A longtime Decorah resident and a Decorah native join forces at a slightly changed Decorah physical therapy clinic

Decorah native Paul Pellett earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy, then took a job with a physical therapy practice in Muscatine.  When his boss set him down for his first yearly review, he asked Pellett where he saw himself in five years.

"Well, if something were to come up in Decorah, I'd love to return to my home town," he told his boss.

He didn't know that one of his bosses had gone to school with Decorah physical therapist Arnie Larson, nor that Larson was talking with his bosses about merging with their business.  Soon, he found out.

Now Pellett is back in Decorah and both he and Larson say they are learning from one another.  For instance, Pellett praises Larson for his knowledge in both the medical and business sides of running a physical therapy business and the way he has been sharing that knowledge.  Larson praises Pellett for the way he has helped their office tackle the new centralized business applications that the new merged company—Integrated Therapy Specialists, P.C.—has helped to install in Decorah.

Integrated Therapy Specialists, P.C. now has 15 physical therapy clinics across Iowa, primarily in the southeastern part of the state.  ITS president Steve Wieskamp says Larson and Pellett are "a good team" in Decorah.  Part of the new set-up is a new location for the Decorah clinic—in the former Walmart building in Centrum Plaza.

Pellett says he's excited to bring back to Decorah some of the techniques he learned at the bigger clinic in Muscatine.  One such technique is "dry needling," which uses needles to affect trigger points in muscles, helping to ease a variety of musculoskeletal problems.

Pellett says he's been fortunate to learn other styles of physical therapy from Larson.  Larson agrees, saying the two are learning new things from each other.  "I'm pleased to have Paul here," he says.