Press

Women of Distinction

Women of Distinction
October 2003

Getting patients back into their game as soon as possible important to Kari Sturtevant. As owner of Peak Performance Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine and a physical therapist, it is her goal to help patients resume normal activities quickly and safely. As an athlete herself, she has competed in the Fox Cities and Madison Marathons as well as being a member of the Fox Valley Rowing Club and the Intruders Cycling Team.

“Our therapy is not just for athletes,” she says. "We’ve worked with an elderly woman who was having problems kneading bread. That’s her sport. So you don’t have to be an athlete to walk through our door.” Injuries may afflict anyone at any age, interfering with regular activities. Sturtevant utilizes up-to-date treatment methods and tailors each patient’s therapy and exercises accordingly to rehabilitate them effectively and efficiently. “I want to try to help get health care back to a personal, thorough and affordable level,” she says.

“My goal is to spend generous amounts of time with patients, promoting an active approach to treatment by educating each patient about their dysfunction and emphasize the importance of self-management. Thorough and frequent communication with physicians, nurses and other health-care professionals is an essential element in providing quality patient care.”

Sturtevant worked with a national company throughout North Carolina for two years. As an independent contractor she worked temporary physical therapy jobs at hospitals, elderly care facilities or anywhere else she was needed.

Passionate in her desire to quickly return patients to their normal lifestyle, “everywhere I worked I saw things and said, ‘I can do that a little better if I did this or that,’” Sturtevant says. “I’m really excited by what I do.”

Physical Therapist Gets Her Business to Perform

Physical Therapist Gets Her Business to Perform
Monday September 10, 2001

Kari Sturtevant holds the title of business owner, but she doesn’t let that go to her head.

“I’m also the secretary, the janitor, the accounting office, etcetera,” said the 29-year-old owner of Peak Performance physical therapy clinic in Appleton.

Last May, Sturtevant, a degreed physical therapist hired another therapist and opened a two-person physical rehabilitation practice on Ballard Road.

The decision to start a business in her hometown came after years of working elsewhere.

“I took a traveling job with a national company and spent two years working all over North Carolina,” she said.

As an independent contractor she worked temporary physical therapy jobs at hospitals, elderly care facilities or anywhere else she was needed.

“I’d fill in if someone was on maternity leave or if a business was short staffed,” Sturtevant said.

“I always had it in the back of my mind to run a business,” she said. “Everywhere I worked I saw things and said ‘I could do that a little better if I did this or that.’”

The business has grown as athletes of all levels, as well as individuals with orthopedic problems, have started taking notice of her business.

As an athlete herself – she’s a member of local rowing and cycling teams – Sturtevant meets a lot of people that need physical therapy services.

Client Char Sigman has received physical therapy for her shoulder and knee problems.

“She takes an interest in your problem and listens to you, not to just what the doctors say,” Sigman said.

Sturtevant isn’t overly concerned whether her business expands much, as long as she retains a reputation for quality service, she said.

“I’m really excited by what I do,” Sturtevant said.

“I want to try to help get health care back to a personal, thorough and affordable level.”

Appleton Clinic Strives for Peak Performance

Appleton Clinic Strives for Peak Performance
Thursday, May 24, 2001

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.