Last weekend, the staff from our three clinics (Family PT Roseville, Family PT Auburn, and Next Level Performance and Sports Therapy) gathered together to celebrate this holiday season and another great year in the clinic together. 

This year has been a year of personal and business growth for our company. Two of our physical therapists, Kirsten and Ila, both had baby boys this year! 

At our Roseville clinic, we welcomed two new physical therapists. We are thrilled to have Shannon and Lexi as part of our team!  We also had four new aides join our Roseville team. Sherene, Jacob and Jessi and Holly have been very helpful additions to our staff.

At Next Level Performance and Sports Therapy, Kirsten has returned from maternity leave and is working hard to continue to develop her cutting edge concussion rehabilitation program, while continuing to help athletes recover from orthopedic injuries.

Our Auburn clinic is continuing to remain a provider of strong physical therapy services to the Auburn community. Their expert physical therapy knowledge coupled with their fun spirits continue to bring smiles to the faces of their patients. They have really grasped the holiday spirit this year by beautifully decorating the clinic. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello and enjoy their festive decor! 

This year, we are excited to continue serving our community, and advancing our education in the latest techniques in physical therapy. 

​Brett and Lexi had the opportunity to attend the Team Concept Conference held by the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy last week! Along with many other esteemed medical professionals in the realm of sports rehabilitation, one of the speakers was Kevin Wilk, PT, DPT, FAPTA. Dr. Wilk is well known for perturbation training with high level athletes. He uses perturbation training during his physical therapy treatments for upper and lower extremity injuries.

Perturbation Training: What is it and when can it be done? 
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The word "perturbation" means "a physical disruption of some kind" and when used in physical therapy, it can look a lot like your PT is just tapping you in various directions. It can be done while you are balancing on one leg, on an unstable surface, with your eyes closed, or all three! Your body's natural response is to resist the "tapping" to keep from falling, and this requires neuromuscular/proprioceptive control that is lost during an injury. Athletes require this proprioceptive control when playing their sport because their body has to constantly respond to different stimuli without consciously thinking about it. 

Not an athlete? Perturbation training is still important for you! It can be helpful for rehabilitation for shoulder injuries and lower extremity injuries to get you back to everyday functional activities and improve your balance and lower body stability. This is important when walking on unlevel surfaces - hiking, walking in the snow, walking on the beach, playing in the backyard in the grass, etc.