ABOUT

In her own words…

“I’ve been an athlete my whole life — high school, college, and later Ironman-distance triathlon — and I’ve had my share of overuse injuries along the way, with real strain and damage to my joints. For most of my life I lived with back pain, neck pain, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, two concussions, digestive trouble, low energy, and mood struggles. Over the past ten years, that changed. Precise, skilled hands-on treatment gave my body what it had been missing, and my work in functional medicine taught me how to care for my nervous system and how to eat for my genetics — not for someone else’s protocol. When I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s in 2022, I decided right then and there that it would not be my future. Today, in my fifties, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been. My energy is strong, I sleep well, I feel good in my clothes, my weight is better than it’s been in twenty years, and I’ve even been able to come off my antidepressant. I’m playing tennis, skiing, golfing, and enjoying life with my teenage boys. I know exactly what work I need to do to keep my body strong and pain-free despite significant lumbar disc involvement — and it takes real consistency, especially with my genetics. But it is absolutely worth every bit of it.”

Her Professional Journey

Jennifer Shepherd started her career as a traditional Physical Therapist, trained in mostly exercise, massage and general joint mobilization and muscle energy technique. She quickly became frustrated with the results she was getting with her patients and in her own body with back pain, knee pain and plantar fasciitis. Just as she was looking to pursue a degree in teaching High School Biology, she was invited to take a Continuing Education course in which she was exposed to Functional Manual Therapy from The Institute for Physical Art, in which she learned how to use her hands and eyes to identify structures that were not working efficiently and how to restore the mechanics, resulting in immediate improvements in mobility and pain.  This ignited her curiosity and passion for understanding the human body, what happens to it, and why we struggle with pain.

CREDENTIALS 

• Bachelors of Science – University of Dayton 1997
• Masters of Science in Physical Therapy – University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 1999
• Licensed Physical Therapist – Colorado 1999-present, Ohio 2015-present
• Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner 2023
• Certified Functional Manual Therapist – Honors 2006 Institute of Physical Art
• Fellow – Institute of Physical Art -2008
• Fellow – American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists 2008-present
• Member – American Physical Therapy Association 1997-present
• Division 1 Tennis Player University of Dayton
• Two time Ironman Finisher, IM Florida 2006, Vineman 2007

The Practice

Jennifer Shepherd began her private practice in Denver, in 2009, after her Fellowship and being frustrated with the limitations brought upon her by Traditional Physical Therapy clinics driven by Health Insurance and Medicare rules and regulations. The clinic has moved to Cleveland and now serves people from all over the country as Jennifer has continued to specialize in treating complex patients through her integrative lenses of Integrative Manual Physical Therapy and Functional Medicine. She has made her work available to everyone through her online coursework. As our healthcare systems continue to struggle and decline and there are more and more patients in need, she has expanded her work into training and mentoring the next generation of Integrative Manual Physical Therapists.