Julie Peterson, MPT
(541) 699-7739
Sisters, OR
As traditional medical science continues to advance, we have become increasingly reliant on its findings and use. When we feel pain or discomfort, we want a test or a scan to definitively diagnose what is wrong. We then tend to expect a combination of medication, surgery and/or stock exercises to fully relieve what ails us. Unfortunately though, people don't always get better and heal when care is based on science alone.
To me, of equal and perhaps even greater importance than the science of medicine, is the art of medicine. I believe there is nothing more crucial in my role as therapist than the act of listening to the patient and hearing their story. Rather than simply looking at and assessing the painful parts of the body, I prefer to “interview” the whole body, and to blend what I hear in a patient’s story with what I see showing up in their movement, posture, restrictions and limitations. My practice is based on the art of touch and on the ability to employ common sense and intuition with objectivity.
With two degrees in the sciences and dozens of highly specialized post-graduate courses under my belt, I've learned that research can be flawed: Things that I once learned were true, have later been proven false, and trends in medicine and in physical therapy come and go. For these reasons , my practice is always artful and evolving, and my path is one that follows my patients’ narratives. Healing and regaining function rests in the story. I am here to listen and respond thoughtfully.
In every step we take, 360 joints operate and cooperate in brilliant concert. Each joint, from the big toe to the skull, has a specific role, across 3 planes, during each phase of gait. Anatomy in Motion™ is the model and method I study and employ to observe and assess the body. By performing a full body 3D movement screen and listening to the patient tell the story of his or her body, I begin to determine where the body lives, where it cannot go, and what it needs to restore balance and fuller function.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Dallas, TX
May, 2005
Master of Physical Therapy
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN May, 1996
Bachelor of Science, Human and Organizational Development