Maureen Russo, PT

Maureen RussoMy entrance to the healthcare field was as a Physical Therapist.  After completing the Physical Therapy program at the University of California at San Francisco in 1980, I began my career in a private Orthopedic/Sports Medicine Clinic in Southern California and later in Northern California.  In 1988, I moved to Iowa City with my husband and two young daughters after my husband accepted a job as a professor at the University of Iowa.   A third daughter was born a couple of years later.   We have loved being in the Midwest and Iowa City has been a wonderful place to raise a family and work.I began my own Private Practice in 1989 which has allowed my to develop a holistic approach to therapy.  My interest in this approach began early on as I became intrigued by the mechanics and connections of the musculo-skeletal system.  The more I learned, the more amazed I was at how interconnected this system was to every other system in the body.  I began taking more non-traditional (at that time) classes in CranialSacral, Visceral and Lymph Drainage Therapy training.   This training emphasized to me the importance of addressing the body from a global view.  In 1995 I found a system, Mechanical Link, that revolutionized my practice and taught me the importance of finding and treating the “priority” within the connective tissue of the body.  It remains one of the most effective tools I utilize to treat musculo-skeletal problems.

Eventually I realized that not all musculo-skeletal problems resolved by addressing the connective tissue system alone.   I began to pursue some additional body-mind techniques including The BodyTalk System™, NET (Neuro-Emotional Technique), and ThetaHealing®.  I was amazed how addressing the body-mind connections could directly influence the body’s range of motion and strength.  I am also extremely grateful that many of the techniques I’ve studied that have taught me to tap into the Innate and know intuitively when to use one tool over another or a combination of techniques.  I continue to add yearly to my toolbox and feel blessed to have had access to such incredible teachers and seminars.   Below you can view many of the tools that have been added to my toolbox.

Continuing Education

Mechanical Link:  1995-2015 (https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=www.osteocontinuingeducation.com/Courses/Course%2520series/OML/&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8)

  • International Mechanical Link Symposium
  • Advanced Mechanical Link
  • Advanced Review Mechanical Link (x2)
  • Mechanical Link I, II, III

ThetaHealing® (2014-2016) (www.thetahealing.com)

  • The Game of Life
  • Advanced DNA
  • Basic DNA

BodyTalk System (2003-2016)  (www.bodytalksystem.com)

  • Founders Session Intensive
  • Eastern Medicine
  • Finding Health
  • PaRama Unit Two
  • PaRama Unit One
  • BodyTalk Orthopedic Evaluation
  • Breakthrough 1 and 2
  • Mindscape
  • Right-Brain Practical
  • Modules 1-9
  • BodyTalk Access

Visceral Manipulation:  1992-2016 (www.barralinstitute.com)

  • Neuromeningeal Manipulation: An Integrative Approach to Trauma (NM1)
  • Visceral Approach to Trauma and Whiplash
  • Advanced Visceral Manipulation
  • Practical Integration of Visceral Manipulation
  • Visceral Manipulation IA, IB, II

Matrix Energetics:  2013 (www.matrixenergetics.com)

Heart Centered Therapy I:  2006 (chiklyinstitute.com)

Brain Curriculum: 2005-2008 (chiklyinstitute.com)

  • B1:  Brain tissue, Nuclei, Fluid & Autonomic Nervous System
  • B2:  Brain Tissue, Nuclei, Fluid & RAS

Lymph Drainage Therapy:  2001-2003  (chiklyinstitute.com)

  • Advanced 1 Lymph Drainage Therapy
  • Lymph Drainage I, II, III

Neuro Emotional Technique:  2003 to 2005 (www.netmindbody.com)

  • NetBasic (1x)
  • NetAdvanced (2x)


Upledger CranioSacral Therapy:  1987-1991 (www.upledger.com)

  • SomatoEmotional Release
  • Craniosacral Therapy I, II

General (1991-2012)

  • Back Education and Training (Greg Johnson)
  • Clinical Muscle Training:  Orthopaedic and Sports Applications
  • Evaluation, Treatment and Prevention of Spinal Disorders: (Saunders)
  • Advanced Head, Neck and TMJ (Rocabado)
  • Advanced pathophysiology of the Lower Cervical Spine and Shoulder Girdle (Rocabado)
  • Muscle Energy:  Lumbar Spine, Pelvis and Sacrum
  • Hesch Method of treating the Pelvis

General (1980-1990)

  • Diagnosis and Treatment of Muscle Imbalances (Sahrman)
  • Evaluation and Treatment of Craniomandibular and Craniovertebral Dysfunctions (Rocabado)
  • Aston Approach to Posture and Movement
  • Cervical and Lumbar Mobilization (Maitland)
  • S-1: Basic Spinal Mobilization (Grimsby)
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization
  • Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
  • Functional Orthopedics (Johnson)