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When To Use Heat Vs.ice What Is Better For Your Pain?

Neil Sauer | June 7, 2018

When To Use Heat Vs.ice What Is Better For Your Pain?

The Misconceptions of Using Heat vs. Ice When used properly, they can be extremely effective Icing helps reduce inflammation and swelling Heat helps with sore muscles and stiff Joints Always use a barrier between heat or ice and your skin HEAT vs. ICE Treating pain with hot and cold can be very effective for a wide variety of different conditionsContinue Reading »

Backpack Safety

Neil Sauer | August 31, 2017

Backpack Safety

It’s that time of year again! With kids heading back to school in the upcoming days and weeks, parents need to think about the safety and comfort of the load their children are carrying on their backs. Backpacks are designed to distribute the weight of the bag evenly across the upper back of the child.Continue Reading »

7 Great Things To Do In Freeland and The Tri-Cities If You Didn’t Have Back Pain

Neil Sauer | August 10, 2017

7 Great Things To Do In Freeland and The Tri-Cities If You Didn’t Have Back Pain

Freeland and the Tri-City regions are a great place to live during the summer and fall months. Unfortunaley, many people right here in Freeland and the Tri-Cities are unable to fully enjoy these beautiful seasons due to suffering from back pain.Many are not enjoying life to its fullest, playing with their children, or grandchildren or even gettingContinue Reading »

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Google Rating

5.0

Based on 56 reviews

Functional Advantage Physical Therapy

5.0

Katrina Brugge

19:00 13 Jun 25

Functional Advantage, in my opinion, is the best place to have physical therapy. The staff members are exceptional! They give you all their attention and don't push if you're having a bad day. I've been to several different physical therapy places and by far this has been the best at everything. Everyone at Functional Advantage has become a good friend! Thank you to all of you.

Arnesha Essex

21:26 15 May 25

I truly enjoyed my therapy sessions at Functional Advantage Physical Therapy! Stephanie, Neil, Erica, and Jamie were the absolute greatest! They make you feel like family while you are getting therapy.. I am stronger and very confident now that I’ve had my knee replacement surgery in January 2025. I am now going everywhere and doing what I used to do and that is a result from the therapy they give you. If ever I need to come back in the future I wouldn’t even hesitate. Thanks again and Stephanie thanks again for the info on Traverse City..😃😃😃😃😃Arnesha Essex👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Jeff Ehrlich

13:58 05 May 25

Neil and team are great and super easy to work with!I highly recommend!

Bill Berg (Crazyb061)

23:44 28 Apr 25

What an outstanding team at Functional Advantage. This is the second time I have used them. Neil is incredible he will find out what the issue is and put a plan together to correct it.The therapist are also great. Erica, was primarily who I seen the first time. This time I worked with Stephanie. Both are very good at what they do. During treatments with Stephanie we found that we had several things in common. Good conversation while going through the motions made the time go by fast.The team behind the scenes Jamie, McKaely, and Abby also were excellent. No matter who is working the desk when you walked in you always got a hello Bill and when you left you always got a see you next time. If you need any type of therapy I highly recommend the team at Functional Advantage.

Coni Eller

16:11 17 Dec 24

Functional Advantage has an amazing team; Neal, Erica, Stephanie, Candice, and Jamie. They are a team that works beautifully together! They inspire the clients to do their best. When I first met the F.A. team, I was unable to walk on my own due to a spine issue. The F.A. team developed an appropriate workout for me that they continuously monitored, reviewed, and modified. My progress has been so impressive, I have been walking unaided, smoothly and without a limp or hesitation. They have given me my normal back! Thank you Functional Advantage! -Coni

Robyn Piper

19:06 15 Nov 24

I would highly recommend Functional Advantage for your physical therapy needs. I have seen them for both back and hip issues and my husband completed his post knee replacement therapy here. We were both very happy, received great care and excellent outcomes. They are very skilled and knowledgeable and the entire staff was excellent to work with.

Ron Kenney

15:32 21 Oct 24

I would highly recommend Functional Advantage for any physical therapy needs. I found Neil Sauer & his staff to be very knowledgeable & helpful with my particular issues. I actually looked forward to my visits & the coaching I received to do the exercises & stretches correctly. Thank you FA.

Terrie Lausin

20:19 02 Oct 24

Everyone at Functional Advantage are pleasant, knowledgeable, & supportive. I had my sessions with the owner Neil and one of his Therapist Erika. Both of them made sure every session I had was helping me make progress and gave me exercises to do at home. I went in with a sore neck due to mostly bad posture and was given advice and techniques to help me in the future. I had no issues when I was done! I highly recommend them for your PT needs. I know if I need PT again, they will be my choice. Thanks you guys! Pain free, is a good feeling😃

Lynne Jacques

11:39 01 Oct 24

Great experience at Functional PT. Improvement was beyond expectations. Staff friendly and knowledgeable and focused on helping your situation for the best results.

Holli Kostick

14:31 03 Sep 24

Love Functional Advantage! I cannot say enough good things about them. Everyone was wonderful to work with. They truly do care about you, your progress and your pain level. The ladies at the reception desk were also great to work with regarding insurance and scheduling. The facility is very clean and not over scheduled. You get their full attention and you’re not waiting for equipment. I was pleasantly surprised that the amount of small exercises they had me do reduced my pain level significantly.

Kim Pistro

17:16 08 Aug 24

Neil and his team are amazing. If you have any sort of pain, go see them for relief.

Kara Michelle

14:07 14 Jul 24

Functional Advantage has been the best choice in Physical Therapy for my family & I. My husband went there for his hip (torn Labrum) and while this was their first they put their time and resources into figuring out a recovery plan for him. He’s back to playing soccer & doing more things because of them.For myself, I was having back, shoulder and neck pain that resulted in tension headaches and migraines. Neil took the time to hear me out and try multiple things in accessing where my pain was and that led to PT targeting areas I haven’t used muscle/tissue well in & getting those moving again. Erica was who I mainly worked with & she was like Neil, heard me out on how I was feeling, switched things up a bit to either target that area or let it rest to focus on another area, resulting in my pain going away in that first area. Stephanie I worked with a couple times and she only added to the positive energy there, being motivating and switching things up to help better target my pain. They all adapted and added new things to do as my back, shoulders and neck changed putting me to where I am today, less pain in those areas, no headaches and no migraines since May and that is a significant win for me.The office staff there are incredibly nice and caring. I saw them, as well as the PT’s, deal with all ages and kinds of injuries and saw nothing but patience, positivity and encouragement given to everyone. Personally, the laughs and music made the experience better too as it led to many discussions to take my mind off the exercise I was doing and loosen up so I wasn’t so tense in my muscles. I thank Functional Advantage VERY much in putting me in a better physical condition, I’m able to play more comfortably with my daughter, I feel better at soccer & no headaches have been amazing. HIGHLY recommend Functional Advantage for your physical therapy needs, 10 out of 10!

vick99993

13:33 15 May 24

Robert Gamm

14:27 13 Jan 24

Everyone at Functional Advantage does a tremendous job! The therapists are all highly knowledgeable and skilled and the support staff is very efficient. Each person is upbeat, friendly and genuinely focused on the well-being of their patients. Over the years, I have gone to a few physical therapy centers in the area and all have been very good but Functional Advantage is exceptional.

Chad Krueger

13:05 03 Jan 24

Functional Advantage helped me get quality of life back. My back has been so much better since working with the team. I highly recommend them for physical therapy in the Tri-cities. Clean environment and extremely professional all-round.

LCM Services

23:41 28 Dec 23

Great Staff, my go-to place for meeting my Physical therapy goals

Karen Clement

15:40 14 Dec 23

Highly recommend. The staff is very knowledgeable. It is a casual and fun atmosphere while undeniably helpful!

KELLY HENDRICK

11:17 07 Nov 23

My experience with Functional Advantage was nothing short of exceptional. The staff is professional but fun, the facility is clean and my appointments were full of efficiency. I would recommend them above others in the area!

Heather Beson

16:24 13 Jul 23

Theo was great! Worked with me to address my pain issues and to come up with a plan that worked. Very friendly and welcoming place.

travis hayes

16:22 07 Jul 23

Connie Taylor

20:39 25 Mar 23

Great place for physical therapy! I know everyone is different, but this absolutely worked for me. Low back pain is no joke...I keep doing the exercises that they taught me, and the pain is so manageable. Thank you Dr Neil and Dr Theo, and Dr Erica and all the staff.

Rain55 Rain55

16:29 22 Mar 23

I highly recommend Functional Advantage Physical Therapy for your physical therapy needs. They have a very friendly and helpful owner, Neil. The staff he hired ranging from the front desk girls to all the rest of the staff including the PTs and PTAs are all very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. This place treats you like family and has an atmosphere where you actually like to come and do physical therapy. Thank you Neil and Staff, my physical therapy time here was great with excellent results with eliminating my lower back/ hip pain and making me more mobile.

Brooke Nellett

00:11 22 Feb 23

I had a great experience with Erica and Theo! My improvements were significant! I appreciate all that they did for me. I would definitely recommend Functional Advantage for your physical therapy and pain relief needs.

David Clark

19:09 01 Feb 23

I am very glad I chose Functional Advantage to help me with my neck and shoulder issues. From the first evaluation to the last appointment, Neal and his team did an excellent job in diagnosing, developing a plan and executing the proper therapy. I feel much better now and would definitely go back. I highly recommend their services.

robert BINDER

16:10 20 Nov 22

I recommend this place for senior folks with back or neck pain. The therapists work with you to develop a series of exercises and stretches that relieve your pain. Even though I have completed the therapy, I continue to perform the exercises that helped. Thanks to Neal and staff.

Adlar Feldotte

16:17 10 Nov 22

This place is amazing. Everyone is friendly and it is such a nice environment. They have definitely helped me regain all my strength after losing most of it from my injury. I would recommend Functional Advantage to anyone seeking physical therapy needs. Thank you so much!

Trevor Quandt

21:53 03 Nov 22

Functional Advantage is the place to go for all of your physical therapy needs. The staff was excellent. I am truly grateful I chose Functional Advantage as my choice for my pectoral tendon surgery rehabilitation.

Jan Bow

18:30 14 Oct 22

This is Jim, all of the PT were very professional and completely professional.

Chelsea Sorrels

15:33 08 Oct 22

I went to functional advantage after having issues with balance, dizzinesses and just overall unsteadiness. My neurologist recommended I try physical therapy along with medications and I was skeptical at first but the team at functional advantage were amazing! They helped me so incredibly much! They supported me, made me feel great about the small improvements I was making and after just 4 weeks of going I was able to get back to work, driving and living an almost completely normal lifestyle again. I would absolutely hands down recommend going to functional advantage to anyone and if anything ever comes up again I will be going back to them to take care of me!

Sarah Keel

23:12 20 Sep 22

Functional Advantage helped me get back to a pain free life after an elbow injury that was 8 months old. I wasn't able to do much with my affected arm, but after doing physical therapy I am now back to all my normal activities, pain free, and feeling stronger than ever.

Jennifer Horton

13:43 11 Aug 22

Excellent experience. Great outcome.

Michelle Boyle

01:58 23 Jun 22

I had a discovery session with Neil Sauer, DPT. Neil dedicated double the time scheduled to thoroughly investigate my symptoms. Very professional and personable man. Every member of the establishment met me with smiles and genuine warmth. I can't speak to recovery and intervention at this time, but this establishment certainly presented as a safe and healing environment.

Judy

20:06 01 Jan 22

I can’t say enough about my pleasant experience with Functional Advantage. They made it fun and a good experience going there. I never minded going as I could feel myself getting stronger as the weeks progressed. The staff was friendly and personable and welcoming. I can’t say enough good things about them. Thank you Functional Advantage!

Gary Lewis

18:36 29 Oct 21

To keep this review simple, I'll use a few key words. THEY CARE, about you on a one to one basis. They expect you to work, they inspect that you are doing the work properly and most of all they follow-up to make sure you are progressing. Why? because THEY CARE!

Gayle Johnson

23:00 18 Aug 21

Functional advantage therapists were great! Very helpful and caring. I recommend them highly! They helped me with the pain I was having.

Stacey Kettler

15:50 18 Aug 21

I went to Functional Advantage for help with neck and upper back issues. They were so helpful and accommodating! Functional Advantage really set me up for success after therapy was over and I've been doing well ever since!

Lorraine Kellogg

16:40 18 Oct 20

I went to Functional Advantage for arm and shoulder therapy. Their professionalism and individual care was very encouraging. I felt comfortable working with therapist Kelly. She not only educated me about my condition but gave me an detailed workout plan that I could do at home. Functional Advantage does a fantastic job staying in touch with current and past patients. My husband went here for 2 knee surgeries and was extremely satisfied with his therapy. I would highly recommend them for anyone who wants first rate therapy.

Tate Kaneshige Callejas

20:16 06 Oct 20

I went to Neil at Functional Advantage PT with severe low back pain that radiated down my leg, culminating in numbness and weakness in my foot and toes. Within five weeks, Neil helped reduce the pain almost completely! Neil and his team are incredibly organized, friendly and knowledgeable. I have seen many other physical therapists, chiropractors, specialists and doctors for this pain and Neil was the only one who was able to almost completely fix the problem. I highly, highly recommend Functional Advantage PT!

Debbie Beiser

21:32 08 Dec 19

I have had a great experience at Functional Advantage. The staff, especially Kelly & Erica are amazing! I went there with severe shoulder and bicep pain and believed that the only thing that would fix my problem would be surgery. I had a right rotator cuff repair surgery 2 years ago and I believed that this pain was a rotator cuff tear again on my left shoulder. I was in a lot of pain and limited on what I could do with my left arm, but after almost 8 weeks of therapy I feel great. I can do everything again with my left arm and if I feel a little flare up I do my exercises and get instant relief. I really enjoyed going to therapy because they are so personable and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with them. I was also going through a rough personal experience with a family member and they were so caring and concerned and I always felt so much better after talking with them for that hour. They have helped me tremendously and I highly recommend them to anyone needing physical therapy! And again I say “Thank You!”

Christy Johnson

18:06 13 Nov 19

After my ankle surgery, getting back on my feet was harder than I thought it would be. A friend recommended Functional Advantage for physical therapy and after my doctor gave me to go ahead... I went. I was able to get an initial appointment the very day I called. Within three visits I was walking better and doing more that I had in a long time. I continued gaining strength and flexibility with each visit and was amazed at how far I was able to go. The Functional Advantage team is wonderful at what they do. The environment is clean and professional and physical therapy was actually fun. I am so motivated now to continue exercising and to keep my ankle (along with the rest of me) strong and healthy. I highly recommend Functional Advantage to anyone in need of physical therapy.

Janet Plas

22:19 30 Sep 19

During my 6 weeks of PT at Functional Advantage I worked with therapists Kelly and Erica. Both therapists were thorough and creative in helping me achieve my goals with the pain in my shoulder. They were very personable and caring in providing the right exercise combinations for my therapy. My therapy was successful because of their dedication and commitment. I highly recommend Functional Advantage for your physical therapy needs.

Wendy Franz

18:39 18 Sep 19

After many weeks of limited activity and often painful movement from a recurring sports injury, a co-worker suggested I see Neil Sauer at Functional Advantage in Freeland for a 'discovery' session. There was no charge for this initial appointment!, and Neil spent a good hour with me evaluating the injured area to determine the what/why/and what's next phase. Physical therapy was recommended, and I went on to work with Neil, Kelly and Erica over the next two months or so on a 2-3 times per week basis. Each and every visit was enjoyable... if you can say that about physical therapy! Neil and his entire staff are knowledgeable, professional and super-friendly. In no time improvement was noticeable and by the end of the the eight weeks I was pain-free and back to all of the physical activities that I enjoy. Additionally, my body is MUCH stronger physically than it was going in, and I am equipped with home exercises that are easily integrated into my regular workout routine to help keep me strong, injury-free and active. Am planning to stay strong!! but will not hesitate at all to see Neil and his staff at the first sign of trouble. This was a top-notch experience from beginning to end- THANK YOU Neil, Kelly, Erica, Lauren, Jaeland and McKaely

Corey Rusch

18:28 03 May 18

Functional Advantage is great! Neil and his staff are great to work with and very knowledgeable. I will be sure to recommend them to friends and family in the future.

Roger Bellinger

16:28 20 Feb 18

Tim Enright

23:13 13 Dec 17

If you are in need of truly top-notch Physical Therapy, I highly recommend stopping by Functional Advantage in Freeland and meeting with my new friends Neil Sauer and Erica Moeller.Not only did Neil help me deal with problems that were causing me a great deal of pain but he would go the extra mile and teach me what I needed to know to prevent them in the future. I now know some of the bad habits of the past that led me to the situation I was in and exactly how to correct them in the future.For example on my very first visit after learning of the amount of time I spend driving in my car, Neil took the time to go out to my vehicle and show me how to properly adjust my sitting position.As a person Neil was a pleasure to deal with. I truly enjoyed his company while I was there. I found him to be kind, thoughtful, professional and very thorough.

KEB-Business

15:48 18 Aug 17

I had major back surgery in Jan 17. My therapy was to walk. With more walking , my right knee began to be a problem again. (I had knee surgery a year and a half ago). My doctor recommended therapy. Since Neil had worked on my shoulders previously with great results, and he had set up Functional Advantage in Freeland (about 3 1/2 miles from my house), I decided to go to Functional Advantage for my knee therapy. In evaluating my situation, Neil identified some additional problems with the way I walked because of the knee and back surgeries. So my therapy not only focused on strengthening my knee, but also on trying to correct the difficulties I had with walking. I went to therapy for about 8 weeks. I was pleased with my progress. In one walking test, I showed a 100% improvement. I still have some issues with my legs, and Neil prescribed some exercises to address those issues. Erica also was also my therapist. I found Neil and Erica to be very knowledgeable, personal and professional. I am very pleased with the results of my therapy and would highly recommend Functional Advantage to anyone needing therapy. The atmosphere at Functional Advantage is personally focused such that I always looked forward to my therapy sessions.

Leslie Thom

00:52 12 Jul 17

Working with Neil was a great experience. He went above and beyond... he was flexible with his schedule and helped me to recover fully.

Eric Bender

00:55 17 Apr 17

I went to Functional Advantage after having Achilles tendon surgery to repair a rupture. Neil helped me regain a lot of range of motion back and had me able to walk/drive in no time. This is a top notch clinic with a knowledgeable/caring staff. If you are looking for an amazing physical therapist who combines hands on (manual work) with therapeutic exercise, Functional Advantage is the place to go.

Elizabeth Burnett

01:11 22 Jun 16

I contacted Neil at my son's recommendation. He had just finished PT a few weeks before I started and continues to be motivated by the advice Neil gave him. My experience was a positive one as well. Neil is personable, professional and motivating. I finished PT much stronger overall than before my injury and with the knowledge, tools and encouragement to continue to work at home. I have recommended FunctionalAdvantage to people and will continue to do so.

Richard & Cindy Morrissey

18:46 22 May 16

When I decided to have both knees replaced at the same time, I knew that I'd be relying heavily on physical therapy to get me back on my feet. Neil Sauer at Functional Advantage was recommended to me and I'm so glad I listened. Functional Advantage is a nice facility and Neil is a terrific physical therapist. After only 2 1/2 months since my surgery, I'm getting around really well and I'm even back to playing golf! I also liked the fact that Neil is the only P.T. at Functional Advantage and I didn't have to adjust to other therapists when I showed up for my sessions. Neil is very capable and has the right disposition for this type of work. I highly recommend him. (From Rich Morrissey)

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