Reno Physical Therapy - Anita's PT Treatments Approach

I love being a physical therapist. It gives me the opportunity to facilitate a greater level of health in each person I treat, while empowering the person with tools to optimize their well-being in the present & future.

I chose this profession because:

• It is a natural way to heal, utilizing tools we’re born with, without the risks associated with overusing prescription drugs or undergoing surgeries.
• I appreciate the working, trusting team relationship between the therapist and the patient.
• The patient has an active role in the healing process, and the results can be optimized through hard work.

With over 20 years experience as a physical therapist, and many more as a teacher/aide in movement and health positions, I bring a wide variety of tools to my treatment repertoire. After graduate school, I worked in a skilled-nursing facility and rehab center primarily with the senior population. This was a very rewarding experience, and what I enjoyed the most was being present with an individual through a very challenging, and sometimes lonely time in their life, and helping them find the courage and a path to a better quality of living. I also discovered that the conditions that thrilled me the most were all related to women’s health, like incontinence and osteoporosis. Upon moving to California, I searched for a place where I could focus on women’s issues. Since 2004, I have dedicated myself to improving the health of women. Most of my continuing-education classes have focused on this and I did a long-term study to prepare for the rigorous women’s health certification specialization examination – in 2009 I became one of only 61 such certified specialists in the United States.

My beginning training was very scientifically based, with traditional roots in research-based medicine. I utilize these skills to gain a thorough assessment of the problem. I have maintained some traditional techniques, but I have expanded my approach. Over the years, I’ve developed an approach that emphasizes a deeper listening, because I feel that we all know what we need deep within and there exists an intelligence that lies within the body. So my techniques are set to increase a person’s self-awareness, to open the channels needed to tune into one’s own gut-instincts and intuition. So I believe one of my strengths is the ability to meld the traditional science based approach with an intuitive, personal approach to best meet the needs of each individual.

The hands-on skills I use include joint mobilizations, muscular and fascial work, visceral (organ) mobilizations, central nervous system quieting /re-balancing, and neural facilitation techniques.

I utilize an extensive variety of movement therapies. My undergraduate studies of motor learning and exercise physiology allow me to view movement methodically and with an understanding of progression; I help my patients understand that learning to move is not a destination but rather a journey and we continually can learn how to move in a more efficient and more comfortable way. I have taught children basic movement skills, seniors how to exercise safely, and young children how to swim and be safe in the water.

I did a year-long study in rehabilitative Pilates with Polestar, so I can use the Pilates repertoire safely and effectively. I am a yoga-student, and have taken numerous courses on the use of yoga for therapy. I have had some exposure to NIA, Feldenkrais, and Watsu. I truly enjoy movement and each approach adds a new dimension.

Plus, my own athletic endeavors over the years in running, soccer, swimming, and the martial arts have continued to enrich my appreciation for movement.

One of the things that makes my job interesting is that each woman, regardless of the original diagnosis, seems to have some component that fits into a women’s health model. For example, women with knee pain often find they have some need for pelvic floor strengthening, and those women with headaches or shoulder problems may have an imbalance of hormones. I like to consider the big picture, so a woman can resolve her original problem, discover the relationships of the whole body, and delight in her new-found level of well-being.