Here’s a bit more about me…
Hi! My name is Brandon Fraleigh. I grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin in New Berlin. Sports were always a big part of my life growing up. Soccer and football made up a lot of my youth, but I also dabbled in baseball and even Taekwondo and wrestling for a few years. I went out for cross country my freshman year of high school because I knew I wasn’t going to be big enough to play football and had always been a good runner in my other sports. I quickly found out that I loved it. It was a sport that pushed me to my limits while also acting as a form of meditation, and it was kind of a quirky group of people that I got along really well with and formed close friendships with. I enjoyed the weird traditions like bleaching our hair for conference and shaving cream fights at the end of the season. Throughout my early high school career, I enjoyed quick progress and expected to qualify for state in the 5K. Unfortunately, as happens to many runners, I started to deal with some nagging problem like outer hip pain, Achilles pain, and even had an unfortunate ankle sprain during a training run. These injuries sidelined me through most of my last two seasons. Rest didn’t fix the problem, no one could tell me what was wrong, and I was left frustrated, unable to compete. Eventually, I did feel good enough to run, and I made it through my first half marathon and marathon right as I started college. After the marathon, I dealt with IT Band Pain that sidelined me for another few months, and I got much more comfortable with alternative forms of training like weightlifting and swimming.
As I got into my undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in an effort to understand more about why I kept getting injured, I took an independent study course in the running biomechanics lab. I was an engineering major at the time, and the research focused on anterior (frontal) knee pain and step rate manipulation in high school runners. It was my first dive into the biomechanical side of running science and rehabilitation. Minimalist shoes were a fad around then, so I ditched my Asics for a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, re-worked my gait, and many of my problems started to disappear. I thought I had found my magic fix, though in hindsight, I think many other factors came together at the right time as well. I began running competitively again with the UW Running Club, and I pivoted my major to exercise science. This set the stage for a career focused on helping others.
After college, I continued to run competitively, primarily at the 5K and half-marathon distances. I worked as a personal trainer, gaining experience in strength and conditioning; however, I struggled when someone had pain, and I wanted to help people navigate injury and pain more effectively—something I never had when I needed it most. Physical therapy was a great answer for me: it allowed me to combine fundamental problem-solving I learned while engineering with exercise and the system of a human body. I stayed at UW-Madison, earning my Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2019 and my RRCA Coaching Certification in 2020.
When I finished PT school, I thought I knew what good patient care looked like. I was taught to identify impairments, prescribe exercises, do some manual therapy, and bring people in week after week to “progress their plan.” It didn’t take me long to feel like something wasn’t right. Patients would come in without any understanding of what was wrong. Patients got bounced from provider to provider. Patients would get scheduled with different therapists for different problems. Therapists would bring patients in every week to do essentially the same thing. Eventually I got tired of it.
I decided to start this practice because physical therapists are better off helping patients outside the medical system. It allows for more time to evaluate you properly, address your concerns, and come up with a plan that works for you - without feeling rushed to get to the next patient. It also saves you money and time because you likely won’t need as many appointments to feel better.
When I’m not coaching or treating, I’m spending time with my incredible wife and son. I continue to run competitively, chasing goals in the 5K and half-marathon. I also love downhill skiing, golfing, camping, reading, gaming, and enjoying a good craft beer. As a proud Wisconsin sports fan, one of my coolest moments (and also most miserable) was running a 5K in one of Milwaukee’s famous sausage suits!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I’m excited to help you however I can.
-Brandon
If you want to talk about how I can help you, contact me for a free call.