Dr. Jena Blackwood

Dr. Jena Blackwood
PT, DPT

Dr. Jena Blackwood, PT, DPT developed a passion for health through movement with a sport-filled youth, leading to countless minor injuries.

In 1997, she began a regular yoga practice to complement her athletic pursuits at the suggestion of a physical therapist. Her yoga practice fostered her belief in the power of a balanced body and mind in conjunction with corrective exercise to maintain and optimize overall function.

Inspired by her healing trajectory, in 2004, she attended an immersive 500-hour hot yoga teacher training and subsequently began a successful career in teaching yoga and fitness nationwide. Her commitment to learning, passion, and dynamic teaching style made her highly sought after by clients seeking in-depth healing. However, as her career progressed and her clients’ needs became more complex, she realized she needed to deepen her knowledge significantly to serve the community. She was also fascinated by how effective yoga was for pain, while at the same time, traditional physical therapy seemed to be less effective for some individuals she was encountering in her yoga community.

This led Dr. Blackwood down the path of wanting to explore mind-body practices for rehabilitation. To do so, and to continue to best serve her community, she obtained her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and began pursuing extensive training in a variety of specialized rehabilitative methods. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science through the University of Minnesota Medical School. Her research interests focus on body awareness and resilience in conjunction with rehabilitation for pain conditions, neurological disorders, and complex orthopedic conditions.

Jena’s clinical practice spans multiple areas - connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (HEDS / EDS/hypermobility syndrome), fibromyalgia, neurological pain conditions, pelvic health, and general complex orthopedics. She also has a special interest in osteoporosis/osteopenia and health span vs lifespan in aging.

Dr. Blackwood firmly believes in holistic healing for maximum therapeutic outcomes. She is highly sought after due to her unique treatment style, which includes novel body awareness training methods learned through her varied specialized studies. Dr. Blackwood works with clients in New York City and Minneapolis, MN.

Licenses and Education

    • New York

    • Minnesota

    • Washington

    • Ph.D. University of Minnesota - Rehabilitation Science (in progress)

    • BS in Health Science, Minor in Sports Science with Honors, Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York

    • Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with Honors, Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York

    • MBA Certificate, Focusing on Data Analytics, University of Maine (4.0) 

    • Residency: Institute of Physical Art (IPA), Specializing in Orthopedic Manual Therapy Specific to Functional Manual Therapy (FMT)

    • Onero specialized training for Osteoporosis / Osteopenia

    • The Perrin Technique: chronic fatigue aka ME/CFS, long covid, and fibromyalgia

    • Herman and Wallace (pelvic floor therapy)

    • Rusk Rehabilitation at New York University, the North American Institute for Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMPT)

    • Vestibular and Concussion Rehabilitation, The American Institute of Balance 

    • Osteopathic-Based Counter Strain Techniques, The Jones Institute 

    • Craniosacral Therapy, The Upledger Institute

    • Visceral and Neural Manual Therapy, Barral 

    • Dry Needling, American Academy of Manipulative Therapy

    • DNS (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization), Prague School

    • Yoga Works (200-hour RYT)

    • Cognitive Multisensory Rehabilitation, The Perfetti Method

    • Mat Pilates, The Kane School

    • Inpatient Hospital Work, Focusing on Patients Recovering from Neurological Insults Such as Stroke, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Spinal Fusions and Spinal Cord Injuries

Heal Your Best

“I’m used to going to physical therapists where I see them for 10 minutes and then go off into the corner to do some exercises from a sheet they give me. That is not how it goes with Dr. Jena. She works with me the whole session, and I always leave feeling better.”

— Kristen B.

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