THE TEAM BEHIND THE WORK

Excelsior’s practitioners are manual therapists and coaches who banded together to bring the science of Functional Range Systems® to Lancaster County. Our own experiences with injury and illness led us to seek long-term health solutions beyond traditional fitness models. We specialize in Functional Assessment and Release, Functional Range Conditioning, Kinstretch, and the Internal Strength Model.

 

CJ

Unwinding inhibiting patterns, finding more space and strength in your body

 
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 A few years ago I struggled with severe neuropathy in my feet and legs.  I was completely numb from the ankle down and my calves often cramped so tightly I couldn't walk.  None of the doctors I consulted had any relief or even any answers for me.  My condition was a result of months of chemotherapy.  I was thankfully alive, but the quality of my life was severely compromised.  Somewhat out of desperation, I made an appointment with a manual therapist. 

By the end of the session I felt my toes for the first time in years.  I cried real tears of joy.  Before I got home I had decided to pursue this knowledge, to learn the techniques and study the body in hopes of being able to help others in the way I had been helped. I can't promise you an experience as transformative as mine, but I'm nearly certain that together we can find you some relief and begin the process of unwinding inhibiting patterns, finding more space and strength in your body.

 

 

Ellie

Redefining Strength

 
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Your body is pushing back. Pain lingers. Strength feels out of reach. That was me on my first day in the clinic—not to teach, not to treat, but desperate for a solution. I’d fought to regain 25 lbs lost to neurodegenerative autoimmunity, yet my muscles and nerves refused to cooperate. Conventional wisdom offered no lasting relied. I was finally facing the truth: I could no longer just power through.

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For years, I had lived in “power through” mode—working outside the health field on service projects amid socioeconomic and cultural turmoil. I stood alongside refugees, women on the margins, and struggling families, and at times I found myself in the path of predators and their abuse. When exposure to an environmental toxin threatened my health, I hit a breaking point. I doubted I could recover—or find a way to use my life experiences for good.

I walked into Excelsior just as it was undergoing its own transformation—integrating the targeted mechanical and neurological inputs that would change everything. Results I'd been told were impossible became reality: I began to regain sense of my right side, take full breaths, have fewer migraines, and stop losing my footing. The clinic became a classroom, teaching a different kind of strength—beyond kettlebells, deadlifts, or trying to be unbreakable. Strength that feels pain instead of numbing it, accepts help, and moves even when everything resists. Patient and relentless.

After months of progress, I was able to return to school, pursue counseling, and train as a volunteer supporting others in healing, building life skills, and finding resilience. I never imagined I’d also return to the health field as therapist and coach in the very place I redefined strength. Now, I aim to help clients of all backgrounds understand their bodies and build sustainable strength. I also support women and girls through tailored treatment, training, self-defense, and mentorship.