An injury can be devastating, but not impossible to heal. That’s where Peak Performance comes in. A new north-side Appleton clinic has set one goal: to get patients back to everyday life as soon as possible.
Peak Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, 3305 N. Ballard Road, Suite C., was started to educate patients as well as treat them.
“We strive to return patients to their normal lifestyles as quickly as possible,” Kari Sturtevant, physical therapist and owner of Peak Performance, said.
Sturtevant can relate to that need to be active. She’s a competitive athlete.
“She (Sturtevant) is an athlete herself,” Sandy Miller, who was treated after knee surgery and for rotator cuff and tennis elbow, said. “She understands that. She doesn’t tell you you shouldn’t be doing that anymore. I really value that. I don’t want to stop doing what I do.”
Sturtevant has finished in the Fox Cities Marathon and Madison Marathon. She’s also a regular member of the Fox Valley Rowing Club and Intruders Cycling Team.
Last weekend, Sturtevant and physical therapist Nicky Rolls, who is called in when needed, volunteered first-aid and massage for participants in the Intruders three-race fund-raiser, with lengths spanning from 15 to 60 miles.
“We know what it’s like to want to get back on your feet and in the race,” Sturtevant said. “But our therapy is not just for athletes. We’ve worked with an elderly woman who was having problems kneading bread. That’s her sport. So, you don’t need to be an athlete to walk through our door.”
Their expertise lies in rehabilitation for injuries related to activities of daily living, overuse, traumatic incidents and recreational and competitive sports.
“They’re like the dynamic duo of the physical therapists,” Jacque Nitka, of Green Bay, said.
Nitka is a former patient of Sturtevant after she had knee surgery last fall.
“She’s very knowledgeable, more than other therapists,” Nitka said. “She knows what she’s doing. She gets you motivated.”
Another patient, Char Sigman, went to Sturtevant for shoulder and knee problems. Sigman likes Sturtevant’s positive attitude.
“She’s upbeat and very positive,” Sigman said. “She explains what she’s doing. She explains what muscles are being affected and can tell you how to bring a relief from whatever the problem is. I’m very impressed with her.”
Sturtevant and Rolls treat everything from muscle aches to rehabilitation before and after orthopedic surgery.
After performing a thorough assessment, therapists develop a treatment plan that includes home exercise.
The clinic provides a gym area with fitness equipment and public or private treatment rooms.
“We don’t have to be the biggest physical therapy clinic; we want to be one of the best,” Sturtevant said. “There’s definitely a demand for good practices.”
Sturtevant is a 1994 graduate of Marquette University’s Program in Physical Therapy. Although a Menasha native, Sturtevant has lived in Appleton the past seven years. But it’s the entire Fox Cities she will serve.
The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. For more information, call 738-0671.