So many people live around their back or neck pain - avoiding certain movements, bracing for the next flare-up, or assuming it's just something that comes with age or a desk job. Sometimes rest and time help. Often they don't, and the pain keeps coming back. Our Physical Therapists take a hands-on, evidence-based approach to find out what's actually driving your pain, fix it, and help you move through your life without thinking twice about it.
our techniques
Muscle Energy Techniques
Muscle Energy Techniques (METs) are gentle manual therapy techniques that use voluntary muscle contraction in a precise direction, combined with careful joint positioning to allow normal joint movement. METs are a gentle alternative to traditional thrust manipulation, and are used to treat stiff joints and muscle "cramps or spasms" caused by overuse or strain.
Strain/Counter-Strain
Strain-Counterstrain is a comfortable indirect technique (moving soft tissue in the direction of ease) used to reset inappropriate nerve sensitivity to a normal level. An abnormal, increased frequency of impulses from the nervous system produces increased muscle tone and/or spasms. By normalizing these signals patients will notice decreased pain, increased mobility, and improved function. Strain-Counterstrain allows your therapist to painlessly “release” muscle and connective tissue spasm from many areas and systems of the body.
The Mulligan Concept
The Mulligan Concept is a technique that involves manual “repositioning” of the affected joint by the therapist in order to restore function and remove pain as the patient moves through their range of motion. The core of the Mulligan concept is the Mobilization with Movement (MWM).
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle, relaxing type of bodywork that regulates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull and between the head and the sacrum by creating movement in the cranial sutures of the skull and the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. These structures and fluids protect, support, and nourish the brain and spinal cord.
Trigger Point Release
Myofascial trigger points, also known as trigger points, are described as hyperirritable spots in the skeletal muscle that refer pain to another area in a recognizable pattern. The trigger point model states that unexplained pain frequently radiates from these points of local tenderness to broader areas, sometimes distant from the trigger point itself. These pain pathways do not follow normal nerve patterns.
The McKenzie Method
The McKenzie Method uses physical therapy and exercise in the form of sustained or repetitive movements, usually of the spine and help “centralize” the patient’s pain by moving it away from the extremities (leg or arm) to the spine. Spinal pain is usually better tolerated than leg pain or arm pain, and the theory of the approach is that centralizing the pain allows the source of the pain to be treated rather than the symptoms.
Meet the team
Healthcare for real life, by people who get it
colin chapman
PT, DPT
A lifelong athlete turned PT & Strength Coach, Colin combines hands-on manual therapy with sports-specific training, drawing on experience working with overhead athletes for the Arizona Diamondbacks, to help athletes of every level recover fully and get back to peak performance.
grace yarnal
PT, DPT
Inspired to pursue physical therapy after a local PT's stories in an undergrad kinesiology course, Grace builds individualized treatment plans around each patient's lifestyle and goals, with a growing focus on women's health and pelvic floor therapy. Grace also specializes in post-partum return to running among other activities.
Allison gusk
PT, DPT
A physical therapist since 2023 (Northern Arizona University), Allison specializes in orthopedic care with a particular focus on running injuries, bringing a lifelong passion for movement and one-on-one coaching to help athletes get back to doing what they love. When she's not in the clinic you'll likely find her training for her next ultramarathon or epic backpacking trip.
Jonathan sampson
PT
Jonathan brings over 30 years of experience treating low back, neck, and headache pain using traditional osteopathic techniques. Well known in Central Oregon, he is passionate about sharing his clinical expertise with the team at Southside PT to better treat our community.