About Us
Rachel Ames, MPT
Owner and Physical Therapist
Rachel Ames is a pioneering physical therapist and a champion of community health in Missoula, Montana. With over two decades of experience, Rachel holds a Master’s in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor's in Psychology, credentials that underpin her holistic approach to healthcare. Driven by a mission to foster a robust, active lifestyle among aging populations, Rachel has specialized in optimizing bone health and preventing osteoporosis through innovative therapeutic methods.
After learning about OsteoStrong from her mother, who experienced incredible life-changing gains, Rachel independently founded and opened Missoula Physical Therapy and Missoula OsteoStrong simultaneously acknowledging the growing need of the community. These centers quickly became cornerstones of bone health and overall wellness in the region.
Under her leadership and programs, many members at OsteoStrong and Missoula Physical Therapy have experienced remarkable improvements in their DEXA scans, muscle density and balance gains due to her innovative methods. These successes are supported by numerous testimonials from community members, attesting to the life-changing impact of Rachel's programs. For a deeper insight into these personal stories, visit our testimonial page.
Team OsteoStrong
Callie Trolson
Certified Session Coach / "Movement Master"
Callie is a certified personal trainer with over ten years of coaching experience and holds a Bachelors degree in nutrition and exercise science from Bastyr University. She is the owner of an online practice, where she focuses on coaching functional movement. She believes that less pain equals more gain, and prioritizes exercises involving mobility, stability and strength.
Just like many of us, her free time is spent outdoors. You’ll often find her camping, hiking, shed hunting, soaking up the sun, or at a local brewery.
Callie loves to empower members of OsteoStrong to take their fitness journey and health into their own hands.
Education/Certifications:
-
B.S. in Nutrition and Exercise Science, Bastyr University
-
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
-
A.C.E. Senior Fitness Specialist
-
OsteoStrong Certified Session Coach
-
A.C.E. Behavior Change Specialist (coming Fall of 2024)
Kathy Sherba
Certified Session Coach & Certified Echolight REMS Technician / "Master of High-Fives"
Kathy has lived in Missoula for 25 years. She loves gardening, being active, and enjoying the outdoors with her friends and family. Kathy is trained as a Yoga teacher and enjoys meditation and body movement practices
Kathy loves the Missoula OsteoStrong community of members. She is grateful and excited to help people gain confidence, strength, and quality of life.
Rachel Porter
& Certified Echolight REMS Technician / "Young Buck"
Rachel Porter recently graduated from the University of Montana obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science in Integrative Physiology. She plans on continuing her education with the University of Montana Physical Therapy Program in the Fall of 2025 with the intentions of getting a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Being involved with athletics her entire life, she has found a true passion for understanding the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Rachel plans on using the knowledge that she continues to gain to help improve the quality of life of many individuals.
Outside of OsteoStrong and the classroom, Rachel can be found connecting with nature, on the rugby pitch, or drinking an iced vanilla chai latte from local coffee shop.
Amy James
Certified Session Coach & Member Experience Specialist / "Smile Ambassador"
Amy is a skilled expert who prioritizes experience and customer satisfaction. She spreads happiness and perceives no problems, only chances for opportunity and growth. As a Certified Session Coach, she serves as our team's and members' driving force. Amy swiftly pinpoints operational improvements to refine processes and elevate member experiences.
In her earlier years, Amy owned an aerobics training studio, began her marketing journey with Polar Heart Rate Monitors, and was the first to own a Fitbit in Montana. She continuously inspires others to enhance their personal health. Believing that health is a precious gift, Amy emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She eagerly awaits the opportunity to meet you at the center and help you become your BEST SELF!
Outside the center, Amy can be found practicing yoga, exploring nature, or embracing her inner cowgirl.
Karen Shreve
Certified Session Coach / "Heath & Wellness Guru"
Born and raised in a small family business of packaging and delivering fresh produce, Karen learned about teamwork, what a strong work ethic means and most importantly, how healthy eating and staying physically active will give you a better quality of life! Karen was a cheerleader through HS and had a long career as a Nurse alongside several duties in the Fitness industry. Two of her most favorite activities she did was teaching line dancing to seniors as a fitness instructor and working as a ski instructor in the adult disability program. Karen loves all fun and games and feel most invigorated when it involves any outdoor activities.
Karen believes her calling is to help people on their path to better health and she feels very fortunate to be a Health Coach and Cheerleader here at OsteoStrong Missoula.
Juanita Sherba
Fill-in Certified Session Coach/ "OsteoStrong Inspiration"
Juanita started doing OsteoStrong in Ohio and her incredible gains with the program inspired her daughter, Rachel, to open Missoula Osteostrong. Juanita enjoys making Missoula her home part of the year and we love to have in her in the Center as a fill-in session coach. Juanita is also a session coach in Ohio and enjoys sharing best practices between the two locations.
Having a medical background and working a nurse, Juanita understands the science behind our program and has personally seen it's amazing benefits. We hope that you have the pleasure of working with her at one of your sessions!
Cara Hutchins
Marketing & Operations Manager/ "Organizational Guru"
Cara is passionate about health and wellness after experiencing her own healing journey . She is a Missoula native who spent 15 years working in events and business consulting in Seattle. For the past 10 years she has enjoyed raising four kids with her husband in Missoula and is grateful to be a part of the Missoula OsteoStrong team and community that is a constant source of inspiration and joy as she witnesses members making incredible wins.
You can find Cara being active outdoors running, biking, hiking as well as a spectator at a myriad of youth athletics.
We Are OsteoStrong
Check out our amazing OsteoStrong global community that are seeing awesome results! Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for more successes from our local Missoula community!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I do more than one OsteoStrong session per week? A. Our research shows that coming in more frequently actually slows the results of osteogenic loading. Ideally, members hit loads of 4.2 multiples of body weight or more, triggering a bone adaptation. A bone adaptation requires time to grow. If members keep triggering adaptation by coming in for sessions more than once per week, they will actually slow down the process. In some situations, one session per week is too frequent. For example, if you are plateauing over a period of time—we define that as a plateau in your strength increases—it likely means his/her body needs more time to adapt to the response. In this scenario, you may want to wait 10 to 15 days between sessions.
Q. Can I work out and do OsteoStrong sessions at the same time? A. Yes. Members will see great results if they do both osteogenic loading and workouts. In fact, they will likely experience strength gains more quickly by doing both—as long as the workout doesn’t come directly before their OsteoStrong session. It’s not recommended that members work out immediately before their OsteoStrong osteogenic triggering session. Here’s why: during a regular workout, especially weight training, we use up a specific type of fuel called ATP. ATP provides the energy needed to drive many processes in living cells. It is also the fuel a member needs in order to complete a proper osteogenic triggering session.
Q. Can I increase my skeletal strength and bone density with weight training and other exercises? A. The published research on this topic does not indicate that bones are strengthened through conventional exercises or weight training. A study published in 2012 identified that the minimum force required to trigger bone growth is 4.2 multiples of body weight (4.2 MOB). Engaging in that amount of force outside of an OsteoStrong center is not recommended for most people. The good news is that our proprietary Spectrum system safely allows members to experience much more than the 4.2 MOB minimum required to trigger the skeletal building response people are looking for.
Q. What if I miss an OsteoStrong session? A. What we are doing at OsteoStrong is causing tissue growth, and every time the member completes an osteogenic loading session, that growth is triggered. Because the bone fortification process takes between one to six weeks, missing a single session will not affect that process or cause members to lose the results they have gained. However, if members repeatedly miss sessions over an extended period of time, they will continue to degenerate bone and muscle mass on the same slope that is commonly seen after age 30.
Q. Does health insurance cover OsteoStrong? A. Traditional health insurance in the United States does not typically cover OsteoStrong sessions. However, medical savings accounts can be used in many cases.
Q. How long will it be until I start feeling results from my OsteoStrong sessions? A. Results vary from person to person. However, here are some general rules for what our members experience: • Joint and back pain. Osteogenic loading sessions have an amazing track record for reducing joint and back pain. In most cases, members will see a great reduction in joint and back pain within one to four months of starting OsteoStrong sessions. This reduction is often permanent and complete. However, every person’s joint and back pain is different, and we can’t guarantee results for everyone because we simply don’t know what could be causing the pain. If someone’s pain is stemming from a bone-on-bone condition in which they don’t have any cartilage left, that individual will always have some level of joint pain associated with that condition. When this person completes an OsteoStrong session, he or she is going to be strengthening the ligaments and tendons around that joint, which will cause the joint to separate. When that happens, it will relieve a significant amount of nerve pain. After experiencing this reduction in pain, it is highly recommended that the member continues sessions to help prevent the return of the joint and back pain. • Bone density increases. Skeletal strength or bone density increases can only be seen on a bone density scan. It usually takes 12-18 months from the time the member starts with OsteoStrong for their DEXA scan to show these results. • Balance improvements. Most people notice improvements in their personal balance in just one to two sessions, and it generally continues to improve for several sessions afterward. • Muscular strength. Regardless of fitness level, most people feel gains in overall strength in about four OsteoStrong sessions. Regular sessions enable these strength gains to continue for many years. Some people may have periods of plateauing in their measured strength gains. When this occurs, tell your member to be patient. We’ve seen some people experience many months of steady strength gains only to plateau for several months afterward. However, just when they think they’ve hit their limit, the strength gains typically return and trend upward from there. After more than eight years of sessions, we still have people who show regular strength increases as their skeletal density and strength continue to improve. • Posture. We have had many members with a severe kyphosis, a curved or humped back, standing straight after between five and 15 sessions.
Q. Can osteogenic loading cause a compression fracture? A. Compression fractures of the spine are typically caused by abrupt loading, specifically “impact.” This is part of the reason why therapists do not employ impact training as a modality for osteoporosis treatment. It is possible for someone to abruptly load using an osteogenic loading device, thereby removing the inherent safety aspects of the therapy. However, osteogenic loading therapy was developed to be the antithesis of this. As long as the proper training protocols are followed, the chances of injury are very low. We instruct our members to apply loading in a slow, controlled manner in order to use comfort and neural inhibition as a natural limiter. It’s worth noting here that the most common causes for compression fractures are coughing and sneezing. Sometimes, people don’t notice they have a compression fracture. If an osteogenic loading user has a compression fracture, we have no way of identifying the cause. These fractures heal on their own and require little medical attention beyond diagnosis. For an excellent description of compression fractures, refer to Brant, William E.; Helms, Clyde A. (2007).
Q. If I have a stress fracture, is it safe to engage in OsteoStrong sessions? A. Many individuals who have a history of stress fractures have achieved clear results with osteogenic triggering. However, people with this medical history should consult their physician prior to starting our program, as there could be other factors in their biochemistry that contribute to those stress fractures. We are not medical professionals and do not provide medical advice.
Q. With a history of chronic broken bones, is it safe to engage in OsteoStrong sessions? A. In some cases, yes. In others, no. In this situation, other factors are likely at play, ranging from dietary concerns and chemotherapy to exposure to biochemicals. These members must get approval from their physician prior to starting our program. It is our responsibility to provide them with the appropriate research regarding osteogenic loading and OsteoStrong so that their physician can make the best determination based on their unique medical history.
Q. When members have a retinal detachment, is it safe to engage in OsteoStrong sessions? A. It is critical that these members speak with their physician about exercise stimulus, specifically pressure response, before engaging in OsteoStrong sessions. Because blood pressure goes up when we are engaging the body to a very high degree, their physician must understand that this osteogenic loading is a high-intensity type of stimulus. We must confirm, through the advice of their doctor, that the osteogenic loading session will not exaggerate or agitate that injury.
Q. Are joint problems a contraindication for osteogenic impact triggering? A. In most cases, OsteoStrong delivers proven results for people with joint and back pain. We do not need to perform a maximum force production from the very beginning.
Q. Does OsteoStrong do anything for weight loss? A. Yes, to a minimal degree. The body’s primary calorie burning engine is muscle. At OsteoStrong, we trigger tissue growth in the muscle fiber. With this new tissue, people may begin to process glucose better and burn more calories. Although we are helping members improve the engines that allow their body to burn more calories and process glucose a little better, weight loss comes from improved diet in 90% of cases.
Q. What effects does VibePlateTM have on the body when compared with osteogenic loading? A. The immediate effects of VibePlateTM include range of motion and mobility changes such as balance and flexibility. Its secondary effects include hormonal changes such as anabolic hormone release, growth hormone increases, serotonin increases, a decrease in cortisol and a decrease in inflammatory markers found in the blood. Osteogenic impact triggerin’s long-term effects include improved bone density and the density of muscular tissue, which will aid in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes or pre-Type 2 diabetes.
Q. I feel sore after my sessions. Is this normal? A. Certain tissues in the body can experience deconditioning with disuse—in some cases, after only short periods of a lack of use. For example, after having a cold or influenza, members sometimes notice soreness when they begin to stand and move, even if they have recovered from the illness. This could be the result of short-term disuse and the resulting tissue deconditioning. Consider the levels of force that stimulate joints in an osteogenic loading session. The last time most individuals absorbed this level of load was during their adolescence. When some people beginning osteogenic loading, they feel soreness in the joints over a few days after a session. This is not an injury; rather, it’s just the stimulus of some tissues that may not have been used in that manner for decades. Over the next few months, their body will become accustomed to this and develop, hereby becoming stronger and less likely to fracture.
Q. I’ve reached a plateau. What does that mean? A. Some members who engage in osteogenic loading therapy experience a plateau in their progress. When this happens, there are a few reason why this could be happening: 1. In the lower extremity growth trigger, if members are achieving greater than 4.2 multiples of body weight (MOB), which is the minimum threshold for triggering ontogenesis, they are indeed affecting bone mass even if they have plateaued at a particular level. Based on osteogenic loading research, we also know that 7 MOB is associated with rapid bone density gains. If individuals are surpassing either 4.2 MOB or 7 MOB, they are continually stimulating development. There is no research that indicates an ever-increasing number is required for continued growth. 2. Not all elements of the musculoskeletal system progress at the same rate or at the same time. An individual could hit a plateau because of neural inhibition in a certain weaker area of a musculo- skeletal kinetic chain that just needs to progress before the other tissues can. We have seen individuals plateau for 18 months, then begin to progress again. 3. The more powerful a tissue becomes in the human body, the less development can be stimulated in the future. For example, you would not expect force production/ functional bone performance changes of 200% to happen with a competitive gymnast. But we do see 2300% adaptations happen with seniors and other deconditioned members because they have lost, and can thus regain, greater levels of their performance. However, all populations should want to protect the musculoskeletal performance they have gained with little risk of injury by continuing to engage in osteogenic loading therapy.
Q. What is the difference between regular weight lifting and osteogenic impact triggering? A. Typically, weight lifting exhausts ATP, glycogen and creatine phosphate, which are the fuels in a muscle cell. When you do pushups and your arms feel tight, it means the central nervous system is triggering an adaptation to hold more fuel. Osteogenic impact triggering, on the other hand, creates kinetic fatigue instead of fuel fatigue. This engages the muscle to the fullest degree. In a natural, real-life situation where people experience impact, their muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments are optimized. The exhaustion has to do with a lack of structure to continue the contraction, not a lack of fuel.
Q. At what rate can members expect to increase their bone density? A. It’s different for everyone. Some of the first research into osteogenic loading showed a 7% bone mineral density (BMD) increase. The most recent study in the U.K. revealed a 14% BMD increase. But here’s we do know for sure: the more force the individual imposes, the greater the bone adaptations. An MOB of 4.2 is the minimum dose response required to trigger increases in bone density. People who went over 4.2 MOB experienced a faster increase. Can we guarantee they are going to see increases? No, because every person’s metabolism is different. Some people may have a degenerative disease that we don’t know about. Even if those individuals saw zero loss, that would be a win. Also keep in mind that some postmenopausal women will see about a 1% to 2% decrease in BMD after starting OsteoStrong sessions. When we see this, we know they have outpaced the degeneration that would have occurred without OsteoStrong. That should be considered significant progress.
Q. Can I use OsteoStrong if I’ve had a knee or hip replacement? A. Yes, OsteoStrong actually helps strengthen the bone around your hip or knee replacement. At OsteoStrong, the member is going to strengthening the trabecular bone, enabling it to grip onto the replacement more effectively. For the same reason, OsteoStrong sessions are also great for preconditioning before knee or hip replacement surgeries. With a stronger trabecular bone, the surgeon will have an easier time getting the re- placement to hold on to the bone. As with all medical conditions, we encourage people to consult with their physician prior to starting sessions at OsteoStrong. If you are concerned, it’s also important to know that you can start off slow.
Q. How does OsteoStrong help alleviate old muscular injuries? A. Compressive forces improve the density of not only of bone, but also tendons and ligaments. This reinforcement of tendons and ligaments dissipates stress at the joints, allowing for greater performance and less pain during movement (Benjamin & Ralphs, 1998). This means bone can realign to optimized biomechanics, improving posture balance breathing and reducing the chance of future injury. OsteoStrong uses this compressive force to induce adaptation.
News & Press
Missoula business emphasizes importance of bone health
Ravalli Republic, October 19, 2023
October 20th is proclaimed as Osteogenic Loading Day in Missoula!!
PRESS RELEASE————————————————————————
October 20, 2022. Many people are familiar with the condition of Osteoporosis and its impact on individuals. However, the public may not be as familiar with the term “Osteogenic Loading”, which is a rehabilitative method of improving bone density and preventing bone fracture. Montana Governor, Greg Gianforte, and Missoula Mayor, Jordon Hess, have proclaimed, October 20 as “Osteogenic Loading Day”, encouraging the public to follow early prevention strategies, including Osteogenic Loading, to improve bone density and prevent the devastating effects of fractures caused by Osteoporosis.
World Osteoporosis Day is observed worldwide on October 20 to promote awareness of Osteoporosis as a disease and encourage preventative strategies. According to the American Bone Health and the International Osteoporosis Foundation, one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 worldwide will experience a bone fracture in their lifetime. In addition, 25 percent of hip fracture patients die within a year.
Experts indicate a bone-healthy lifestyle, including weight-bearing and muscle- strengthening exercises and eating a nutritious diet rich in calcium, protein, Vitamin D & other nutrients can reduce the number of fractures and the impacts of conditions such as Osteoporosis. Also important are avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol and soda intake. In recent years, thousands of people have experienced increased bone density from Osteogenic Loading – a system of 4 devices that trigger the body’s natural adaptive response to stimulate significant growth of new bone. Osteogenic Loading utilizes once-a-week, 10-minute sessions from four different positions, including the chest, legs/hips, core and spine to achieve Osteogenic Loads throughout the entire human skeleton.
Work with Us
Do you want a career in the health and wellness industry with cutting technology in an amazing community? Then, look no further, OsteoStrong Missoula has the position for you!
We are currently hiring for part-time session coaches. See job description link below. If interested, please sent a coverletter and resume to osteostrongmissoula@gmail.com.
Session Coach Job Description