Approach to Care

At Align Physical Therapy & Wellness, treatment goes beyond isolated symptoms or a single area of pain. The body functions as an interconnected system, and lasting improvement often requires looking at how multiple systems work together.

Leah Hultstrom, PT, DPT, takes a comprehensive approach to care that integrates biomechanics, movement patterns, manual therapy, and nervous system regulation. This allows treatment to address not only where symptoms are showing up, but also the underlying patterns that may be contributing to pain, restriction, or recurring injury.

A Whole-Body Perspective

Pain is not always caused by the area that hurts. Compensation patterns, mobility restrictions, postural habits, and movement imbalances elsewhere in the body often play a significant role in dysfunction over time.

Treatment is designed to look beyond the immediate complaint and understand how the body is functioning as a whole.

This may include:

• Detailed movement and functional assessment

• Manual therapy to improve mobility and alignment

• Myofascial and soft tissue techniques

• Craniosacral and visceral mobilization

• Corrective exercise and neuromuscular re-education

• Strategies to support nervous system regulation

Looking for the Root Cause

A whole-person approach can be especially valuable when symptoms are persistent, recurring, or not responding fully to traditional treatment.

This approach is often helpful for:

• Chronic or recurring pain

• Complex or multi-area issues

• Postural and movement imbalances

• Sports and overuse injuries

• Patients who feel they have “tried everything” without lasting results

Rather than focusing only on symptom reduction, treatment also aims to improve the quality of movement, restore balance within the system, and reduce the likelihood of symptoms returning.

The Role of the Nervous System

The nervous system plays a major role in pain, tension, recovery, and function. When the body is in a guarded or protective state, healing can be limited, even when appropriate physical treatment is being provided.

Care may also include techniques and strategies that help support:

• Reduced muscle guarding and tension

• Improved body awareness and coordination

• Better regulation of stress responses

• A more supportive state for healing and recovery

This does not replace traditional physical therapy. It enhances it by recognizing that pain and recovery are influenced by more than muscles and joints alone.

An Integrative Lens

In addition to her background in orthopedic and manual physical therapy, Leah has pursued advanced study in integrative approaches that explore the relationship between physical structure, the nervous system, and broader whole-person health.

For patients who are interested, treatment can reflect a more integrative perspective while remaining individualized, practical, and grounded in each person’s goals and comfort level.

Some patients prefer a highly traditional orthopedic approach. Others are looking for care that also considers broader patterns within the body. Both are supported, and treatment is always tailored to the individual.

What Patients Often Gain

Patients often report benefits such as:

• More lasting improvement

• Better understanding of their bodies

• Improved movement quality and control

• Reduced recurrence of symptoms

• A clearer sense of the factors contributing to pain or dysfunction

Care That Meets You Where You Are

Whether you are recovering from an injury, managing chronic pain, or trying to improve how your body moves and functions, treatment is designed to meet you where you are and move you forward with a clear, individualized plan.

At Align Physical Therapy & Wellness, care is hands-on, thoughtful, and personalized—focused not just on temporary relief, but on meaningful, lasting change.