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February 5, 2024
ANTIGO – If there is one thing Dr. Amanda Trieloff believes in, it’s being transparent to her patients – and that, she said, is a “Promise.”
“I will actively listen to their needs to determine how to best serve them with compassion and respect,” she said. “Most of all, I will devote my time to helping active adults get back to the things they are passionate about by reducing pain and improving mobility while reducing or eliminating the need for injections, surgeries or medications.”
“Dr. Amanda,” as she is known, is the founder of Promise Physical Therapy & Wellness, which is a throwback to the days of physician house calls.
Now entering its third year of operation, the Antigo-based practice is filling a niche in patient care that Trieloff said has been unmet in the modern clinical setting.
“Those old-time physicians were right,” she said. “There is no place like home. Seeing the home environment is huge in terms of physical therapy treatment and care. You will see things in their home you cannot replicate in a clinical setting.”
A good example of this, Trieloff said, is her interaction with a patient who enjoyed crocheting.
“I was treating her for her shoulder and modified where she was looking at her pattern and the chair she was sitting in to improve her ergonomics – as well as how she was sleeping and how she was resting,” she said. “I did no other form of treatment, and her pain improved significantly within 72 hours.”
Trieloff said she has also placed yardsticks over mattresses to check for sagging centers that are often the culprits for back problems.
She said she has also studied how her patients move around their homes, including the doors they use and how they arrange their kitchens, to improve safety and accessibility.
“(These are) all ways of helping people recover from pain and, in many cases, remain in their homes,” she said. “Sometimes, that’s all that’s needed.”
Wellness and prevention care
Working within a 40-mile radius of Antigo, Trieloff said she offers free “discovery visits” to help potential patients determine if physical therapy can meet their needs and goals.
“Sometimes, simple education and environmental changes are enough,” she said. “If physical therapy can help further, I work with them on specific treatment plans. If I know I am not the best fit for their needs, I’ll refer them to the appropriate provider.”
Trieloff also works with clients on wellness and prevention, an area she said is often not acknowledged within insurance-based models.
In her previous role as a clinical physical therapist, she said she had to tell patients they could no longer receive treatment due to insurance requirements or limitations.
“That was tough on the patient and me,” she said.
Promise Physical Therapy & Wellness does not accept insurance, therefore Trieloff said she doesn’t run into those hurdles.
“The beauty of being cash-based is we can provide services beyond post-acute care,” she said. “Insurance does not cover wellness or maintenance for everyone, and those are areas physical therapists are qualified to provide.”
To help prevent injury and illness, Trieloff said Promise Therapy offers patient assessments of everything from posture and functional mobility to flexibility and balance.
She said she then designs individualized home or gym programs to meet lifestyle, activity, performance and fitness goals.
“I can also make general recommendations regarding diet and nutrition,” she said. “I want to keep my patients doing the things they love.”
Though Trieloff treats all ages, she said she has developed a special relationship with the folks at the Langlade County Senior Center.
She leads twice-weekly exercise classes, and, through a grant from the local Ellwyn Remington Foundation, teaches Rock Steady Boxing, a program for people with Parkinson’s disease.
“Participants use boxing to improve their symptoms and restore their quality of life,” she said. “It improves mobility, balance, walking, posture and strength and offers a social network and support group in a fun and motivated way.”
The senior center partnership, Trieloff said, is leading to more opportunities for educational programs, including balance workshops and, in springtime, ergonomic gardening.
“My practice would not be where it is today without the senior center,” she said. “It’s my second home in Antigo, and its members are my family. The exercise programs and seminars are filling a void for the senior community while fulfilling my passion for prevention and wellness. I can’t wait to see how our partnership continues to evolve and how many lives we’ll be able to impact.”
A bit more about ‘Dr. Amanda’
Trieloff said she developed an early interest in physical therapy growing up in Lake Mills, where she was an athlete and dealt with her own injuries.
“I had multiple injuries as a young athlete and experienced therapy myself,” she said. “I wanted to get into a profession where I could spend more than five or 10 minutes with someone and truly make a difference in their lives.”
Trieloff parlayed her high school volleyball career into collegiate track at Carroll College in Waukesha, where she earned an All-American title in javelin her first year and honors as NCAA Division III National Champion her second year.
Though injuries hampered her as a college junior, Trieloff said rehab allowed her to take second at nationals her senior year.
She was inducted into the Carroll College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023.
“Just as I didn’t give up on my goals, I won’t give up helping my patients achieve theirs,” she said.
Trieloff completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2014 and worked as a travel physical therapist and with in-home health care before opening Promise Therapy.
She said she came up with her business name “at 2:45 a.m. Nov. 26, 2021.”
Frustrated with her career at that point, Trieloff said she wrote down a list of things she wanted out of her own practice.
“I soon realized they were actual promises for my patients,” she said. “Empowering the patient to be able to make the right decision on their health will always be a priority to me.”
Trieloff said her no-insurance, home-care model is gaining popularity.
“The practice is growing, and our client list is, too, which allowed me to add a second therapist to my staff,” she said. “Initially, it was difficult because there aren’t many cash-based therapists in the state, so it’s not something people even know about.”
Trieloff said there’s a benefit to not dealing with insurance companies.
“It allows me to focus on what I do best – physical therapy,” she said. “It keeps my rates more affordable because I have less overhead. I am working for the patient.”
For more information on Promise Physical Therapy, head to promiseptandwellness.com.
