WETZLER INTEGRATIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY

THE TEAM

GAIL WETZLER PT,DPT,BI-D,EDO

LAUREN MARIAS, PT, DPT, CFMT

ERICA DeMARCH, PT, MSPT

ALLISON ARIAIL-THOMPSON, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, BCB-PMD, PRPC

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GAIL WETZLER PT,DPT, BI-D,EDO

Gail currently owns our integrative physical therapy practice in Lone Tree, Colorado with over 45 years of experience. After receiving her initial degree in physical therapy, she pursued her first experience in acute orthopedic care at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach California. Within 1 year, she became the outpatient clinical supervisor and thus began her journey and desire for continuing education in the science and art of human movement and function. She studied with Travell and Simons, Mennell, Kaltenborn, Maitland, McKenzie, Mitchell, Jones and Greenman in the earlier years of manual therapy education. Inspired by these methods of treatment, she became an assistant teacher to Dr. Janet Travell and later an instructor with the Institute of Physical Art (IPA) developed by Gregg Johnson and Vicky Saliba Johnson.

In a few years, she developed her own private practice, at which time she received a large number of head, neck and TMJ pain patients. This became a driver to learn more about cranial osteopathy, craniosacral therapy and how the fields of physical therapy and dentistry could collaborate to help these patients. As she pursued continuing education classes with Dr. John Upledger, he inspired her to learn more about the different systems in the body and how they all integrated for function. During one of her earlier speaking engagements for the Upledger Institute (Beyond the Dura), she met Jean Pierre Barral DO, who inspired the importance of anatomy, the ability to listen to the body and the specificity of tissue dialogue in manual therapy techniques. She has listened and followed his mentoring into understanding the body's deeper fascial relationship of the viscera, vascular, neurological and manual articular systems since 1989. Gail has been an instructor for the Barral Institute since 1991 and became the BI Curriculum Director in 2001.

In her career, she has been invited to speak at multiple professional conferences including National and State levels for the APTA, USC Head, Neck and Facial Pain Clinic, University of California, Irvine (UCI), Beyond the Dura Research Conferences, "Hope" Head Injury Organization, and was the keynote speaker in Italy for the Fascial Manipulation Research Conference presented by Antonio, Carla and Luigi Stecco. She is the Past Director of Physical Therapy for the Integrative Medicine Center at UCI. She is currently part of the Research Team for the Upledger Foundation for their recent studies on Post Concussion Recovery. She currently teaches for the Women's Health Section of the APTA.

Gail earned her Diplomate from the Barral Institute in 2005. She earned her Equine Diplomate in Osteopathy from Vluggen Institute of Equine Osteopathy in 2009 and she earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago, in 2013. This doctorate emphasized clinical research so she could contribute evidence based projects to prove/disprove the effects of manual therapy in dysfunctional diagnoses. 

It is with great excitement that we share with you that Dr. Gail Wetzler, Director of Curriculum for the Barral Institute and Co-Director of Research for IAHP, has been asked to be on the Women’s Health Task Force by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She will be part of an executive team consisting of 10 doctors and 4 Olympic female athletes. Together they will create health initiatives, education modules, treatment options and will be identifying lists of qualified providers around the country for our female athletes. If you can imagine the life of an athlete as they travel up to 300 times per year, what are the parameters when they become pregnant?  How do they keep milk production active when their babies cannot join them on the road?  Menstrual and Fertility issues? Postpartum ligament laxity when trying to get back into their sport? Pelvic pain or dysfunction that becomes chronic.  These possibilities along with the unique perspective for the athlete’s mental health, nutrition, relative energy and hearing the voices of other female athletes will be supported by this new organization. Most of the USOPC women’s health task force are highly experienced in medicine and research. As a physical therapist instructor for the Barral Institute and the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health, Gail hopes to share her clinical experiences in treating women’s health issues - “ the relevance of listening to the whole person”. 

Professional Associations / Memberships:

*American Physical Therapy Association

*International Association of Healthcare Practitioners

*Barral Institute

*Upledger Institute

*One With Wellness

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LAUREN MARIAS, PT, DPT, CFMT

Dr. Lauren Marias grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She has had a passion for learning and the human body from a young age. Lauren attended Boston University for her bachelors degree in health studies and Doctorate in Physical Therapy.  From there she was accepted to the Kaiser Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Residency in northern California. While there she studied how to treat neurological disorders based on human development.  Lauren completed the residency at the highest possible level and is an IPNFA Level 5 Certified Therapist.  She then moved back to Steamboat Springs to study manual therapy at the Institute of Physical Art. She completed her Functional Manual Therapy Residency and after over 1,500 hours of study and testing became a Certified Functional Manual Therapist. During her time at the IPA, she was exposed to the Barral Institute. Since then Lauren has studied with Gail Wetzler in a variety of classes on visceral, neural, and vascular mobilization. Lauren loves taking classes and plans to continue her education over the course of her career. 

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ERICA DeMARCH, PT, MSPT

Erica graduated with a master's degree in physical therapy from Boston University in 2002. She started her career at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey where she worked primarily with the neurological population and specialized in traumatic brain injury in both the inpatient rehab and outpatient departments. In 2010, Erica moved to Denver and worked at South Valley Physical Therapy, a specialized vestibular and neurology outpatient clinic. 

She is the founder and CEO of "Step and Connect", a research-driven company producing medical devices, exercise related educational programs, and training systems for improving balance. Twenty years of expertise as a physical therapist in the areas of neurorehabilitation and vestibular rehab, led Erica to develop the core product line of the business, the patented Balance Matters System, a device based on science that incorporates sensory feedback (visual, auditory, and tactile) to improve sensory processing, equilibrium strategies, and gait mechanics. 

She is the author of the children's book, How Do You Balance Like That? and developed an intergenerational balance program that goes along with the book. Erica has a passion for learning and teaching. Sher serves as an affiliate faculty member at South College Physical Therapy School assisting in the Pathological Gait and Aging Adult courses. She also teaches continuing education courses globally on the importance of incorporating balance and motor learning into programs. 

Within her local community, Erica teaches balance workshops and group exercise classes for individuals with Parkinson's Disease and older adults. She loves collaborating with other clinicians to best serve her clients and is excited to be with us at Wetzler PT one day each week. 

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ALLISON ARIAIL-THOMPSON, PT, DPT, CLT-LANA, BCB-PMD, PRPC

Allison has been a physical therapist since 1999. She graduated with a BS in physical therapy from the University of Florida and earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University in 2007. Also in 2007, Dr. Ariail qualified as a Certified Lymphatic Therapist. She became board certified by the Lymphology Association of North America in 2011 and board certified in Biofeedback Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance in 2012. In 2014, Allison earned her board certification as a Pelvic Rehab Practitioner. 

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Allison specializes in the treatment of the pelvic ring and back using manual therapy and ultrasound imaging for instruction in a stabilization program. She also specializes in women's and men's health including conditions of chronic pelvic pain, bowel and bladder disorders, and coccyx pain. Lastly, Allison has a passion to help oncology patients, particularly gynecological, urological, and head and neck cancer patients. 

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In 2009, Allison collaborated with the Primal Pictures team for the release of the Pelvic Floor Disorders program. Allison's publications include: "The Use of Transabdominal Ultrasound Imaging in Retraining the Pelvic Floor Muscles of a Woman Postpartum." Physical Therapy. Vol 88, No. 10, October 2008, pp 1208-1217. (PMID: 18772276), "Beyond the Abstract" for Urotoday.com in October 2008, "Posters to Go" from APTA combined section meeting poster presentation in February 2009 and 2013. In 2016, Allison co-authored a chapter in "Healing in Urology: Clinical Guidebook to Herbal and Alternative Therapies."

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Allison works in the Denver area in her practice, Inspire Physical Therapy and Wellness. She works 1 day each week with us at Wetzler Integrative Physical Therapy. In addition to instructing for Herman and Wallace on pelvic floor related topics, Allison lectures nationally on lymphedema, cancer related changes to the pelvic floor, and the sacroiliac joint. Allison serves as a consultant to medical companies and physicians. 

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