Amanda Palacio is a Physical Therapy Assistant who graduated from Pima Medical Institute in 2018 and built her clinical foundation at a level-1 trauma hospital, working in both the outpatient orthopedic clinic and the movement disorder clinic. She holds LSVT BIG certification for patients navigating Parkinson's and other movement disorders, and she is a Level 1 Olympic weightlifting coach, bringing a strength-and-conditioning eye to every plan of care. Amanda believes recovery is built one disciplined rep at a time, and she works to help each patient rebuild strength, control, and confidence in how their body moves, no matter where they are starting from.
You won't always be motivated. You have to learn to be disciplined.
Discipline beats motivation, and that belief shapes every plan of care. Amanda pairs a strength-and-conditioning mindset with hands-on PTA training to build programs patients can actually stick with, not just on their best days. Progress is tracked honestly, effort is expected, and every exercise is chosen because it serves your recovery, whether you are rebuilding after injury or relearning movement patterns affected by a movement disorder.
Outside the clinic, Amanda is happiest around animals, training in the gym as a Level 1 Olympic weightlifting coach, or out on the mountain snowboarding. When she is not competing or coaching lifts, she is usually working on a craft project. That same discipline she brings to the barbell and the slopes is exactly what she brings to your plan of care.
Amanda built her clinical foundation at a level-1 trauma hospital in both the outpatient orthopedic clinic and the movement disorder clinic. She holds LSVT BIG certification for patients navigating Parkinson's and other movement disorders, and she is a Level 1 Olympic weightlifting coach.