About Heather

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Heather Shaughnessy, PT, DPT was born and raised in Lacey, WA.  She went to Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA to earn her Bachelor's of Science degree in Exercise Physiology in 2006.  She continued her education at Regis University in Denver, CO where she earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009.  Since then, Heather has worked mainly in outpatient orthopedic and sports based clinics with a little bit of pediatric and geriatric specialty work mixed in, as well.  Since beginning her career, Heather has consistently participated in continuing education to further her knowledge so that she can give her clients the very best treatment.  She is Level 2 certified in Functional Dry Needling, has a Level 1 Selective Functional Movement Assessment certification, has completed courses in kinesiotaping, treatment of jaw pain, treatment of low back pain, gait analysis for runners, and many others.  As an avid CrossFitter, she also has her CrossFit Level 2 (CF-L2) coaching certification.  Heather is passionate about getting her clients back to doing all the things they love without pain!  She uses a combination of dry needling, manual therapy techniques, and therapeutic exercise to help clients achieve their goals.  Whether you are a competitive athlete or weekend warrior, Heather is convinced that strength training is an integral and often overlooked aspect of a healthy and well rounded athlete.

Heather had a very active childhood and began participating in sports at a young age.  Although she dabbled in many sports, swimming and volleyball were the two that stuck.  She competed as a swimmer for eight years and played competitive volleyball for six years.  Beginning in college, she started competing in triathlons, completing every triathlon distance including an Ironman in Couer D'Alene in 2011.  Heather began CrossFit in 2010 as a more social way of getting the necessary strength training to support her triathlon training and has competed in many CrossFit competitions.  She has since shifted away from triathlon in favor of more CrossFit based training and events, but still dabbles in triathlon, open water swimming, and running events from time to time.  She has a self described problem with sitting still, so she also enjoys spending time hiking, fly fishing, backpacking, paddleboarding, bicycling, cross country skiing, and just this past winter she began learning how to downhill ski.

After spending 16 years living in Colorado, Heather, her husband, and their geriatric dog and cat moved to Montana in the summer of 2022 to build their home.  They enjoyed spending over five months living in a tent followed by another five months living in a camper before finally moving into their (not yet finished) "cabin" in the west valley.  They are loving every bit of their new life in Montana and can't wait to spend more time exploring their new home state...once the house is finally finished!