My journey to becoming a physical therapist who specializes in working with flexible athletes started by growing up as a gymnast and cheerleader which transitioned into coaching from high school through college. I had recurrent injuries growing up, but I never wanted to go to the doctor because I knew the first thing I would be told is to stop doing the sports I loved, which wasn’t going to happen.

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Fast forward a few years to graduating from Wichita State with my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, I knew I still loved working with gymnasts and cheerleaders, but I struggled because these athletes don’t fall into the “typical” sports medicine category and I couldn’t figure out how to best to serve them. While poking around on the internet, I found something called “Dance Medicine” and thought I could learn about that world and then adapt it back to gymnastics and cheer. Little did I know that I was in the process of uncovering a whole new passion.

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Through building a network of other Dance Medicine physical therapists around the nation as well as connecting with an amazing dancer/company director and taking adult beginner ballet classes, my knowledge of how to work with dancers and their specific movement patterns with various skills has grown exponentially (and continues to grow).

 

I feel so blessed to say that I have already had the opportunity to work with a competitive cheerleader, competitive gymnasts from beginner through a Level 9 National Champion, company dancers from studios around Wichita and at Wichita State University, as well as Ballet Wichita’s cast of the Nutcracker for 2021 and 2022. I get the incredible opportunity to merge new and lifelong passions with my career by working hands-on with amazingly talented athletes and artists and empowering them to keep dancing, keep tumbling, keep stunting, and most importantly keep doing what they love WITHOUT PAIN!  

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