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MOVE is thrilled to be partnering with Sarah Thorne and Melissa Trauger to provide on-site physical therapy services at the studio to pelvic health and orthopedic populations.
“We know that a continuum of care is important to our clients as they work to get stronger and care for their unique bodies. Partnering with Melissa means that it will be easy for clients to have collaborative care right in the building. Working with a PT who understands the impact and scope of Pilates and GYROTONIC® exercise is the best service possible for our clients. Not only is Melissa a highly skilled orthopedic and pelvic floor specialist Physical Therapist, she shares our values and commitment to care for our clients. We could not be more excited to welcome her to the studio.”
—Elaine Economou, MOVE Wellness Co-Founder
“No two patients are the same—I customize every treatment plan to suit your unique needs and goals (such as being able to travel, play with your grandkids, and enjoy eating delicious foods again) and take a holistic approach to treating the body to identify the root cause of the problem. ”
—Sara Thorne, Sara Thorne Physical Therapy
“I am extremely excited to partner with MOVE Wellness to provide on-site physical therapy services to the pelvic health and orthopedic populations of Southeast Michigan. My mission is to improve and maintain your quality of life when it comes to your specific goals, as well as, to bring awareness to an aspect of life (ahem, pelvic health) that should be talked and taught about, early and often.”
—Melissa Trauger, Rhapsody of Motion Concierge Physical Therapy
Collaborating with area physicians and physical therapists is important to providing our clients an excellent continuum of care. Quite often, when clients are working through a particular issue in their body, it is helpful to work in partnership with their physical therapist (or another medical professional like a DO or Physiatrist) to provide manual therapy, assess injuries and collaborate on movement goals. Post surgical clients can benefit in particular. Our scope of practice is movement and working with healthcare professionals for diagnosis and care plans for post-surgery, neurological issues or pain is the best service possible for our clients.
Long time clients may recall our previous partnership with Julie Simpson of Mend PT so we know how well this kind of partnership can work. We are now so happy to be partnering with Sara Thorne of Sara Thorne Physical Therapy and Melissa Trauger and Rhapsody of Motion to again offer PT services within MOVE. Sara and Melissa each work independently inside MOVE Wellness studios, but both are knowledgeable about the systems we teach. Melissa is also an eager student of Pilates and GYROTONIC® exercise herself, which is key for us.
Melissa works with orthopedic issues and has a special focus on pelvic floor dysfunction. We know that this affects both women and men and can play a role in low back pain, and hip issues. Pelvic floor PT can also be part of the solution for imbalances throughout the body. At MOVE we work a lot to help people have a healthy functioning pelvic floor. So much of what we teach focuses on coordinating breath with movement and the pelvic floor is part of the musculature involved in breathing. Working with Melissa can help clients identify pelvic floor imbalances and learn to release the muscles and regain coordination. She will be a wonderful resource for our clients to help resolve a number of issues.
We’re thrilled to welcome Sara Thorne to the MOVE community. Sara is a physical therapist with 25 years of experience in orthopedic care who will be available for sessions in our upstairs treatment room. Sara has worked with top institutions like the University of Illinois, Duke Health, Cleveland Clinic, and locally at Healing Hands.
Throughout her career, she has pursued continuing education to expand and hone her manual therapy skill set. Sara is trained in Oro-Facial and Functional Dry Needling, Graston Technique, and soft tissue and joint mobilization, with additional expertise in managing headaches, neck pain, and facial and jaw discomfort.
Sara’s passion for movement and exercise began in college, where she played varsity soccer and tennis. She currently enjoys running and yoga (and we’re hoping to add Pilates to that routine)! Sara is dedicated to understanding her patients’ unique needs and goals, tailoring treatment for optimal outcomes.
Melissa Trauger is a physical therapist who treats patients with the mindset that everything is connected in the chaos of the body. This view, along with her love of music, led her to finding the rhapsody within the human body. Both require many moving parts working in concert creating harmonious movement.
Melissa received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Dayton in 2016, and continues her education to diversify her skills when treating pelvic health and orthopedic populations. Her undergraduate was spent at the University of Michigan where she earned a B.S. in Movement Science. She followed that up with several years spent in Chicago working as a massage therapist and personal trainer.
When Melissa isn’t helping her clients relieve their physical pain, she spends her time with her husband, Ryan, and their dog, Coco. She enjoys writing and playing music, running, and providing comedic relief among friends and family.
At MOVE, we believe in a holistic approach to physical therapy. Recognizing that every patient is unique, our licensed physical therapists work one-on-one with you to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.
We incorporate a variety of techniques, including exercise, manual therapy, and education, to help you achieve optimal health and wellness. Our goal is to address not just the symptoms but the root causes of your condition, ensuring a complete path to recovery.
Your first visit to MOVE will be an evaluation by a licensed physical therapist. This evaluation includes a review of your medical history, physical exam, and goals and expectations. Based on that consultation, your physical therapist will create a personalized plan for you.
You’ll get a combination of exercise, manual therapy and education to help you achieve overall health and wellness. Our goal is to provide you with the tools and support you need for a successful recovery.
By partnering with MOVE, Melissa can promote early access to physical therapy through individualized care that includes manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, therapeutic exercise, and more. Please feel free to reach out to Melissa directly via the contact information below to schedule a call and learn more!
Rhapsody of Motion Concierge Physical Therapy
Phone: (734) 519-0020
Email: info@rhapsodyofmotion.com
Website: www.rhapsodyofmotion.com
Sarah Thorne Physical Therapy
Phone: (734) 604-3383
Email: sarathornept@gmail.com
Website: https://sarathornept.com/
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We are so excited to share our new six-week Pilates program, “MOVE Well in Midlife” with you. MOVE Co-Founder, Elaine Economou, has created this program to help women in midlife (ages 45-65) safely and efficiently build strength and mobility, learn mindfulness tools to relieve stress, and to be a part of a community of women with a shared experience of this time of life.
Our MOVE Well in Midlife Program allows you to join a small cohort of women and incorporates a daily, customized movement approach with additional coaching support. The goal of this program is to help you understand how to care for your unique body with an eye toward aging well and getting as strong as you want to live the life you love. Read on to learn about the program details.
Midlife is a time of change for women and is often accompanied by certain challenges. Some common issues women in midlife experience include:
We often think that aging is accompanied by a decline in health with certain unavoidable changes in our bodies, but this is not the case. It is true that midlife is a time of change in your body but by incorporating consistent and focused movement practices, you can make sure you’re building and maintaining strength and stability in your body. In addition to having a strong body, research suggests healthy lifestyle changes during midlife may also prevent illness from occurring later in life (site). Our team at MOVE feels passionately that midlife does not need to be a time of fear and anxiety, but rather a call to action to take ownership of your body and provide it with the tools it needs to support you.
The truth is that it is possible to keep doing all the things that you love as you age. The MOVE Well in Midlife Program is designed to directly address challenges of midlife. With slow and steady attention to your physical health, mobility and strength, the principles of Pilates and the GYROTONIC Expansion System will help you move well and feel your best.
Here’s how:
And remember, you’ll be surrounded by a supportive community of women. As a group, you’ll build connection and community while you learn to care for your unique body.
The MOVE Well in Midlife Program is organized into the following:
Overall, the MOVE Well in Midlife Program is a custom-designed program for women in their late 40s, 50s and 60s. You’ll have two weekly in-studio classes and one weekly virtual class. These workouts will be Pilates or GYROTONIC-based movements. You’ll focus on low impact training and also incorporate certain props to help you get the most out of each workout. Each workout has been created from scratch by Elaine specifically for women in midlife, so you’ll know each exercise is targeted just for you.
Finally, as movement experts we know that consistent participation and practice at home and in the studio is going to allow you to see clear progress and strength gains over the six weeks of the program. In addition, you’ll exit the program with new (or renewed!) exercises habits that will carry forward into your daily routine.
In addition to classes, you’ll also have one coaching session as well as weekly accountability check-ins. You’ll have one coaching session before the program begins. This session will allow you to establish where you are at the start of the program and we’ll be checking in regularly to see how you’re feeling and progressing during the program. The coaching session will also provide you with information to look back and reflect on.
In your initial coaching session, we will check in on the pillars of well-being including stress management, sleep, and nutrition and provide you with resources to support you in these areas if you are interested. Your mid-program call will give us a chance to work together to be sure you are getting the support you need and the most out of the program.
You’ll also have weekly accountability check-ins after your at-home workouts. We know it’s not always easy to workout at home without the accountability of having to show up to a studio at a set time. That’s why we’ve incorporated these mini check-ins. You’ll be expected to confirm you’ve completed your at home class and this will help make sure you’re completing all portions of the program. Research shows that setting goals and following up with a plan for where and when to exercise helps assure that you’ll actually end up following through on your workout (site). The MOVE Well in Midlife Program does all of the planning for you, all you need to do is show up.
We’ve already touched on many benefits of the program but to recap, you can expect:
To review, the MOVE Well in Midlife Program includes three weekly classes, two in-person and one virtual, plus customized, daily movement homework for you to do on non-class days. You’ll also have two coaching sessions and weekly, accountability check-ins so you’re able to stay on track as well as monitor and measure your progress throughout the program.
The program will directly address common challenges in midlife and you’ll leave feeling confident about your movement practice with a clear plan post-program on how to maintain your achievements during the program. As we’ve noted above, midlife is an important time where it’s critical to prioritize self-care and health to create a strong and healthy body that will support you as you age. Our program is meant to encourage women in midlife to take control of their wellbeing with the support and guidance of our team of movement experts.
Interested in joining? The program is limited to six participants so don’t wait to enroll!
