My clinic is in Waukee, about 30 to 35 minutes from Ankeny. That's a real drive. Here's what you get for it: one-on-one care with an orthopedic specialist, in a gym, with a plan that keeps you training.
Free ConsultationFortitude & Freedom Performance Therapy is a physical therapy clinic at 1040 SE Frontier Ave, Suite 120, in Waukee, inside Sisu Strength Academy, about 30 to 35 minutes from Ankeny. Jake Pawol, PT, DPT, OCS treats back pain, knee and hip pain, shoulder pain, running injuries, and lifting injuries one on one, in a fully equipped gym, with a plan that keeps you training where it can. Iowa allows direct access, so no physician referral is required.
From Ankeny, take I-35 south to I-35/80 west, then Hickman Road (US 6) west to Alice's Road and south into Waukee. The clinic is at 1040 SE Frontier Ave, Suite 120, inside Sisu Strength Academy.
That's a real drive, so it's fair to ask what you get for it: the full session with an orthopedic specialist who lifts, and a plan you can run in your own gym between visits.
For lifters, CrossFit and HYROX athletes, and runners, these are the problems I see most.
I'm a lifter, so I treat lifters under the bar. Back pain after deadlifts, knee pain in the squat, and shoulder pain on the bench all get tested with the lift itself.
The goal is to keep you lifting while we fix it, with a plan you can run in your own gym.
Class workouts mix heavy lifts, gymnastics, and conditioning, often in the same hour. Shoulders, wrists, backs, and knees take most of it.
I scale the movements that hurt and keep the rest, so you keep showing up to class.
HYROX asks for running, sleds, lunges, and wall balls in one race. That mix finds the weak link fast, usually the knees, the calves, or the lower back.
We plan the rehab around your race date and your training week.
Runner's knee, shin splints, Achilles pain, and IT band pain. Most running injuries start after a change in training: more miles, more speed, or more hills than the tissue was ready for.
I watch you run, test the calf and the hip, and change your runs instead of cancelling them where I can.
ACL, meniscus, and rotator cuff rehab that follows your surgeon's protocol, then tests you back to full training. Prehab before surgery helps too.
The early weeks follow the protocol. The later weeks are about strength, so the return to sport is based on numbers, not only on the calendar.
The drive from Ankeny gets you a full one-on-one session with me, in a gym with the equipment to test what we're talking about.
We start with what you do and what changed before the pain started. Then I test strength, range, and the movements that bother you.
You leave knowing what's driving the pain, what to keep doing, and what to change for now.
Manual therapy and dry needling are used when they calm a sore area down enough to load it. They are never the whole session.
You get a plan for your training week, not only a list of exercises. We change it as the numbers improve.
What every visit includes, wherever you drive in from.
The clinic is at 1040 SE Frontier Ave, Suite 120, in Waukee, about 30 to 35 minutes from Ankeny. Take I-35 south to I-35/80 west, then Hickman Road (US 6) west to Alice's Road.
No. Iowa has had unrestricted direct access to physical therapy since 1988. You can book without seeing a physician first.
In many cases, yes. Fortitude & Freedom is a hybrid practice. We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and TRICARE, and we offer a cash option for everyone else. Our team will confirm your coverage before you book anything.
Usually not. Most injuries tolerate some training, and finding that level is part of the first session. I would rather change your workouts than cancel them.
Me, Jake Pawol, PT, DPT, OCS. I'm a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and every session is one on one for the full visit.
This content is for general education and is not medical advice. It does not replace an evaluation by a licensed clinician, and reading it does not create a patient relationship. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own symptoms before you act on anything here. If you have severe, sudden, or worsening symptoms, seek medical care right away.
Book a discovery call and tell me what's going on. We'll figure out if I'm the right fit, then get you on the schedule.
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