Client Stories
Success stories from Clients Who Visited Penrose Physical Therapy
Client Testimonials
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In their Own Words
I have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and my tendon injuries had stalled despite consistent PT, prolotherapy and PRP. Dr. McDougall didn’t accept that as the ceiling. She brought research to my appointment and we designed a combined Shockwave and PRP plan together. The results exceeded everyone’s expectations, including my PRP specialist, who was surprised to see on ultrasound that the tendon had reattached at two points. I have full function in my knee again, I can squat, lunge and climb stairs without pain, and I’m back in barre classes. I avoided surgery. I would not be where I am without her.
Melissa Peterson
(EDS and tendon injuries)
I’m a sports medicine doctor at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates and certified in medical shockwave treatment, so I trusted the science before I ever became a patient. After a lifetime of ligament and cartilage damage in my ankle, I chose Penrose for a mix of focused shockwave and radial pressure wave therapy. It can be painful when they hit a hot spot, but it’s tolerable. The staff start at low settings and only increase intensity with your okay. I now recommend these regenerative therapies to my own patients, and in my experience PRP and shockwave work better together than either alone.
Dr. Kaley Capitano
(chronic ankle pain)
I fell off a ladder at work and self-medicated for a month before scans showed calcification in my shoulder tendon, which had torn. I wanted to avoid surgery, and that’s how I found Shockwave Therapy at Penrose. Six sessions plus traditional physical therapy, and my X-rays are clean. My doctor cleared me to return to work. I won’t pretend it’s comfortable, but the staff worked with my pain tolerance and adjusted speed and intensity to what I could handle. Your operator really does matter. My advice: don’t power through the pain and lose work like I did.
Toby Wood
(shoulder calcification)
We were both scuba divers at the Seattle Aquarium, and now we’re both Penrose patients. After my stroke in 2020, I came here to rebuild strength on my right side. They added boxing to my program for balance and reaction time, and now I can hold both arms over my head. Roberta came for her back, then again after hip and knee replacements, and had Stimpod treatment for neuropathy. Our weekly appointments, home instruction sheets and the exercise app keep us moving toward our goals. The people are fantastic. Going has made a big difference for both of us.
Guy Becken and Roberta Brooks
(stroke recovery and neuropathy)
I like to travel, and I wanted to be strong enough to keep doing it. My osteoporosis diagnosis was the signal I needed to work harder. At Penrose I do Pilates, dry needling, personal training and physical therapy. I’ve been in their small group Pilates classes for over a year, and I love that they’re geared for people with osteoporosis. They tell you what to do and what not to do, and we have a lot of fun. I can see I’m getting stronger. Dry needling has helped a chronic rib injury and my shoulder. I’d recommend Penrose to anyone starting their osteoporosis journey.
Judy Cook
(osteoporosis and staying travel-ready)
I fell down the stairs, fractured my big toe and ripped the tendon completely off, then developed plantar fasciitis on top of it. I’d never heard of dry needling, but when the Penrose team suggested it, I jumped right in. The relief was instant. I even noticed improvement in a hip I’d injured years earlier. The needles are just a little pinch, very tolerable, and I paired it with a daily routine they designed for me. I would write sonnets to this staff. They are amazing. Each one has their own strength, and I’d recommend them to anyone.
Jessica Oliver
(toe fracture and plantar fasciitis)
My vertigo came out of the blue, and unlike most people’s, it didn’t go away after a few weeks. My doctor referred me to Penrose, where they built me a program of eye, balance and head positioning exercises. I have pages of them, and all of it is doable. I do what they say, and it made all the difference. I can go shopping and take walks again, and when I get a flare-up, the exercises get me back on track. They even designed everything around my recent shoulder replacement. They have a great team up there. They are amazing.
Lynn Ham
(vertigo)
I’ve been running since I was 15. Plantar fasciitis and bone spurs made my foot feel like it was on fire, and after surgery I was limping every day. Every step was painful. Ten months at Penrose later, I have little to no pain. I can go up and down stairs without thinking, and I’m back on the treadmill. They kept encouraging me, they knew where I was and where I needed to be next, and they explain every treatment and why they’re doing it. They are phenomenal. I’m going to get back to running those long distances again.
Maria Sanchez
(foot surgery recovery)
I’m a retired state employee, a photographer and a drummer, and my spinal stenosis made it hard to stand with my tripod or hold my arms up to play. I’d seen other physical therapists before, but Penrose is extremely good, very thorough and very focused. They watch your form so you’re accurate. Mary and Nicole work together on my case, and something improves every time they measure my range of motion. They picked up on my passions real fast. Lately I’ve started drumming again. They are a great bunch of people from the minute you come in the front door.
Bruce Ikenberry
(spinal stenosis)
I used to scuba dive in the Seattle Aquarium’s dome tank. After I retired, spondylolisthesis got so bad I couldn’t walk to the mailbox. I worked with Penrose for several months and felt better, then came back to condition my muscles before my hip replacement. Now I can lie in bed at night without everything knotting up. What I love about Penrose is they explain the why, and they build on your progress instead of just handing you three exercises. My advice: don’t ignore it. In my case it hurt more to ignore it. There’s a huge payoff in the long run.
Roberta Brooks
(spondylolisthesis and hip replacement)
I thought my shoulder and back pain was a rotator cuff flare-up. Dr. Starr told me it wasn’t my shoulder at all, it was my jaw, which I’d dislocated at 18. For years I woke up with blurry vision and headaches, and I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to eat a raw carrot. After Penrose worked on my jaw muscles, my mouth opening went from 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters, and the headaches and blurry vision stopped. I can say yes to lunch without a caveat now. The transformation has been unbelievable.
Carmen Marchel
(jaw-related headaches and vision problems)