RIVERTON – Do you have pain in or around your body? Whether it’s acute pain or chronic pain there are people that can help around town. People like the physical therapists at Teton Therapy off Main Street in Riverton.
And at Teton Therapy they have just brought in their newest physical therapist, fresh from Montana and back in the state that he was born and raised in.
That therapist is Andrew Bosselman and he is excited to get to know and help the people of Riverton with whatever injuries they may come in with as well as build something in the town for his growing family to thrive in.
Bosselman, a Cheyenne native, completed his undergraduate at BYU and received his graduate degree in Missoula at the University of Montana, but it was not always physical therapy that attracted the 29-year old Wyomingite.
“Through high school I did architecture animation classes,” Bosselman said, “I studied it but wasn’t stoked on the life or the work environment of an architect…[because it’s] a lot of time spent in front of a computer in a studio.”
That type of life wasn’t what Bosselman ever envisioned for himself, which is another reason he loves his job and another reason why he’s ecstatic about moving back to his home state.
“I love being active,” Bosselman stated, “I like being outdoors, so being able to help people get back to being active and get back outside and reach their goals is really motivating to me…it’s what I get excited about.”
“I love to fish, mountain bike, rock climb, you name it,” the new Teton Therapy employee continued, “that was one reason we moved to the area was the proximity to all of those things.”
And Bosselman isn’t the only one who is happy that he’s here in Riverton, his boss is too.
“We are so excited,” Julie Adelmann of Teton Therapy said about Bosselman, “Andrew really completes what is already a really strong team in the Riverton area. His skills and his manner are desperately needed and we’re really happy to have him here.”
Bosselman and his wife Lindsey, along with their two-year old son Cameron, are still settling into Riverton but while they tend to their garden at night it’s Teton Therapy keeping the former BYU Cougar busy during the day.
With upwards of 12 patients per day, Bosselman is slowly-but-surely creating his treatment plans and making the connections across Fremont County that he wants to build and hold for as long as needed.
“I’m creating my own style of treatment,” Bosselman said, “the way I interact with patients…it’s liberating and pretty exciting, but it’s also kind of a challenge.”
“I would describe part of my style as just trying to be compassionate and trying to understand who my patients are and what they need,” he continued, “There’s the more scientific and medical portion as to why they’re here but there’s also who they are and what they need as a person. Something I really try and focus on is getting to know who the patient is and the different factors that make up why they’re here in therapy…It’s more than just ‘my knee hurts’.”
In the end that’s all that matters to the former Cheyenne citizen, “We want our patients to get better, that’s the job,” he said.
And although Bosselman feels more comfortable with knee and shoulder pain at the moment he’s hungry to get more under his belt and he has the clinical expertise to adapt to any situation.
“Just based on the exposure I’ve had during my education and clinical experience I feel really comfortable with knees, whether it’s post operative knee or just knee pain,” Bosselman explained, “I’m really comfortable with that and shoulders. And in general I think orthopedics are a little more straightforward to me, but now I’m excited at the opportunity to get exposure to a wider variety of things.”
What’s even more exciting for Bosselman is that in a town like Riverton, with the adventures possible in places like Lander, Thermopolis, and the surrounding National and State Parks there are all sorts of things he’s already seeing while working at Teton Therapy.
“Living in a rural setting, you get the exposure to a lot of different stuff,” the outdoorsman and physical therapist said, “A lot of people in the area, whether they like to fish, they like to hunt, they like to hike, they like to be outside or they were just raised here…using those things as common ground and a way to establish a connection with a patient is a good way to get things going and also motivate them…like, ‘hey let’s get you better so you can go hike the canyon or go wade in the river’.”
So if you are feeling soreness and stinging sensations, or you are the victim of chronic pain, or even if you just can’t climb the same trails that you used to be able to, be sure to give Andrew a call. Not just because he’s got the training, the education, the clinical experience, or the smile to alleviate the physical ailments you may have, but because he truly wants what’s best for you when it’s all said and done.
“I would say I’m a very compassionate person who’s eager to get to know anyone and also try and find the best solutions to their problems,” Bosselman says about himself, “whether they be purely physical or whether they’re a little bit deeper than that…I think that’s one of the reasons I got into [physical therapy] is because of the social aspect of it. We get to see our patients longer than any other medical provider and it’s a pleasure for me to get to know people and find out ways that I can help them return to whatever level they’re trying to get to.”
Join the Ranger and Lander Journal in welcoming this newest addition and his family to Fremont County by stopping by Teton Therapy or simply by saying a friendly hello when seeing them at local events. Welcome to the neighborhood Bosselmans!