Matt is the proud owner of New Life Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine. Matt is a fellow of applied functional science and has been working with inpatients and outpatients of the Portage area for over ten years. His certifications as an orthopedic clinical specialist, and as an orthopedic manipulative therapist, grant Matt the ability to obtain maximum patient benefit achieved in the shortest amount of time.
Brian Cummings
PT, MS, OCS, CMPT, ATC
Bryan received his MS in physical therapy from Des Moines University and a Master’s Degree in exercise physiology from South Dakota State University. He is a fellow of Applied Functional Science, and holds certifications as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, a Manual Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer. Bryan has over eight years experience in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, emphasizing Evidence-Based Practice, Manual Therapy, and Applied Functional Science. “My goal with patients is to be a ‘body-mechanic,’ helping the patient to become a better machine, thus, improving their function.”
Matt Gibbons MPT
Matt joined New Life in January of 2005. Matt brings a unique blend of personal experience and exceptional physical therapy training to the team. His experiences in the Marine Corps and as an agricultural and field service engineer give him excellent insight into functional training and working in industry. Matt has a Master of Physical Therapy degree from the UW-Madison. His desire to work more closely with people and help them achieve a higher quality of life led him into the field of physical therapy.
Mathew Herbst MPT
Matt joined New Life Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in January 2007 with a master degree in physical therapy from UW Madison. He brings with him a broad variety of work experiences including assembly line work, forklift driving, furniture delivery, landscaping and roofing to name a few. Matt feels because of the varied positions he has held, he has a greater understanding of the physical and mental demands of the working world. He utilizes this knowledge to treat his patients and help them return to their prior level of function.
Karen Neff OTR, CLT
Karen has earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has 17 years experience in treating a variety of patients with decreased functional skills for daily living due to strokes, arthritis, hand and upper extremity injuries. She has also specialized in the treatment of edema and lymphedema related problems. Her goal is to assist her patients in regaining control of their lives and health.
Brent Bode
MPT
Brent joined the New Life team in January of 2008. He graduated from UW-Madison with a master degree of physical therapy. His clinical experiences took him to different regions of the country providing him the opportunity to apply a broad range of treatment philosophies and techniques. The physical therapy profession was a perfect fit for Brent because “You are able to spend quality time with your patients at every visit, educate them about their bodies and empower them with the tools they need to manage their own health.”
Kris Hellenbrand
MPT
Kris joined New Life in July 2008 and has been helping patients in the Portage area restore their function for over 5 ½ years. She earned her master of physical therapy degree from Carroll University in Waukesha, WI. Kris has treated a variety of patients throughout the lifespan with both musculoskeletal and neurological problems and especially enjoys the geriatric and female populations. She has had further training for treatment of balance and vertigo dysfunction and enjoys helping patients with these problems return to their prior activity level. Her main goal when working with patients is to educate them on how they can help themselves return to prior level of function.
New Life was established in 2002 by Matthew J. VanderKooi, PT MS, OCS, COMT. His goal was to establish a physical therapy service based on the principles of manual therapy functional rehabilitation. In this approach, the therapist diagnoses and treats dysfunctional movement to get a patient back to functioning normally again and back to those activities of normal work and life that are so important.
New life uses an "Evidence-Based" approach. Evidenced-based practice (EBP) is the "conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients." (Sackett DL, Haynes RB, Guyatt GH, Tugwell P. Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine. 2nd ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991.)
Matt and his New Life team work to make a difference in people's lives. The practice is comprised of licensed physical therapists and uses no trainers, assistants or aides. In this way, the physical therapist personally follows each patient through their individual course of treatment: through evaluation, diagnosis, and every step of treatment. This provides the ability to adapt treatment as needed to achieve better outcomes in a more expedient time frame.
Since inception, New Life has experienced steady growth and has an excellent reputation with patients, referring physicians, employers, coaches and other referral sources. The organization looks forward to working with the community to continued success.
