Joyful Testimonials

Patient’s Injuries: Meniscal strain of his right knee and inflammation of his SC joint on the left, with slight SC separation noted. (He was able to heal with NO surgery!)

Age during Physical Therapy Treatment: 69 years young

“Dr. Snezhana Rudakova Tibbals (aka Mrs. Tibbals) has been my physical therapist for 5 years now. From April of 2018 to February 2019, Dr. Tibbals worked my shoulder and knee back into 100% condition. Sure, there are PT (code for physical torture) protocols for those body parts, but Dr. Tibbals went WAY beyond the protocols with truly creative and inventive movements for my knee and shoulder. Each session started with basic routines, then a new movement was introduced that would really challenge me. She knew exactly what progress I was making, and when to push me.  

This is the intuitive and curious aspects of her PT approach. As a professional, she never accepts the status quo and conventional methods. Her curiosity and intellectual intuition guides her into different methods in a holistic way. Through casual conversations as her patient, she discovers who her patient is, what they like and want to do. This is what life coaches do, this is what true friends do, this is what she does as a very natural and authentic person. She instinctively knows that athletes compete against themselves, and want to be the best of themselves physically and mentally.  

I say that Dr. Tibbals has been my PT since 2018-19. I’ve not had formal PT sessions since February 2019, but through the years I’ve been fortunate to become a friend of both her and her husband Jeremy. I’ve been able to ask her opinion and ideas about exercise, nutrition and general wellness. Her nature is to learn, find out, discover, explore, debate and discuss. She has applied those traits to her physical therapy practice, and I’m quite certain that any of her former and current patients will tell you that we all were blessed by having Dr. Tibbals on our case, in the best sense of the phrase!” 

Chris 

Patient’s Injury: A gnarly and significant partial tear of the A2, A3, and A4 pulley of his left middle finger. This injury occurred during bouldering. (He was able to heal with NO surgery!)

Age during Physical Therapy Treatment: 26 years young

“My journey post-injury began with a frantic search for doctors/PTs that specialize in climbing related injuries and googling pulley rehabilitation protocols, with the former being more or less fruitless. After finding a hand surgeon, confirming I had a ruptured A4 pulley via MRI, and being told that I’d need to take a year or more off of climbing to “just let it heal” I was left feeling dissatisfied and annoyed. I found out about Snow through Cameron by asking around for PT recommendations and was pleasantly surprised by her knowledge of and enthusiasm for all things climbing (and PT!). After begging the aforementioned surgeon for a PT prescription and mentioning Snow as my preferred physical therapist, I began treatment promptly.

Snow started me off with a very basic routine focused on regaining full range of motion in the finger while avoiding any sort of loading, allowing the tissue to heal. Then we moved on to the reconstruction process involving simple strengthening exercises using the digiflex, theraputty, etc. Through the tissue reconstruction process I learned many things (besides some new exercises I have borrowed and added to my warm-ups) with the three most important being: 1) discipline – sticking to the prescribed PT protocols and trusting the process, 2) diligence – working hard and staying focused on achieving small and feasible goals goes a long way towards keeping you invested in your recovery, and finally 3) patience – recovering from a pulley injury and remodeling connective tissue takes time. All three of these tenets are applicable to many things in life.

Once we began using the hangboard and tension block and, eventually, very light climbing days on jugs, my progress towards full recovery quickly picked up speed. Coming back to climbing was eye opening as I found my strength and coordination (particularly with my feet) to be severely lacking, and my confidence in an even worse state. But by remaining disciplined, staying diligent, and trying to be patient I regained, and quickly exceeded my previous climbing ability. Once I received the green light from Snow to go on outdoor trips, the flood gates opened. I managed to get to Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas twice, Oklahoma, and a handful of trips to ultra classic Roger’s Park. On my first outdoor trip I sent my first V5 (The Kind), with War Bonnet and Planet Earth following shortly after. I even managed to send Hang Ten at HCR during my last trip of 2021.

If I could sum up all of my experiences this year into one short sentence, it would be: work hard, stay patient, and trust your PT. I am extremely grateful to Snow for all of the hard work she put into my recovery and training.”

Garrett

Patient’s Injury: CHRONIC and extremely complex right elbow pain. The patient displayed complex signs which resembled severe chronic lateral epicondylopathy, with significant median and ulnar nerve irritation. This was NOT a typical lateral epicondylopathy situation. (She was able to heal with NO surgery!)

Age during Physical Therapy Treatment: 36 years young

“By the time I dragged myself into Snow’s room last August, I was at the end of my rope. For the past two years I’d been dealing with daily elbow pain, enough to cause me significant emotional and physical stress. After exhausting all the “traditional” interventions-steroid shots, two different clinical PT’s, orthopedic consultation, MRI, etc.-I booked a consultation with Dr. Snow. I slumped in the chair across from her completely defeated, and honestly, a bit jaded. I felt unheard by the medical community, and everything I’d tried in the past couple years either made no difference or made my injury worse.

I was candid with her, and she understood. Walking out of our initial meeting, I felt cautiously optimistic. She didn’t sugar coat or make promises. But she did make me feel that she would meet me with 100% effort and dedication. Over the following months, she listened, probed, adapted, and continually matched my pace and desire to heal. Her level of commitment is unbelievable. Between daily notes and check ins, we were able to identify patterns. As I slowly started to heal, we continued to modify my treatment. After a year of working with her, I’m back to climbing and have a deep understanding of my elbow and how to treat it going forward. 

I cannot thank Dr. Snow enough for her dedication, her commitment to understanding my pain, and her teamwork approach to treatment. After feeling so alone in this injury, I now know I have someone to go through it with me. While I’m not 100% yet, I’m a million times better than I was when we began, and I now have the tools to keep progressing. 

From injury healing to prevention, strengthening and stability, and a general understanding of the human body, I can’t recommend Dr. Snow enough. You will do the hard work, but you won’t do it alone. She will be just as committed with you and will celebrate the highs and troubleshoot the valleys. Thank you SO much for what you do, and for being you.”

With gratitude, Becky

Patient’s Injury: Strain of lumbrical muscles 2-4 of his right hand; courtesy of a pocket route. (He was able to heal with NO surgery!)

Age during Physical Therapy Treatment: 45 years young

“I have worked in healthcare for over two decades and have met few few individuals like Dr. Snow. Her willingness to get into the details of your pain and help you understand the injury as well as the process to recovery is unmatched. 

During my therapy with her we had great discussions about each exercise and why that movement was imperative to my healing. Her warm and friendly demeanor provided the environment to ask questions, multiple times, and get feedback that made sense.  I have learned more about my body through this process and would recommend if you are feeling any pain.

It is always worth seeking advice from a true professional and not your buddy! Your health and wellness are the foundation for everything in life so don’t neglect what your body is telling you and when you’re not sure what it is telling you, schedule an appointment with Dr. Snow!”

Jon

Patient’s Injury: A complex SLAP tear in her right shoulder during a strenuous gaston lock-off. (She was able to heal with NO surgery!)

Age during Physical Therapy Treatment: 16-17 years young

“I loved working with Snow on my physical therapy journey! Well, I didn’t love being injured, but I’m glad to have worked through my injury with her. She brought such positive energy and expertise to our sessions. I really appreciated her understanding of climbing and am forever grateful for how she got me back on the wall! Would get injured again, 10/10.” 

Annika (former climbing athlete for Team Lonestar of Canyons Rock Climbing Gym)