Athletico Physical Therapy Opens Facility in Joliet: Local resident Lynn Stefanich-Bigelow brings physical therapy provider to hometown

Joliet-area residents who have pain from an accident, sports injury or even just everyday activities now have a new resource with the opening of Athletico Physical Therapy  at 2793 Black Road in Joliet. Midwest-based Athletico’s new facility was brought to the area by Regional Manager Lynn Stefanich-Bigelow who is a resident with lifelong ties to the community.  Athletico Joliet offers physical therapy, sports medicine, work rehabilitation, work conditioning, functional capacity evaluations, video gait analysis, and video throwing analysis. Transportation services are also available for those patients who require transportation assistance.

 Stefanich-Bigelow grew up in the Plainfield/Joliet area where she attended Plainfield High School, returning to Joliet in 1997 after being hired by Athletico. Her family has strong ties to the Joliet community.  Her brother, Dan Stefanich, is President/CEO of The Gammon Group, an award-winning advertising and marketing firm serving the Midwest market for 35 years. Stefanich-Bigelow’s mother, Gloria Gammon Tibbs, founder of the ad agency still resides in the area.

 “I’ve seen firsthand the difference Athletico has made in the lives of hundreds of patients over the last 15 years,” says Stefanich-Bigelow.  “Now I’m proud to be able to bring that service to the people in my hometown.”

Matt Mickas, PT, DPT, who previously worked out of Athletico’s Lemont clinic, will serve as the facility manager and treating physical therapist. Trained in Matheson Functional Capacity Evaluations, Mickas brings strong work rehabilitation and work conditioning experience to the community.

“I love Joliet's reputation as a hard working city and feel that my background and the skilled services that Athletico provides will be a great addition to the city,” says Mickas, who is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and is residency trained in manual therapy. “Whether it is training athletes to safely return to the playing field, treating the shoulder pain of a carpenter to comfortably return to work, or educating a stay-at-home mother on proper posture to ensure comfort when handling her children, the physical therapy profession directly changes our patients’ lives.  It is very rewarding to know that you have helped a person improve their quality of life.”

Athletico encourages anyone who has pain to take the following Physical Therapy Self-Test to see if physical therapy might be right for you:

• Do you have pain in your neck, back, hips, shoulders, legs, hands or feet?
• Do your muscles or joints ache or feel weak?
• Do you experience balance problems or dizziness?
• Do you avoid exercise or any daily activities because of pain?
• Do you have difficulty performing simple everyday tasks such as bending, lifting or climbing stairs because of pain?

 If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, physical therapy might help you. To find out, Athletico offers complimentary 30-minute injury screenings. Screenings include an assessment of your condition, suggestions on how to care for it, and a plan for next steps such as seeing your doctor, stretching, exercise and ways to prevent future injury or pain.  To learn more about Athletico Joliet or to schedule a complimentary injury screening, call Matt Mickas at 815.725.9134 or email him at mmickas@athletico.com. 

 Athletico Joliet

2793 Black Road (corner of Black Road and Infantry Drive)

Joliet, IL  60435

Phone: 815.725.9134

Fax:      815.725.9190

Convenient hours including early mornings, evenings and Saturdays