PT Squared, LLC

PT Squared, LLC my bio :)

Melissa is a licensed physical therapist who has been practicing in southern Wisconsin since 2001.

Physical Therapy and Performance Training

Through education, exercise prescription, and manual therapy, I help active people and athletes get back to the workouts and sports they love without medications, surgeries or multiple trips to the doctor! She earned her Bachelor of Science-Biology/Chemistry degree in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Master of Physical Therapy degree in 2001 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has worked in the outpatient orthopedic setting her entire career and has worked with a varied population across the lifespan with a multitude of diagnoses. She has a special interest in the therapeutic exercise based treatment approach and takes pride in developing individualized treatment plans for her patients involving corrective exercises that improve their joint mechanics and movement patterns, thus ultimately improving the pain/dysfunction. Melissa is passionate about educating her patients to allow them to maximize their functional and physical performance outcomes. Her treatment approach will always include education on the condition/diagnosis. She believes in empowering her patients to facilitate healing and/or improvement in pain/dysfunction. Her philosophy is that patients who understand their condition/diagnosis and understand the rationale for the treatment plan will feel empowered and will have the best outcomes. She is dedicated to assisting her patients in achieving their functional and/or performance goals through empowerment. When Melissa is away from her job, she enjoys staying active with her husband and two daughters. She particularly likes running as well as spending her time watching her two daughters expand their talents and athleticism through their extracurricular activities of club swim and volleyball.

02/19/2026

Attention Runners 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻

We interrupt my snack break to bring you this important message:

🗣️You probably don’t need to “fix” your running gait.

There’s no strong evidence that changing your gait just because it looks different reduces injury risk. In fact, most running injuries are more closely linked to training errors and load management than to a specific foot strike or stride pattern.

Now, if someone is injured, we might temporarily modify:
• Cadence (often slightly up)
• Stride length (often slightly shorter)
• Overall load

But even those changes are tools and not permanent fixes.

You've heard me say this before (and I'll keep saying it😉), but tissues adapt to the loads placed on them.

💪🏼 Muscles get stronger
🔨Tendons remodel
🦴 Bones increase density

When capacity improves, efficiency often follows.

Injury risk is reduced by building strength and progressively loading the system, not by chasing a “perfect” gait.

If you’re hurt, that again perhaps is a different conversation.

🗣️If you’re healthy? Focus on getting stronger, not running prettier. 💪

Speaking of pretty though, did anyone notice my cute nails? 💅 Definitely out of character for me to stray from my usual milky pink nails to red let alone French tip, but I got fancied up for my daughter's red dress gala coming up this weekend! 💃🏻

We glorify discipline.We celebrate streaks.We push through fatigue.But adaptation doesn’t happen during stress. It happe...
02/18/2026

We glorify discipline.
We celebrate streaks.
We push through fatigue.

But adaptation doesn’t happen during stress. It happens during recovery.

Tendons remodel.
Muscle fibers repair.
The nervous system recalibrates.

That process requires relative rest and not complete shutdown, but intelligent load management.

During injury, relative rest calms sensitivity so tissues can heal.
During training, recovery days prevent the slow buildup of overload that turns into “mystery” pain.

Most overuse injuries aren’t dramatic.
They’re cumulative.

Your body doesn’t need more toughness. It needs the right balance of stimulus and recovery.

Even animals rest when their system needs it. No guilt. No ego. Just biology.

Are you training hard enough to adapt and recovering enough to actually allow it?

If you need help incorporating rest and recovery, reach out!

Melissa of PT² 🩵

First, please notice my cat Simba who is very obviously taking his role on the RDL form police task force very serious...
02/16/2026

First, please notice my cat Simba who is very obviously taking his role on the RDL form police task force very seriously. 😹

Ok, now that we have given him the proper attention he deserves, let's chat!

If you’re a runner who has been told you’re “tight,” “unstable,” or “falling apart,” I want you to hear and really understand this:

Pain is not proof of damage.

More often than not, it’s a capacity issue and NOT a structural failure.

Running is repetitive load.
Strength training prepares your tissues to tolerate that load.

The goal isn’t to avoid stress.
The goal is to adapt to it by building load capacity.

And that’s where intelligent loading comes in.

If you’re navigating pain and you’re tired of being told to rest indefinitely, stretch more, or “just stop running,” there’s another way!

I'm here to help you devise a plan that builds capacity not fear!

Book an evaluation at PT² and let’s create a progressive plan that not only gets you back to running but even stronger than before. 💪🏼🩵

🩵 WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE? 🩵This Valentine's show your body a little love.💝 25% off initial evaluations💝 Buy 2 (30-minu...
02/14/2026

🩵 WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE? 🩵

This Valentine's show your body a little love.

💝 25% off initial evaluations
💝 Buy 2 (30-minute) wellness sessions, get 1 FREE
(Both valued at $50!)

Whether you’re dealing with a nagging injury, building strength, or just wanting to move better, this is your sign to invest in YOU!

Offer valid when booked by 2/17.

Because strong, resilient bodies > flowers and chocolate. 😉

Message me or book through the link to claim your spot.

Melissa of PT² 💪🏼🩵

Book here 👉🏼 https://pt-squared-llc.square.site

02/12/2026

1️⃣ We respect pain.

Pain is information.

It’s not an enemy. It’s not weakness. It’s not something to bulldoze through. But it’s also not something to fear or panic about.

At PT Squared, we treat pain like a signal - like that “crying child” I often talk about. A whisper deserves attention. A scream deserves immediate care. Neither deserves fear.

We assess it.
We monitor it.
We use it to guide dosage.

Respecting pain means we listen to your body without letting it run the show.

2️⃣ We don’t fear load.

Your body was built to handle load.

Tendons adapt to tension. Bones respond to stress. Muscles grow when challenged. Avoiding load long-term is often what keeps people stuck.

The goal isn’t to eliminate stress - it’s to apply the right stress.

Research consistently shows that progressive loading improves tissue quality, strength, and resilience. Under-loading can be just as problematic as overloading.

We don’t remove load.
We calibrate it.

3️⃣ We dose load intelligently.

Load is medicine.

And like medicine, the dose matters.

Too much too soon? Flare.
Too little for too long? Deconditioning.

At PT Squared we look at frequency, intensity, volume, rest, sleep, nutrition, stress - because all of it impacts how you adapt.

We use pain scales.
We monitor 24-hour responses.
We adjust based on your real-life feedback.

This is not random exercise pulled from the internet.
This is precision.

4️⃣ We understand adaptation.

Your body is constantly adapting - either toward resilience or toward fragility.

When we apply progressive, appropriate load:
• Tendons become stiffer and stronger
• Muscles increase capacity
• Bones increase density
• Nervous systems calm down

Healing isn’t passive.

Tissues remodel when given the right stimulus and recovery environment. That’s physiology. That’s science. That’s empowering.

You are not fragile.
You are adaptable.

5️⃣ We build capacity, not dependency.

This might be my favorite one.

The goal is not for you to need me forever.

The goal is for you to understand your body, know your thresholds, and confidently self-manage flare-ups.

Yes, I provide hands-on care when needed.
Yes, I guide the plan.

But we are building your capacity - strength, tolerance, confidence, education - so you’re not afraid of movement and you’re not dependent on appointments.

Fewer visits.
More ownership.
Long-term resilience.

This is the PT Squared philosophy.

Respect pain.
Don’t fear load.
Dose it intelligently.
Trust adaptation.
Build capacity.

If this resonates with you, reach out! 💖

~Melissa

01/28/2026

How do I assess if a client is ready to get back to running after injury? 🏃‍♀️

These 3 simple, evidence-based tests help me assess whether a clients' tissues can tolerate the impact and loads of running:

• Single-leg hops (30 sec)
• Kickstand sit-to-stand
• Single-leg heel raises

By assessing impact tolerance, single-leg strength/control, and calf endurance before returning to run, the client can be more successful in that return to running when deemed ready!

Reach out with questions! 🩵

01/28/2026

This is what individualized physical therapy actually looks like.

This exercise program wasn’t pulled from the internet.
It isn’t random.
And it isn’t designed for “everyone.”

It was created specifically for this client, based on his injury, current strength and mobility, goals, and what his body can realistically tolerate right now.

Every exercise has a purpose.
Nothing is filler.
Everything connects to his end goal.

Because the plan is intentional, easy to follow, and thoughtfully progressed, clients often build confidence faster and need fewer visits overall!

I’ve worked inside the traditional, insurance-based PT system for over 20 years, so I understand how time limits and visit caps can stretch out recovery. What can often be accomplished in 2–3 focused visits at PT Squared may take 4–6+ visits in a system setting (not because anyone is doing anything wrong, but because the models are different).

Fewer visits often means:
• lower total cost
• less time away from life
• faster return to activity

Though results may be quick, this isn’t rushed care.
It’s precise, individualized care.

Curious if this approach would be a good fit for you?
Feel free to message me or schedule a free 15-minute consult to chat!

Melissa 💪🏼🩵

01/26/2026

As a physical therapist with 24 years experience treating lower extremity injuries, here are 3 exercises I prescribe to improve and in general to make the more tolerant to load so that walking, running, and life's daily activities are with less potential for pain! If you're looking to improve hip, knee, ankle, or foot pain of any kind or you're looking to improve your resilience to load through the limb, reach out! 💪🏼🩵

01/03/2026

I know it's a 2026 goal for many runners to include strengthening in their training, but it can be daunting to know where to start. 😓 Add in going to an overcrowded gym (especially this time of year) to try and get it done, and that's just plain overwhelming! Here are 3 exercises to get you started with strengthening in your home - just 2-3 times per week is all you need! Work toward adding weight/load so that you move into building joint and tissue resilience to be able to better withstand the loads of running! And doing them barefoot (you're in your home after all) has benefits for your foot health! ❤️ If you're looking for help building an individualized strength training program specific to your current abilities and your goals, reach out! As a runner and a PT passionate about keeping runners running, I'm here for you! Now is a perfect opportunity during the winter season to build strength and resilience! ~Melissa 🩵💪🏼

01/01/2026

***shared with permission***
Rehab for this high school gymnast with a disc protrusion and no nerve compression is not about shutting movement down.Evidence supports core stability and motor control exercises as part of conservative care for disc-related low back pain to improve spinal load management and function.In this video we're working on core stability; but because gymnastics does not happen in neutral, she is also working on non-neutral exercises such as prone supermans and prone trunk extensions over a physioball.The goal is not protection.The goal is preparation. 💪🏼Next step is progressing toward higher-load strengthening and tolerance-building with exercises such as deadlifts. 🏋🏻‍♀️

Address

Verona, WI

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when PT Squared, LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to PT Squared, LLC:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category