oral surgery, specifically with trying to regain function of the mouth and neck, especially when mouth opening motion is lost. We want you to be able eat, speak, and sing at your best!
CYCLISTS / BIKE FITS
We know and love cycling! Mountain, road, cyclocross, gravel, endurance, sprints. We specialize in reducing pain on and off the bike, with specialties in bike fit, understanding the training loads, training zones, intervals, and demands of this sport. Bikes are inherently not set up to fit the rider with random pedal spindle widths, bar widths, reach, height, crank lengths and most of the time we are just guessing at position.
At PhysioMender, we perform on and off the bike assessments, so that we fit the bike to the rider, but also help people to understand how asymmetries and imbalances can really affect performance and symptoms, especially when we are talking about thousands and thousands of repetitions in this position. Getting the fit right is key, but so is working on your body, to set yourself up for successful riding all of your life. Comfort is always the primary goal of bike fit, then efficiency, and depending on your goals optimizing speed and aerodynamics to match your target distance.
We also specialize in developing off the bike strength, neuromuscular, and mobility training, specifically to make you ride better, but also to make you perform better in normal life because let’s face it, cycling as a sport is a whole lot of sitting, and unfortunately, the research is quite strong for displaying how how sitting is the #1 contributor to neck, thoracic, lumbar, and hip pain and dysfunction.
We also know that although the less weight-bearing of cycling feels nice on joints, tendons, and ligaments, the low low loads also predispose us to low bone density problems like osteopenia/ osteoporosis. So it’s good to have a more balanced approach to exercise as we are seeing more and more data that shows how effective even small amounts of a time commitment for strength training will drastically improve all levels of cycling performance. PhysioMender providers are experts at determining what exercise progression would benefit you the most, as continue to move forward on your health, fitness, and longevity journey.
RUNNERS
We get running! Whether you are a track athlete, cross country runner, training for your first 5k, half, full, or ultramarathon, or if you are trying to stay fit and healthy to keep up with your kids, we’ve seen it all. At PhysioMender, we work with you to relieve pain, optimize running technique, improve imbalances, and get you back to running quickly.
We understand how much of a mental outlet and lifestyle running can be and we agree this is a super important habit to keep in your life. PhysioMender providers specialize in running mechanics, key muscle activation patterns and areas of stability and mobility that are needed to be successful with running loads for each distance. We help people run better, feel stronger, and be injury resilient their whole life.
Common injuries we treat: Shin splints, achilles, sprain/strains, runner’s knee, plantarfasciitis, back, SI Joint, Hip, IT band, knee, ankle, calf, quad, hamstring, glute, achilles, peroneal and posterior tibialis injuries.
LONGEVITY / SUCCESSFUL AGING / FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
We specialize in keeping people healthy, active and moving better their whole life. We believe that the key to successful aging is staying strong and mobile enough to enjoy life with the people you love. At PhysioMender our providers are experts at reducing pain and optimizing function, strength, and mobility, and getting you moving and feeling better with squatting, lifting objects, getting up from the floor, balancing, reaching overhead, walking, running, hiking, playing, performing sports and sleeping better.
We help you function at your best, whether that’s longer standing and walking times for socializing, hiking, golfing, playing pickleball, running, cycling, lifting, playing with kids and grandkids. We focus on a proactive approach to health and function that prevents injury, so that you can live life on your own terms.
GOLF
Experiencing pain every time you swing on the golf course? PhysioMender providers specialize in golf injuries, ranging from shoulder, elbow to back, hip, knee, and ankle. We understand that golf is more than just a sport, and oftentimes is considered a lifestyle, where it is a big deal to not be able to participate and socialize with friends and family. That’s why we focus on getting you pain-free and back out there playing a soon as possible!
We help improve mobility and strength at the hips, core, and shoulders so that you can feel confident with your swing. We work on overall functional capacity, so as to focus on your health, injury resilience, and getting you back to walking the greens. At PhysioMender, we want to see you golfing at your very best for your whole life!
SKI / SNOWBOARD
We know that being on the mountain is more than just a sport. It is a major part of the community and people’s lifestyle. The need for speed is real! At PhysioMender, we help you prepare for the demands of ski and snowboard season like never before. We help you get rid of back, hip, knee and ankle pain, and then optimize your strength levels and improve any faulty movement patterns, so that you know you are functioning at your best and are ready for all snow conditions.
CHRONIC PAIN
We understand that some injuries feel like they will never go away. Sometimes it feels like everyday there is a new location of pain and all you want to do are the basics of life without pain. At PhysioMender, we specialize in treating the most difficult injuries and even multiple injuries at once. We look at the person as a whole and don’t just want one area feeling better, but all of them. We want you to be moving better, feeling stronger, and able to excel at all the basic activities of life and more. Our providers specialize in getting you feeling better walking, hiking, lifting objects, running, squatting, getting off the floor, balancing, reaching overhead, dressing, sleeping.
With chronic pain, we may have to use a whole host of skills ranging from patient education on pain signaling, especially if central sensitization and brain remodeling has occurred and we see a high perception of threat from movements and activities. We also will help you differentiate what type of pain you are feeling, because not all pain is “bad”. PhysioMender providers are experts in helping you better interpret and understand the sensations and feedback your body is giving you.
We love working with even the most challenging injuries, where you may have seen multiple providers, but still feel like you are missing something, not getting to the root cause, or have not experienced the results you are looking for.
PICKLEBALL
Pickleball is taking over the world! We love seeing this sport grow in popularity for people of all ages. At PhysioMender, we specialize in pickleball injuries, and helping people get back on the court and playing at their best! We specialize in knee, shoulder, back, hip, calf/achilles, foot, and many other injuries. We look at the mechanics of how your whole body is working together, and then optimize it so that you can play better than ever. We look at the load capacities specific to pickleball for each part of the body including rotational capacity for the spine, stability and mobility at the hip, strength capacity at the knee, calf, and ankle, so that we know what areas are performing well, and which areas need work to optimize your game.