Hello!

I am Sarah Ziolkowski and I have been a physical therapist for 20 years.  I love what I do!  I enjoy getting to know them as individuals and feel personally rewarded when I see my knowledge and skills help them reach their goals. It is a privilege to be a part of that process!  I hope i get the chance to meet you and fulfill your health needs. I am confident I can meet your expectations. So, contact me today to get scheduled.  You can even set up an appointment online.

Sarah completed her undergraduate degree at UW-La Crosse.  She went on for her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI where she graduated in 2001 with honors.

Her first job was in rural Ladysmith, WI, at Rusk County Memorial Hospital.  She is grateful for the experience of being thrown into about every situation possible, as one would encounter at a rural setting!  This is where she really saw a gap in health care, with the realization that not all physical therapists are equal.  She saw that patients were in need of something more than basic physical therapy, and recognized short comings in herself as a new grad.  This motivated her to pursue much more specialized education and training in order to help better serve her clients.

So Sarah went on for professional education classes, and earned an advanced certification in vestibular rehabilitation through Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia.  She also trained and successfully completed courses to become a Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist (CMTPT).  This enabled her to perform Intramuscular Trigger Point Release, otherwise known as “Dry Needling”.

Also along the same lines of releasing muscle tension, Sarah researched and became interested in the Graston Technique.  She became certified as a “Graston Technique Specialist” (GTS) and is also employed by the company as a Graston Ambassador.

Sarah has taken many other cutting edge courses, too numerous to mention, in order to stay up with current research and techniques.  This includes attending basic Jones Counterstrain as well as Fascial Strain-Counterstrain courses.

Every time Sarah attends a new course presenting breakthrough information, she feels her education is just beginning. This is because the human body is so complicated with each muscle and joint having its own distinct design and function.  These parts all have to work in sync with each other. When one area of the body breaks down, that will cause dysfunction in another area. The original injury or dysfunction may be present long before you feel pain, and actually, the pain may not be at the original site of the problem!

Much of Sarah’s post-degree education has led her to the importance  of “fascia”.  Fascia is the layer of tissue in our body that connects and coats everything.  It refers to the  same “fascia” used in the term “Myofascia”. Myofascial release means to release the muscle’s fascia, or coating.  A lot of chronic symptoms manifest in the “fascia”, and not all physical therapists know how to treat it, or are trained in treating it the same way.

Sarah’s philosophy is simple:

1. Reduce the initial pain and discomfort quickly

2. Go beyond the presenting pain and dysfunction.  Usually this involves tracing a pattern of tension up “fascial chains” in the body, to find the original cause of the problem

3.  Fix it – AND teach the client how to help prevent it from coming back!

The cash based concept lends nicely to Sarah’s philosophy.  First, she prefers to see the patient all the way through, from start at initial evaluation, through treatment and to discharge.  Secondly, not having to pass a client off to a PT assistant benefits everyone by not disrupting the Physical Therapist’s train of thought and plan for each treatment visit, limiting back-tracking or not following the plan’s sequence. Thirdly, the patient gets individual one on one personal attention with the therapist who knows their whole history and background.  Such a nice way to limit potential errors or overall redundancy which wastes time in traditional physical therapy delivery models.

Sarah has been married to Scott for 16 years and has 3  (most of the time!) wonderful and happy kids. Her husband, Scott, is also a physical therapist.  In 2102 they moved from Ladysmith, WI back to the La Crosse area so Scott could start a new venture as an instructor at Western Technical College in the Physical Therapy Assistant Program.  The 3 kids are very busy with sports and music activities.  Scott coaches the boys’ baseball and football teams, and Sarah coaches her daughter’s basketball and softball teams. The family is involved in Aquinas Schools and their  parish Mary Mother of the Church in La Crosse.  However, they still find time for game nights, watching their favorite show America’s Funniest Home Videos, hiking the bluffs, fishing and canoeing, and an annual road trip to see the sights in all the states of this wonderful country!

Sarah would like to thank her husband for his encouragement and support in this new business venture, and her kids for pitching in to do extra around the house so she can start up Coulee Physical Therapy, LLC.