About

Steve has been practicing Manual Physical Therapy since 2001. His education journey began at Penn State, where he had the good fortune of working in research and athletic settings in the exercise physiology program. For two years he was a trainer and tester for the US Army Study, which evaluated the ability of women to gain strength, and physiological changes with a strength training regimen. After finishing with the military study, he was accepted as a trainer for varsity sports at Penn State. For two years he trained athletes ranging from wrestling to women’s lacrosse with High-intensity training (HIT) philosophy.

Dr. Warfel graduated from Penn State University with a B.S in Exercise Physiology in December of 1999 and was accepted to Physical Therapy School at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USA). St. Augustine’s curriculum was focused on orthopedic manual therapy with extensive anatomical detail, coupled with biomechanical evaluation, and treatment to the involved regions. He completed his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Physical Therapy at USA in 2001 and 2002 respectively, earning high honors and the Manual Therapy Certification (MTC). Upon leaving Florida, he accepted a position at HealthSouth in Lakewood, CO, and began studying with the Institute of Physical Art.

Steve completed the Institute of Physical Art (IPA) curriculum and achieved the Certification in Functional Manual Therapy (CFMT) with honors. After completing certification, he began lab assisting IPA courses, which gave him valuable experience, but also lead to an invitation from the IPA to complete a yearlong fellowship in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Steve worked diligently academically and clinically to improve his skills and broaden his knowledge base over the year-long program. After graduating and achieving fellow status with IPA and nationally with the American Association of Orthopedic Manual Therapists (AAOMPT), he accepted a permanent position at Johnson & Johnson Physical Therapy as a staff PT as well as co-fellowship instructor. This opportunity to teach and work with skilled therapists continued to broaden his horizons and fuel him to seek additional training and knowledge. Warfel has been working on the viscera, craniofacial region and airway since 2014, presenting with Dr. Brad Gilden at the American Academy of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry (AAPMD) conference in 2016. He continues to study these regions in-depth and develop new treatments to improve physiology as well as biomechanical function.

An avid outdoorsman, Steve enjoys snowboarding, hiking, running, and mountain biking. He has raced mountain bikes at CAT 1 level for ten years for Feedback Sports out of Golden, CO. He has completed multiple trail marathons and endurance cross country mountain bike races, highlighted by he and his wife’s first place in Summer Grand Traverse 2016. Above all, Steve enjoys spending time with his family; his wife Heidi and daughters Finley and Isla

My Skills

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PHYSICAL THERAPY

The human body is an amazing machine with many different systems working together as interconnected links in harmony to create equilibrium. When dysfunction arises in the kinetic chain, the body may develop pain, lose function, waste energy, become weak or fatigued, or just not feel as well as it should. Through experience and education, we have developed a system that looks at the individual as a whole. This informs our treatment, never viewing issues in isolation.

Through our evaluation process, we will identify and treat the dysfunctions, but also seek to learn why they arose in the first place. Most people find there is a link somewhere in their past, but it is not always obvious or expected. Our goal is to find the root cause of the problem and address it through a variety of treatments designed to mobilize, stabilize, energize, and fortify your body’s systems. After the dysfunction is resolved, the involved structures are integrated back into the system, restoring balance and strength.

We are excited and honored to provide a unique style of physical therapy to this community. KinetiChain is committed to a life-long learning model. We have studied under many different influences and paradigms to develop our own technique specifically for you! We use an integrated model with respect to individuality and flexibility which gives us the ability to make positive changes for anyone from a high level athlete seeking to compete nationally to someone who has recently suffered an injury and is having trouble just walking.

Professional Associations / Memberships

AAOMPT

IAHP

APTA