Maleah was born and raised in Vancouver, WA with one brother. She loved to dance which is what piqued her interest in physical therapy. She graduated from Western University of Health Sciences – Lebanon with her doctorate in physical therapy. She has a special interest in dancers, gymnastics, chronic pain and overall helping people feel better while having fun. She is very enthusiastic about finding creative and collaborative approaches to help patients feel better and improve their function.  
In her free time Maleah enjoys baking, cooking, hiking and hanging out with her cat and binging Netflix.

Libby was raised in Eugene, OR. She grew up as a competitive gymnast and loved reading and writing for school and pleasure. She started her undergraduate career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Oregon in 2015 with a degree in Medical Cultural Anthropology and Women’s Studies. She has work experience serving as a baker, domestic violence advocate, and gymnastics coach, before turning her attention to PT. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Oregon State University – Cascades, in Bend, OR.

Libby became interested in PT because she experienced the power that physical therapy can have to change one’s relationship to their body through many injuries and rehab sessions of her own. She also observed the pain that the body can sustain through emotionally and physically traumatic instances through her domestic violence work. Libby approaches physical therapy through an empowerment-based lens, holding respect and dignity paramount to every patient interaction.  In her free time, Libby enjoys reading, lifting, yoga, long walks, and cooking.

Ella was born and raised in Bloomington, MN where she grew up with two younger sisters and loved being active and outside. She started her undergraduate degree at Winona State University in Minnesota. She played on the club ultimate frisbee team during her time there. Ella attended physical therapy school at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and upon graduation she moved to Eugene, OR.

Ella became interested in PT as a way to bring happiness to people. Her favorite thing about PT is helping others feel better and return to activities they enjoy. She also likes problem solving and working one on one with people. 
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In her free time, Ella enjoys mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, reading, baking, and playing ultimate frisbee. 

​Joe Bekaert, PT, DPT
Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
Oregon PT license: 25257
 
Joe completed his Doctor of Physical Therapy at The University of Vermont in 2018, where he also earned his bachelor’s in biology in 2008. He comes to Staszak Physical Therapy after living in California where he had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of patients with diverse needs. In 2023 he received his board certification as an Orthopedic Clinic Specialist.   
 
Joe believes that physical therapy and rehabilitation should be focused on achieving your goals. Spending time understanding his patient’s expectations and working together to achieve them is the most rewarding aspect of his relationship with his patients.
 
As an undergrad Joe was a member of the cross country and track teams at UVM, where he competed for all four years. Before beginning his career in physical therapy, he was a running department manager and ski boot fitter at a highly-rated store in Burlington, Vermont.
 
Joe loves spending his time outside of the clinic traveling, cooking, skiing and running with his wife and Goldendoodle named Bailey. 

Originally from Eugene, OR, George returned to the area in February of 2024 to be closer to his family and to serve the community where he grew up. He has a Bachelor in Kinesiology with minor specialty in Spanish from Oregon State University, and received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from University of Washington. His specific clinical interests include working with rock climbers and cutting/jumping athletes, as well as working with pediatric populations. These reflect his personal background as a climber and ultimate frisbee player, as well as an older brother to several siblings. His clinical approach consists of enabling his patients to meet their goals and focus treatment on what is applicable to them. He comes at problems with a combination of evidence based practice, patient education and flexible treatment strategies that incorporate what works best for each patient as an individual. ​

The age of social media is here to stay. From first steps and first words to graduations and marriages, just about everything goes onto social media in some form. Beyond sharing life events and keeping in touch with friends far and wide, we have seen a massive increase in the use of social media to disseminate information. In many ways this is a good and exciting thing. This very blog post is an example of a well intentioned individual giving advice on combatting a common problem experienced by their audience. However, due to the sensationalist type of content that tends to perform well on social media sites such as Tik-Tok and Instagram it can be very difficult for consumers to sift through the wealth of information available to find what’s useful, what’s being misrepresented, and what’s being exaggerated. The purpose of this article is to give you a few simple tips to read between the lines of social media posts surrounding health and wellness, and help separate useful tidbits from the chorus of ‘unlock your hips’ and ‘bulletproof your knees’.

The first sign that a piece of information is being misrepresented is oversimplification. With a few notable exceptions such as smoking cigarettes being bad for you, and exercise being good for you, there is very rarely a piece of health advice, a specific stretch, or a specific food or supplement that can be touted as universally helpful or universally harmful. While this kind of content seems relatively harmless, if you are not mobile or strong enough to perform one of these exercises with good form or control there is potential to further injure yourself. Indicators that content is adhering to these principles include giving progressions and regressions of exercises, reviewing the context in which an exercise is useful, and providing some disclaimers for safety or common ways people compensate/break form.

Another way that fitness influencers often farm engagement is by making bold claims that run contrary to ‘common knowledge’. Whenever someone is trying to challenge conventional wisdom, the burden of evidence they need to provide is higher than when they are presenting other ideas that run parallel to how we view the body holistically. Challenging common knowledge is not a bad thing in and of itself, but if you must give context of when and why the “rules” can be broken. Often times the conventional knowledge is conventional for a reason, so think twice about the content you consume that discredits it, and look for content that is thorough and tempered in its approach rather than sensationalist.

A final tip for finding good pieces of content to consume is to listen to what other people have to say about the creator, as well as listening to how the creator talks about others. A creator that is dedicated to providing good information will attract others who want to provide the same. Conversely, while engaging in online arguments can create a lot of engagement and provide entertainment for an influencers audience, it provides little actual educational value. Checking on whether a creator is consistent in their messaging, and how much of their platform is their own ideas versus calling others out can give insight on how much actually important content they have to share. Spending a bit of time checking what other trusted sources of information have to say about an influencer can help construct the lens through which you view the content they create.

​The human body is complex, and it can be tempting to blindly trust the advice of people online who have large followings and seem to be educated and well spoken. However when we talk about health and wellness, misinformation can have effects that range from wasting time to creating more injury. By being critical of the information you consume and being wary of content that is snappy and controversial you will be able to effectively utilize the tool of social media for maximum benefit.

Some of the most common words to hear from your health care providers are “don’t sit too long”. Sitting for hours on end has various negative health effects, including increased back pain, reduced heart health, impaired mood and poor regulation of blood sugar. Unfortunately though, our society isn’t set up to make getting up and walking around throughout the day easy. Efficiency and having the appearance of being on task is highly valued in the workplace, and taking frequent, non-scheduled breaks isn’t always possible. It’s also common for people to feel that these frequent breaks interrupt their focus and make getting into a good work flow difficult. How do we reconcile the reality of needing to get work done with the desire to stay healthy by not sitting all day? Standing desks are great, but they don’t solve the problem of not allowing for actual movement, and they don’t solve the ‘fixed posture’ problem. Other solutions such as walking meetings range from being impractical to niche, and may not provide the frequent mobility that our bodies crave.

One technique that has started to be incorporated into graduate school curriculums and adopted by certain psychology savvy individuals is the Pomodoro. Meaning “tomato” in italian, this simple-in-theory technique is similar in principle to high intensity interval training (HIIT) for your brain. Initially developed by a university student named Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro asks us to acknowledge our limitations in attention and embrace interruptions as a strategy to improve our efficiency. This relatively simple process has been proven to improve memory, reduce work errors and improve the total amount of work that can be done in a smaller period of time. It consists of 8 steps as follows.

1. Get into an optimal work space, minimizing distractions and allowing for highest possible level of focus. This means that phones and email are either turned off, silenced, or only accessible from another room.
2. Choose exactly one task to focus on. One project, one aspect of the job you are doing to minimize the amount your brain is switching tasks, which reduces lapses of focus.
3. Set a timer for 25 minutes. No more, no less.
4. Work. Maintain focus at your highest level, knowing that you have a break coming soon.
5. Stop work fully when the timer ends. You are taking a break now, and you fully focus on rest.
6. 5 minute break. Again, this means a 5 minute BREAK. Take the opportunity to leave the room if possible, get up and walk around.
7. Repeat this process 3 times.
8. Take a longer break, around 30 minutes, to allow for a more thorough reset before starting again at step one if there is still work to do.

There are two major benefits to this type of technique. The first is that it allows for maintenance of focus throughout a longer period of time than people can typically perform, which allows for improved retention and reduced error while working. The second is that, because it allows for more frequent scheduled breaks, it encourages getting up and leaving work alone for 5 minutes at a time. This is perfect for those of us with trouble unlocking ourselves from our chairs. Obviously these types of techniques are more accessible for those of us who work from home or have some degree of freedom in our work schedules, but when appropriate, Pomodoros can be a powerful tool to allow for improved mental and physical health.

Leslie earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from Ithaca College in 2014, majored in Clinical Health Studies, and completed additional training in pain management, manual therapy, and evidence-based practice. He has ample experience with conservative and post-surgical management of low back, neck, and sports injuries. By integrating a variety of rehabilitation philosophies, he provides an individualized treatment plan to help you reach your goals! 

He is also a USA Track & Field Certified Coach serving the South Eugene High School Axe and he is a candidate for the NASM Strength & Conditioning Specialist Certification.

Leslie is a Costa Rican sports fan, former collegiate athlete, amateur musician, and lifelong learner.  In his free time, you can find him experimenting in the kitchen, singing karaoke by himself, and spending quality time with friends & family.

Audrey grew up in sunny Southern California where she spent her days at the beach surfing, hiking in the foothills, and cooking with her family. From the age of 3, she had a passion for dance in all forms which she pursued until she was 19. From studying with American Ballet Theater and Backhaus Dance Company, to dancing around her kitchen, Audrey has always loved movement. During her time as a dancer, she sustained multiple ankle injuries. From these experiences, she came to a knowledge of the good that can come from consistent, quality physical therapy treatment. 

As she went on to college, Audrey stayed fascinated with movement and how the body works. This eventually lead her to obtain her PTA degree from Provo College in Utah. After she graduated and began practicing, she wanted to further her education by becoming a Pilates instructor. 

She is currently in the process of become STOTT Pilates certified and she loves training others. Audrey believes that physical therapy coupled with Pilates can enhance the way that our bodies recover and function. She is passionate about body positivity, lessening pain, improving daily functionality, and improving the overall quality of life of her patients. 

Audrey moved to Eugene in 2022 while her husband is attending law school. She is grateful to be part of the Staszak family and loves collaborating with her coworkers to empower and help patients. 

When she is not working, you can find Audrey at the farmers market planning her next meal, hiking, taking local art classes, traveling with her husband, visiting her family, or trying a new restaurant.
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