Our Team

Meet your Hand Therapists in Bellevue

Clyde Johnson, PT/L, CHT

Clyde graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Physical Therapy in 1991. He received his Certified Hand Therapist credential in 2000. Clyde takes a collaborative approach with surgeons and referring providers to help maximize therapeutic interventions and limit disability after traumatic injuries. His goal for each patient is to help them define and achieve functional goals in the context of work, leisure and home activities. Clyde specializes in the design and fabrication of simple to complex custom splints used for post-operative and conservative management of hand injuries. In addition to his clinical role, Clyde is actively involved in the education of peers in the specialty of hand therapy. He has authored and has published a case study in the Journal of Hand Therapy and authored a chapter on hand therapy and treatment protocols in the textbook “Principles of Hand Therapy and Rehabilitation” (3rd edition). He has presented yearly as guest faculty for upper extremity educational courses in Seattle and Bellevue since 2005. Course topics include treatment of chronic pain, hand and upper extremity injuries, arthritis and sports injuries. In addition to spending time with his wife and three children, Clyde enjoys skiing, cooking and home improvement projects.

Jenny Kay, OTR/L, CHT

Jenny graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor degree in Occupational Therapy in 1987. She was exposed to treating hand injuries early in her career and the satisfaction of helping her patients regain hand and upper extremity function led her to become a certified hand therapist in 1993. She has specialized in hand therapy ever since. Her professional interests include post surgical management, traumatic injuries such as fractures and tendon lacerations, cumulative trauma and fabrication of custom orthotics (splints). She has prior experience working with injuries of musicians and focal dystonia. She enjoys the challenges of how unique each hand injury may be and how to tailor treatment to one’s individual needs. Outside of work she enjoy’s spending time with family and her two dogs, gardening, skiing, hiking and biking.

Megan Swanson, OTR/L, CHT

Megan graduated with her Masters of Occupational Therapy Degree from the University of Washington in 2007. After graduation, she spent time in southern California where she worked in many settings of occupational therapy including, outpatient and school based pediatrics, inpatient acute hospital care and hand therapy. Megan earned her Certified Hand Therapy Certification (CHT) in 2013. Megan is passionate about further learning and has been involved in educating her peers at the yearly Overlake Symposium. She was also a contributing author in Principles of Hand Surgery and Therapy, third edition, and co-author of a peer reviewed case study published in the Journal of Hand Therapy. Megan takes a team approach to hand therapy rehabilitation. Collaboration with the doctor and learning the patients’ needs/goals are how Megan designs her individualized therapy plan for each patient. Megan takes a special interest in treating patients with arthritis, fractures, wounds, and tendon injuries. Outside of work, Megan stays busy enjoying time with her husband and two small children, and when time allows, skiing, biking, and keeping up with college football (Go Dawgs!).

Patty Krueger, OTR/L, CHT

Patty attended Mt. Mary University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 1993. She started her career in neurorehabilitation and was part of a therapy team which worked with newly trained therapist in Riga, Lativia under a grant from the World Health Organization. Ultimately, her love for orthosis fabrication propelled her to a career in Hand Therapy and she earned her Certified Hand Therapy credential in 2000. She enjoys closely collaborating with surgeons to optimize recovery from complex upper extremity injuries including tendon, nerve, fracture and wound surgeries. She believes in empowering her patients through understanding pain and their bodies resilience and amazing capacity to heal. Patty takes the time to identify the cause of injuries through biomechanical activity analysis in order to prevent recurrent problems of the upper extremity and to restore her clients’ functional independence. In her spare time she enjoys worldwide travel, laughing with friends and family, kayaking, cross country skiing and biking.

Kate Osborne, OTR/L, CHT

Kate attended the University of Washington for her undergraduate education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree in 1997. She then went on to attend the University of Puget Sound, graduating with a Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2000. It was during a fieldwork assignment at UPS that Kate first developed an interest in the specialized field of hand therapy. Following graduation, Kate worked as an inpatient rehabilitation occupational therapist in a hospital in Tucson, Arizona. After relocating back to Washington state in 2005, Kate decided to pursue her interest in hand therapy, earning her Certification in Hand Therapy credential in 2008. Kate continues to be fascinated by the complexity and intricacies of the anatomy of the hand, and enjoys the problem solving and creativity that goes into helping each individual patient meet their goals. She has a special interest in treating post-surgical cases and in custom splinting. In her spare time, Kate enjoys spending time outside with her family and friends, running and biking on trails and roads, and supporting Seattle sports teams.

Savannah Huerta COTA

Savannah graduated from Parker University in Dallas Texas in 2019 with an Associates of Science in Occupational Therapy. She started in the health field when she was 16, working as a certified nursing assistant. While working alongside OTs and OTAs, she fell in love with occupational therapy. During her fieldwork rotations she was able to assist patients in reaching their goals through splint and cast fabrications for various upper extremity diagnoses. She is excited to now be working at Proliance where she has the opportunity to continue learn and expand her knowledge in the upper extremities. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, swimming and spending time with her two cats, family and friends.

What Our Patients are Saying

We are so grateful for Emily’s wisdom and tenacity during our daughter’s injury. In every possible way, Emily exceeded our expectations. She advocated with the surgeon for us, she was creative in her approach to therapy, and she overturned many obstacles that came our way during recovery. But even more importantly, Emily was kind, fun, and compassionate with our daughter, making this painful journey back to health a positive experience. We have always felt like we were in excellent hands, literally! I cannot recommend Emily and her team enough.

S. Schattenkerk

After requiring surgery for a torn ACL due to a sports injury, Kiley Steinriede from Proliance Sports Therapy guided my journey to recovery from re-learning to walk to returning to play the sports I love. Kiley’s mix of real-world experience, attention to detail, empathy, motivation, care, humor and emotional support is what made it all possible. I couldn’t have done it without her.

D. Fernandez

I would not have had a successful rehabilitation experience were it not for Kiley. She was tirelessly diligent, attentive and knowledgeable about what was best for my post-op ACL rehab at each stage of the recovery process. But more importantly, her humor and care for me as an individual, not just a patient, was the greatest encouragement as I went through physical therapy. Because of her, I looked forward to coming in to sessions and her optimism and charisma no doubt expedited my rehabilitation.

J. Kurtz

Laura Browne has provided excellent and effective physical therapy to both myself and my husband in the past. Now, I am thankful to have her professional knowledge and caring treatment as I struggle with the dual problems of surgery recovery and recurrence of significant lymphedema near the surgical site. Laura fluidly adapts to the limitations that the lymphedema imposes on a "normal" path to surgery recovery, always finding effective exercises to substitute for ones that are not practical for the situation. Throughout, her communication is informative, honest, and encouraging. Laura Browne is a credit to the high standards Proliance seeks in their employees.

A. Stieglitz

Kudos to Proliance Sports Therapy & Rehab for the superb treatment I’ve received over the past several months. A spring ski mishap resulted in my fractured arm near my shoulder and that led to surgery requiring a steel plate with several pins; in the same fall, I tore my rotator cuff in my ‘other’ arm. With both arms basically ‘out of commission’ I was scared and worried about how I’d ever use my arms normally again. Laura has amazed me with all of her knowledge and capability as she has led me through a PT Program that now has me functioning as normally as I was before... I am so thankful that I chose Proliance Sports Therapy for my rehab; should I ever need rehab again, I would choose Proliance in a heartbeat!

Joyce

14 months ago I had total shoulder replacement on my right shoulder at Issaquah Proliance Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Surgery went great! Started Physical Therapy 1 week later. My Therapist (Cathy Van Lith) discussed my goals with me and set a plan. Everybody is so friendly and nice and make you feel welcome - you feel like family. I still have a long way to go but I know I couldn’t be in better hands. I have friends that have recommended that have gone and they can’t thank me enough for the recommendation.

M. Donah

Only place I’ll go: In the past, we’ve had a hard time finding good medical care. My wife found Proliance via recommendation from her OB who had his hip replaced at Proliance. We have since had 2 surgeries each that have required intense physical therapy at Proliance in Issaquah. The net result is that I won’t go anywhere else in the future. My expectations have been exceeded by both the care I’ve received and the support to get through the PT. Sounds silly I suppose, but I feel like I’m treated like a person, not just a body part that needs fixing. I’ve worked with Emily specifically and her PTs are truly a standout, they are awesome, pushing you while supporting, plus have been completely connected with my surgeon and with each other. If you need care, this is a good choice.

A. Taylor

Patrick understood how difficult it was for me to be sidelined and how frustrated I felt. He pushed me to work harder and celebrated with me when I would hit a goal. Patrick was realistic about timelines, knew when to push me and when to hold me back so I didn't injure myself again. He also did a great job of making our sessions fun and different. I would highly recommend Proliance Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation. This group of people truly cares about your recovery, goals, physical and emotional well being and long term health. I now feel confident to trail run, bike, ski and have even learned how to rock climb!

J. Sargeant

Kyle Mark was amazing! He patiently rehabbed my knee back and specifically researched exercises that would support my love of tennis, after I tore my meniscus. I left after the expected period of time and was able to resume tennis. Unfortunately, I caused an additional issue within the knee while hiking shortly after recovery and, even though I had moved out-of-state, he suggested exercises to get me back on track. I am 100% back to normal and so thankful that he took the time and shared his knowledge with me. Proliance is lucky to have such a smart, caring and dedicated physical therapist in their office.

After finger surgery four years ago on my left hand and two years ago on my right hand. Stephanie helped me through many therapy appointments. She also instructed me on home exercises. She is very professional and will go the extra mile to get the results we both wanted. I would highly recommend her.

F. Olson