Janelle Axtell
PTA
Janelle Axtell
Physical Therapy Assistant Trained in the Upledger and Barral Manual Therapy Lineages
Janelle Axtell specializes in Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Mobilization, and Myokinesthetics — the three hands-on modalities that anchor her practice at Synergy. Her Craniosacral training came directly from Shauna Burchett, OTR/L, owner of Synergy Healthcare, whose own teaching lineage runs back through Alain Gehin, the Upledger Institute, the Barnes Institute, and other senior cranial osteopaths. Her Visceral Mobilization work follows the Barral Institute approach. The result is a manual therapy practice built through apprenticeship — the oldest and most traditional way these modalities have been passed down.
Myokinesthetics, the third pillar of Janelle’s work, is a posture-based neuromuscular treatment that balances muscles, relieves pain, and increases function. Janelle also has extensive training in Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM), which she uses to augment her hands-on work — a modality especially effective in cases that haven’t responded to traditional therapy. Her caseload includes injured workers, traumatic brain injuries, visceral restrictions, orthopedic dysfunction, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, post-stroke recovery, vestibular and balance disturbances, and pre- and post-surgical orthopedic aftercare. She has also worked in home health physical therapy across several years.
Janelle’s hands-on style and hour-long sessions are built for patients whose recovery doesn’t fit a 15-minute exercise check.
Beliefs Behind My Therapeutic Approach
“Recovery isn’t something a therapist does to a patient. It’s something the patient learns to do for themselves — and the best therapy I can offer is teaching them how, with hands-on care and honest education both in the room.”
Proudly serving Spokane Since 1998
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Specializations
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WHO I HELP
Built for Patients Whose Cases Cross Multiple Categories
The patients I see most often have more than one thing going on. Parkinson’s complicating an old orthopedic injury. Post-stroke recovery alongside vestibular instability. Surgical aftercare in a body that’s also managing a neurological condition. My hour-long sessions give me the time to work across hands-on manual therapy, Myokinesthetics, and Frequency Specific Microcurrent in the same visit — not as isolated problems, but as one person whose recovery deserves the whole picture.
