Here to Keep You Moving.

Our experienced physical therapists treat each patient with compassionate, individualized care. 

We offer a team of therapists with specialty training in wound care, hand therapy, geriatrics, orthopedics, and sports medicine.

Our diverse team of specialists is able to bring a variety of expertise to treat you and your specific needs.  We are here to help you meet your individual goals and you are our number one priority.  You can count on a friendly, encouraging environment in our beautiful new facility.

Meet the Team

Melissa James, PT

Amanda Blackmon, PT, DPT, CWS, CSWS

Matthew Harris, CPO

Shelly Watkins, OT, CHT

  • Matthew is the Chief Prosthetist and Orthotist at Premier Bone and Joint Centers.  He grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and completed his undergraduate degree in Bioengineering at The University of Toledo.  Matthew then went on to earn his graduate degree at The University of Pittsburgh in Prosthetics and Orthotics.  He followed his wife throughout her Air Force career and joined the Premier Bone & Joint team in 2021.

    • ABC Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist

    • Hydraulic Ankle Specialist

    • Microprocessor System Specialist

    • Orthotic Wound Care Specialist

    • Technical Fabrication Specialist

     

    In his spare time, Matthew enjoys riding horseback, shooting at local gun ranges, and building custom guitars.

    Matt is available for appointments Monday – Friday from 8am to 5pm.

    “My goal is to see every patient walk out my door feeling better than when they entered.”

    -Matthew Harris

  • Shelly is an Occupational Therapist, with a specialty certification in hand therapy (Certified Hand Therapist, or CHT). She grew up in Fort Collins, CO, and earned her Occupational Therapy Degree from Colorado State University. She began her career in Scottsbluff, NE, then moved on to Cheyenne, WY where she lived for 30 years. She did further her career and increased her proficiencies as a Certified Hand Therapist at fast paced clinics for the Colorado Center for Orthopedic Excellence in Colorado Springs, and at Orthopedic Center of the Rockies in Fort Collins before she joined PBJC in September of 2024.

    Shelly specializes in the treatment of the upper extremities, most notably the elbow, wrist, and hand. She is passionate about the continuity of care for post operative hand and upper extremity injuries, especially early therapy, and custom upper extremity orthoses. She especially enjoys working closely with surgeons.

    • Certified Hand Therapist

    • Certified Kinesiotaping Practitioner

    • Graston Trained Therapist

    Outside of the hand therapy world, Shelly enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, singing with her worship teams, and family time; especially with her recent addition of her first grandbaby/grandson.

  • Our massage therapist, Jill, has over 20 years of experience and can offer individualized treatment techniques to meet your needs. Jill offers 30, 60, and 90 minute massages.

    TYPES OF MASSAGE THERAPY OFFERED:

    Deep Tissue Massage

    • Swedish Massage

    • Pregnancy/Prenatal Massage

    • Myofascial Release

    • Triggerpoint Therapy

    • Cupping

    Learn More Here

  • Sean has been an ACE Certified Personal for more than 10 years.  Before joining Premier Bone and Joint Team, Sean played professional baseball in Mexico, so he is very passionate and knowledgeable about the sport.  Sean treats clients of all ages and abilities.  He can provide training in a gym setting or a private room for those clients wanting something more comfortable.  He can also provide athletic training over Zoom.

     

    Who would benefit from a Personal Trainer?

    • Anyone interested in increasing their physical activity

    • Those who need a little extra motivation to keep moving

    • Those who want to progress their current exercise routine

     

    Areas of Focus:

    • Strength and Conditioning Training

    • Cardio Training

    • Endurance Training

    • Body Weight Training

    • Sport-Specific Training

    • Heavy baseball background

    • Basic Functional Movement Conditioning

    • General Fitness

CJ Cole, PT, DPT

Lori Franc, PT, CWS

  • C.J. is a Laramie area native who grew up on a ranch in the Centennial Valley, and graduated from the University of Wyoming. He then attended Eastern Washington University where he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy. He loves working with people of all ages, with a special interest in returning people to their previously active lifestyles allowing them to live their life to the fullest. C.J. is committed to tailoring every therapy session to the person, and not utilizing a “one size fits all” approach. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, 2 kids and dogs exploring everything the outdoors has to offer including hunting, fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing.  He is also an avid woodworker.

    • Dry needling certified

    • Blood flow restriction (BFR) certified

    • Trained in running evaluations

    • Strength, power and agility training for athletes in multiple planes of motion

    • Upper and lower extremity interventionist

  • Lori was born in Minnesota, but has lived in Laramie for more than 20 years and very happily calls Wyoming “home.”  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and her PT degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.  Joining PBJC in 1997, Lori treats patients with compassion and enthusiasm and enjoys treating all types of injuries including shoulders, knees, and foot/ankle and wound patients.  She is most rewarded by helping patients recover from injuries and surgeries and return to all of their favorite life activities and responsibilities.

    • Certified Wound Specialist

    • Custom Orthotics Certified

    • Certified McKenzie Therapist

    • Trained in Functional Dry Needling

    • Trained to administer Functional Capacity Examinations

    • Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention for athletes and non-athletes

    Away from work, Lori enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis, hiking, cooking, cross country skiing and playing her guitar!

Stephen Kaiser, PT, DPT

Teagan Young, PT, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, CSCS, AIB-VRC

  • Steve has been providing therapy services at PBJC since 2005, and has been excelling as the Assistant Director of Physical Therapy since 2020.  He was born in Casper, WY, and received his doctoral degree in physical therapy from the University of North Dakota after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Wyoming. He enjoys working with patients of all ages and all skill levels, loves getting athletes back to performance levels, and appreciates working with patients with sports injuries with an emphasis on knee and shoulder injuries.

    • Custom Orthotics Certified

    • Trained in Functional Dry Needling

    • Trained to administer Functional Capacity Examinations

    • Sportsmetrics Certified: Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention

    Beyond work, Steve enjoys spending time with his fabulous family, skiing, running, and bike riding.

  • Teagan was born and raised in Laramie. She attended the University of Wyoming where she was on the dance team and earned her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology in 2017. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Utah in 2020. Teagan values the importance of patient-centered care and evidence based practice, integrating multiple disciplines in order to provide the best outcomes and help patients get back to what they love to do. She is passionate about giving her patients the tools and power to live life with more confidence and decreased pain. 

    • APTA Orthopedic Certified Specialist

    • Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

    • Certified in Trigger Point Dry Needling

    • Certified in concussion and vestibular rehabilitation

    • Trained in Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

    • Trained in Craniosacral Therapy

    In her free time, Teagan enjoys hiking/backpacking, camping, and cooking with her boyfriend and their dog Owen.

Melanie Attebery, PTA

Jill Rettinger, PTA

  • Melanie was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV.  She received her training as a physical therapist assistant from LCCC in Cheyenne and has worked at PBJC since 2011.  She is a passionate provider who works well with all injury types, but her skill set shines while working with runners.  She has received special training to assess runners’ techniques and create drills to increase their overall running capabilities.

    • Sportmetrics Certified- Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention

    • Run Technique Video Analysis

    • Spinal Rehab

    • Trained in Barral Institute Visceral Manipulation

    Outside of work, Melanie likes running, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and biking.

  • Jill grew up in Montana and has called Laramie home for over 20 years. She played collegiate golf at Washington State University and moved to Laramie to serve as the UW Women’s Golf Coach while being an active member of the LPGA. Looking for a career change, she pursued training as a physical therapist assistant at LCCC in Cheyenne, and has been a valued PTA at PBJC since 2020. Jill is passionate about fitness and dedicated to helping others improve their movement. Her goal is to support people in achieving long, healthy, and active lives.

    • Sportmetrics Certified - Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention

    • Gray’s Functional Golf Specialist

    • Institute of Clinical Excellence trained for fitness athletes and older adults

    In her free time, Jill likes CrossFit, fishing with her husband, Dave, and creating in her wood shop.

  • Jordan is a Laramie native. In 2016, Jordan earned his PTA degree from LCCC in Cheyenne WY. While he enjoys working with all patients, he is passionate when it comes to his elderly patients. Away from work, Jordan had his hands full with his greatest accomplishments, Luka and Ryan. The twins keep him and his beautiful and supporting wife, Jessica, on their toes

    He also has a passion for Football, Golf, Hunting, Motocross, camping.

  • Jacob grew up in Gillette WY. He received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Wyoming in 2013 and a PTA degree from LCCC in 2015. Jacob enjoys working with neurological and sports-related injuries.  He is passionate about the field of exercise and works with each patient to create a program tailored to their specific needs.

    • Neurological Rehab

    • Sports-Related Injuries

    • Training in Postural Respiration

    • Passionate about shoulder rehab

    • Strong focus on foundational movement

    Away from work, Jacob enjoys running, backpacking, fly fishing, climbing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, and anything that gets him outside with his dog and friends.

  • Amanda is the Senior Director of Premier Clinics and Ancillary Services.  She grew up in Laramie and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Wyoming, receiving a B.S. in Kinesiology and Health Promotion.  She attended physical therapy school at Creighton University where she received her doctorate.  Amanda is passionate about wound care and all aspects of patient care. She also sits on the Board for the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care.

    • Certified in Dry Needling

    • LSVT BIG Certified

    • Certified Wound Specialist

    • Custom Orthotics Certified

    • Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist

    • Sportsmetrics Certified – Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention

    • Custom Splinting, Neurological Rehab, and TMJ

    In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and children, cycling, and supporting Wyoming and High School athletics.

  • Melissa is a Wyoming native who is a graduate of the University of North Dakota Physical Therapy program after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Wyoming.  She has worked in Physical Therapy around Wyoming for almost 30 years now, joined the Premier Bone and Joint team in 2016, and loves it here in Laramie.  She loves working with rehab patients of all ages and focuses on functional movements and exercises that will help restore everyday movements.  Melissa is passionate about teaching students to promote knowledge and build up the future of the field. 

    • Certified Kinesio Tape Practitioner (CKTP)

    • Selective Muscle Function Assessment practitioner

    • Certified in Manual Lymphatic Drainage

    • High Intensity Gait Training Specialist

    • Falls Prevention Specialist

    • Custom Orthotics Certified

    • Certified in Blood Flow Restriction

    • Sportsmetrics Certified - Agility, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention

    • Custom Splinting

    • Injury Prevention

    • Vestibular Rehab

    • Pediatric Physical Therapy Interventionist

    When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Sean O’Neal

Jill Edwards, CMT

Jacob Swan, PTA

Jordan Smith, PTA

Gary Zappa, PTA

  • Gary was born in Wisconsin, but has been a long-term Laramie resident.  He received his education as a PT Assistant with the US Army in Houston, TX (thank you for your service Gary!).  Gary’s strong point is instructing patients during strengthening activities and is especially thorough when fitting and adjusting durable medical equipment.  He also works hard to keep our clinic stocked with our many braces.

    • Sportsmetrics Certified- Agility, Conditioning and Injury Prevention

    • Aquatic Therapy

    • Biking background

    • Manual Lymphatic Therapy

    • Brace application, adjustment and customization

    In his free time, Gary loves to mountain bike, bike, camp, ski, and snowshoe.

Experience Premier Physical Therapy.