Celebrating National Physical Therapy Month

October is National Physical Therapy Month, so Peak Performance Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy decided to celebrate by giving back to the community.

Last week, Peak Performance hosted a special open house for some Sweetwater County School District No. 2 students from kindergarten through high school.

"We are serving as an outing," Hayley Strauss from Peak Performance explained. "We are raising awareness for physical therapy, giving back to the community, and allowing all of these kiddos to explore a physical therapy clinic and things that we might do here."

The day consisted of closing down the physical therapy clinic to normal business and opening it to students in two different age groups. The students were taught about what physical therapy is, why people might need it, and what happens in a physical therapy clinic.

"Then we've set up stations for all the kids to go through so that they can participate in physical activity, helping with strengthening, working on their posture, balance," Strauss explained.

Stations included activities like yoga, basketball, hula hoops, balance obstacles and more. The activities were designed to challenge gross motor skills, balance and proprioception, sensory integration, strength and functional mobility. Each station allowed the students to practice and learn about physical therapy techniques in a fun way.

In addition to Peak Performance staff members who came in, the event was run by student volunteers from Western Wyoming Community College. Strauss reached out to Lu Sweet, Western's athletic director, about the event, and the college was happy to provide helpers. Members of the woman's volleyball team and woman's basketball team volunteered their time to help host the event and run the different stations.

Strauss was thankful both for Western's help in providing volunteers and for the enthusiasm of the volunteers themselves.

"I just said 'here are the yoga poses' and they went at it," Strauss said of the student athlete volunteers. "They're really good at instructing."

SWSC No. 2 staff members also attended the event with the students and jumped in to help with the activities.

"We all work together as a team, all of us," Strauss said.

Strauss regularly provides physical therapy to students at schools throughout the district, traveling to the schools to give physical therapy on site so the schools and students don't have to take time out of their day to make transports to the clinic. This has allowed her to build relationships with many of the students and staff members. However, the event at the clinic was a fun opportunity for everyone to do something unique and different.

"Peak Performance Physical Therapy just likes to give back to the community," Strauss said.