Physical Therapists in Fort Wayne
And Our Amazing Staff
Tonya Windsor, PT, LMT (Co-Owner)
Tonya has been a licensed physical therapist since 2000. She first attended Ball State University before receiving her BS in Physical Therapy at the Indiana Purdue University of Indianapolis in 2000.Tonya has worked in a variety of settings including orthopedics, pediatrics, women's health, aquatics, and sports physical therapy while focusing on manual therapy. She has a real passion for continued learning and growth, and loves to soak up new knowledge from continuing education courses.
Since 2003 she started training extensively with John F. Barnes, founder of Myofascial Release. Tonya also continues to take craniosacral therapy courses with Upledger Institute. She has also really enjoyed additional training in Functional Dry Needling with Kinetacore. Her other interests include yoga, biking, swimming, dancing, and playing with her three children and family.
Tonya and Heather founded Hands On Physical Therapy, LLC. in May 2008. Starting their own clinic allowed them to continue to treat each patient with a holistic approach using their manual skills. The team approach and one-on-one attention for a full hour was essential to help their patients reach their goals of attaining a pain free, active, vibrant lifestyle.
Heather Christlieb, PT, MTC, CLT (Co-Owner)
Heather was born in Fort Wayne and graduated from Physical therapy school at Indiana University in 2001. She got married in 1999 and has two children that keep her very busy with school and sports. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. Heather enjoys trying new things and learning anything that contributes to her journey.
Heather has been in outpatient orthopedic her entire career in many different roles and titles. In 2006 she received her manual therapy certification from St. Augustine University. For the majority of her career now, she has focused on manual therapy emphasising myofascial release. She has really enjoyed the "Hands-on" experience and healing touch that comes with a one-on-one session. In 2016 she received her certification in lymphedema(CLT). She treats anything from the head to the toes, pediatrics, women's health, chronic pain, systemic diseases and problems, post-surgical, migraines, TMJ, and lymphedema.
What she loves most about her job is finding that missing piece to the puzzle that makes it all click and leads to a healthy and symmetrical system/body. The team approach at the clinic offers many perspectives and helps create the balance and direction needed to achieve this goal. "I would have the perfect job, if it weren't for the paperwork." "Everything happens for a reason. While staying positive I am always curious where the next path is going to take me."
Karen Short, PT
Karen grew up near Defiance, Ohio and graduated from the University of Toledo and earned her BS in Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, Ohio in 1998. She has lived in the Fort Wayne area since graduation and has worked in a variety of settings in the Decatur, IN area during that time. Those settings have included inpatient, outpatient orthopedics, home health, and skilled rehab. She has attended various courses in manual therapy as well as obtaining certification as a Sole Supports custom orthotic fitter. She has enjoyed expanding her treatment options through continuing education, and feels blessed to have found a profession that provides her with the opportunity to assist clients in feeling better.
Karen enjoys staying busy with her husband and three sons and all the activities they find to be involved in. She enjoys quilting, sewing, hiking, cooking, baking, and spending time at the lake in the summer or out in the shop with all the boys during the fall and winter. She is looking forward to expanding her techniques while joining this wonderful team of therapists.
Anika MacDonald, PT
Anika has been a licensed Physical Therapist in Europe; specifically in Berlin, Germany. She got her license in 2004. Right after PT school she got specialized in Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage (MLD) and also Craniosacral Therapy. She moved to the U.S. in 2006 to be with her husband who she met in High School when she was an exchange student in 2000. Unfortunately, she found out that the US wouldn’t accept her degree from Europe. Anika decided to go back to school in the U.S. and this time she went for her PTA license and graduated in 2019.
Anika loves to spend her free time with her husband and three children outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, and spends most of her time at the Parkview Ice House watching her two boys play hockey and enjoys to see her daughter figure skating.
Sarah Bone, DPT
Sarah graduated in 2023 from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions as a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). During her time at RMU, she focused her clinical experience in outpatient orthopedics and manual physical therapy by attending continuing education courses on Fascial Distortion Model (FDM) with FDM Academy.
Following graduation, she was able to continue her education with CranioSacral Therapy (CST) courses with the Upledger Institute as well as Visceral Manipulation (VM) and Neural Manipulation (NM) with the Barral Institute. These areas of interest have helped to expand the integrative approach Hands On offers with treatment of the body as a whole.
Sarah is passionate about teaching her patients about their body, how it works and how it is interconnected between all its layers and tissues. She wants to make sure you feel you are back in the driver's seat of your body after treatment, and that you have a home program that makes sense for you as an individual
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys traveling to National Parks, listening to live music as well as spending time with her family and friends at the lake.
Alyssa Fairbanks, DPT
Alyssa has been a licensed physical therapist assistant since 2019 after graduating from the University of Saint Francis PTA program. She earned a BS in Exercise Science from Indiana Wesleyan University prior to her PTA degree and was blessed to compete on the Track and Field team. She competed in shot put, discus, and hammer events, but by far loved hammer.
Alyssa knew from a young age that she was drawn to the physical therapy field, and was able to experience the impact of manual therapy skills during her clinical rotation with HOPT in 2019. While working in variety of settings including home health, women’s health, and skilled nursing facilities, Alyssa never lost the love for manual therapy. She joined the HOPT team in 2024 and continued her training with MFR and craniosacral techniques. Alyssa cannot wait to continue diving deeper into both of these techniques and expanding her skills in women’s heath to bring the best possible care to her patients.
Alyssa was born and raised in Walton, IN, a small town just north of Kokomo. She moved to Fort Wayne in 2017 where she married her husband, Joshua, in 2019. In her free time, she enjoys reading, having board game nights with friends, and in the summer going to the lake house in Tennessee. Alyssa is excited to start their family soon, and is so blessed for the opportunity to work with some amazing therapists.
Front Office
Our wonderful front office staff members are very friendly, and are here to assist you with any questions you may have.
