Wellness at SOBT

Beginning on Saturday, October 11, SOBT will offer monthly Wellness Appointments onsite at our studios through our wellness provider, West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic. Amy Werner, a physical therapist who specializes in dancers and who works extensively with OBT company dancers, will be performing the wellness assessments and attending to the care of our students. Students may make a 15 minute appointment for a wellness evaluation, alternatively students can make an appointment  to have a specific ache or pain attended to by Amy.  We highly recommend these assessments for all students, first and foremost so students are provided with the necessary tools to prevent injury and build strength.  We also feel having Amy here once a month will give students who are experiencing an ache or pain access to first class treatment from the same therapist who treats the dancers in our company. 

Currently there is sign-up sheet on the school bulletin board where students can sign up for appointments for Amy's first visit on October 11, 2014, Amy will take appointments between 12:00 and 2:00pm.  An appointment costs just $20 and is payable by either cash or check, checks need to be made out to West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic.  All payments must be received by the close of business day on Thursday, October 9.  Anyone who has signed up for an appointment and not paid by the end of the day on the Thursday before a Saturday Amy is visiting will have their name removed from the list.  Payments should be given to either Karin or James at SOBT.  A student may sign up for any open appointment on Friday or Saturday after the Thursday deadline and pay Amy directly.  Any last minute time slots will be limited at best and available on a first come basis, so it is recommended you sign-up in advance. 

Below is information from and about Amy:

 2014-15 Season Dates: 

October 11, 2014

November 8, 2014

December 6, 2014

January 10, 2015

February 14, 2015

March 14, 2015

April 11, 2015

May 9, 2015

(All assessment dates are from 12:00 (noon) to 2:00 pm)

 

SOBT and WPPTC are committed to enhancing student dancer health.  A Physical Therapist will be onsite once each month throughout the SOBT season to help the student dancers maximize their dance performance.  In addition we will provide information to the dancers about areas of physical strength and weakness.  This will allow the opportunity for the dancers to address these areas in order to make sure their bodies are balanced and prevent injuries that could occur as a result of the imbalance.

 

Dancers can sign up for a Wellness Assessment one Saturday each month during the season.  We will look at lower extremity function as this is the most frequently injured area of the body for dancers.  Assessment of range of motion, flexibility, strength, and function will be completed on the first meeting. 

 

In addition, dancers can sign up to meet with a physical therapist if there is a specific concern about an acute injury.  We will spend time looking at the injury and provide recommendations based on our findings.

 Amy Werner, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

 

Amy began her dance training as a four year old taking ballet, jazz, and tap at her local community center in Kansas City.  She continued ballet, pointe, and tap dancing through high school. When thinking through the question “what do I want to do with my life?” she knew dance would be a part of her story.  Amy decided to attend Kansas State University (KSU) after receiving a scholarship for the dance program.  She studied dance and pre-medicine and she finished her program with a Bachelor of Science in Dance.

 

After college graduation, Amy worked with a student ministry at KSU where she did one-on-one training and student leadership development for four years before she began pursuing a career in physical therapy.  She knew that physical therapy was the best fit for her to combine her love of dance and watching movement patterns with helping people feel and move better.   She attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City and received her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT).  During her clinical internships, she focused on developing her dance medicine practice by working with several dance companies in the Kansas City area, most notably with the Kansas City Ballet and KC Ballet School, for injury prevention, wellness enhancement, and Pilates-based rehabilitation.

 

Since joining West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic, Amy has worked with OBT on a weekly volunteer basis, during every production in theatre, as well as with Northwest Dance Project and BodyVox during their performances.  In addition, she is an adjunct PT provider for traveling Broadway shows and most recently worked with performers for “Mary Poppins,” “Memphis,” and “Book of Mormon.”  She has extensive training in manual therapy and has passed the third level (out of four) with North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT).