Superior Physical Therapy

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Superior Physical Therapy Superior Physical Therapy is dedicated to keeping you in the game! We specialize in racquet sport injuries and rehabilitation.

My name is Keely Behning, and I am a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience helping people move better and live pain-free! I specialize in racquet sports injury prevention, rehabilitation and sports optimization. I am a board-certified sports clinical specialist, a physical therapist, and a certified athletic trainer. I have advanced training in working with overhead athletes, shoulder rehabilitation, dry needling, as well as vestibular rehabilitation (vertigo, concussion, etc). Why I chose cash-based physical therapy? Frustrated by limitations imposed by insurance companies, I founded this practice to prioritize my patients’ needs. Cash-based or out-of-network physical therapy offers greater control over your treatment plan and potentially faster results, allowing you to prioritize your path to recovery.

10/16/2026

One activity—and then you’re done for the day? What if you could enjoy the next one, too?

Pain can make your world smaller. You skip the workout, cut the game short, or turn down plans because you know you’ll hurt afterward.

Imagine saying yes more often—and spending less time recovering from the things you love.

Watch the before-and-after squat in this video, then hear about being able to enjoy three activities in one day. What would a day like that look like for you?

Focused shockwave may help reduce pain and improve function so you can get back to doing more of what matters to you.

👉 Message me “SHOCKWAVE” and tell me what pain is keeping you from doing. Let’s see if this treatment is a good fit.

📍 Superior Physical Therapy | Mendota Heights.

10/12/2026

The games missed. The matches cut short. The workouts skipped. The walks and plans with family put off.

Pain can make life smaller—one missed experience at a time.

That’s why this moment matters. Before focused shockwave treatment, this patient rated her squat pain at 6/10. Watch her reaction afterward.

After three treatments, she reported walking with her daughter, biking with her husband, and playing two hours of pickleball—all in one day.

More than a better squat. More time on the court. More time with family. More freedom to enjoy being active.

Focused shockwave is a noninvasive treatment aimed at reducing pain and supporting the body’s repair processes, with the goal of improving movement and function over time.

Imagine more days filled with the things you love.

💬 Message “SHOCKWAVE” to find out whether this treatment could be a good fit and schedule your first visit.

📍 Superior Physical Therapy | Mendota Heights, MN

10/10/2026

Professional pickleball player Aanik Lohani describes focused shockwave as “life-changing” for his chronic plantar fasciitis. With his permission, I’m sharing his story—alongside reactions from other athletes I’ve treated.

Watch their before-and-after movements, then stay until the end for one patient’s update after three treatments: walking with her daughter, biking with her husband, and playing two hours of pickleball—all in the same day. 🙌

Helping people get back to the activities they love is why I do this.

Curious whether focused shockwave could be a fit for you? Send me a message to learn more.

📍 Superior Physical Therapy | Mendota Heights, MN

10/06/2026

Got pain or stubborn muscle tightness? Dry needling with electrical stimulation—called PENS—may help.

Your body uses electrical signals to make muscles contract—and muscles need energy to relax, too.

A tight band of muscle may restrict local blood flow, reducing the oxygen available to produce that energy. This may contribute to a cycle of tightness and pain.

Dry needling places a thin needle into a sensitive spot in that muscle. This can stimulate a nerve response and trigger a brief muscle twitch. Needling may also improve local blood flow and oxygen delivery, helping interrupt that cycle.

Adding electrical stimulation sends gentle electrical pulses through the needle. These pulses activate nearby nerves, creating the repeated muscle contractions you see here, and may help your nervous system turn down pain signals.

In a 2016 study of 62 people with chronic muscle-related neck pain, adding electrical stimulation was “more effective than dry needling alone for decreasing soreness in the short term”—and provided greater neck-pain relief immediately after treatment.
Tired of feeling tight and being in pain? Let’s get you back to the activities you love. Contact me at Superior Physical Therapy to schedule a dry needling treatment.

10/01/2026

Still struggling with shoulder pain—even after treatment? It may be time for a second opinion.

If you’re disappointed with your progress, unsure what’s causing your symptoms, or feel you haven’t received care from someone with extensive shoulder experience, I’d be happy to help.

During my sports medicine residency in 2006–2007, I trained alongside leading shoulder surgeons and physical therapists. Since then, shoulder conditions have made up approximately 75% of my caseload.

I commonly treat rotator cuff injuries, shoulder instability, arthritis, frozen shoulder, impingement, and shoulders recovering from surgery.

Whether you’re seeking help for the first time or looking for a fresh perspective after previous treatment, we’ll take time to understand your symptoms, assess your shoulder, and develop a plan around your goals.

You don’t have to settle for ongoing pain or unanswered questions. Call Superior Physical Therapy to schedule an evaluation or second opinion with me.

Keely Behning, PT, SCS, ATC
Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist
📍 Inside The Heights Racquet & Social Club, Mendota Heights

09/24/2026

Watch what happens when this pickleball athlete gets low. He naturally bends through his spine while his hips stay high, making it harder to push off, change direction, and move explosively on the court.

We started by helping him find a position where he could bend through his hips and knees and be ready to move. First on two legs, then on one—because pickleball rarely gives you a perfectly balanced stance.

From there, we built strength in that position and practiced moving into and out of it repeatedly, with different exercises and demands. The goal was for his body to find it even when he had less time to think.

Then we took it to the kitchen. Now he’s moving into that position while tracking and hitting the ball.

That’s what individual elite pickleball training is about: helping the strength and movement we build off court show up on court. 🏓

09/19/2026

Here we go again…lucky me. 🙃

I’m 48, I’m in perimenopause, and this is my second experience with vertigo. Those details may actually be connected.

Last time, I played in a pickleball tournament later that day—and somehow took second place. I’m playing at 11:00 today to prepare for another tournament. Who thinks I’m taking home gold? 🥇😂

All joking aside, vertigo can be frightening and debilitating. It can make rolling over, walking, driving, working, and exercising feel impossible.

You might wonder why I have videos of both episodes. It’s because I need to see what my eyes are doing. The direction and duration of the involuntary eye movements—called nystagmus—help determine which ear and semicircular canal are affected and whether the displaced crystals are free-floating or adhered.

One video shows horizontal nystagmus; the other shows a torsional, or twisting, pattern. These findings require very different treatments. This is why BPPV isn’t always as simple as “just do the Epley maneuver.” Vestibular-trained physical therapists use positional testing and the resulting nystagmus to select the appropriate treatment.

So, what does perimenopause have to do with it? Research has found higher rates of BPPV in women during and after the menopause transition. Declining estrogen may affect calcium metabolism and the tiny calcium-carbonate crystals in the inner ear. Changes in vitamin D and bone density may also contribute.

The encouraging news? When the correct type of BPPV is identified, treatment is often highly successful—approximately 9 out of 10 posterior- and horizontal-canal cases in one study were managed within two treatments.

Vertigo is awful, but it may also be very treatable. Now, wish me luck on the pickleball court! 🥇

09/03/2026

Exercise of the Month: The “This Looks Way Easier Than It Is” Posture Exercise

Anyone else find themselves sitting at the computer or scrolling on their phone WAY longer than planned… only to realize you’ve slowly folded yourself into some truly crappy posture?

Yep. Me too. Clearly. 😂

This exercise is great for anyone who tends to slouch or let their shoulders roll forward.

Lie on your stomach with your arms straight by your sides and your palms facing down.

1️⃣ Without lifting your head or back, lift your shoulders as high off the floor as you can. Think about pulling your shoulder blades back and together.

2️⃣ Keep your shoulders in that position, then barely lift your hands off the floor—just high enough that someone could slide a piece of paper underneath them.

3️⃣ Hold for 5 seconds, relax, and repeat.

It looks simple, but you’ll quickly feel the muscles between your shoulder blades working against gravity to keep your shoulders from rolling forward.

Because if we’re going to spend time scrolling, we should at least prepare our shoulders for it. 😂

09/01/2026

Five knee surgeries. Five ACL reconstructions. And he’s still competing in pickleball tournaments. 💪

But pain and fear of movement in his left knee were making it difficult to trust that leg.

Before shockwave treatment, he rated his pain 6–7/10 during a single-leg squat and appeared noticeably unstable.

Immediately afterward:

✅ No pain with the squat
✅ Improved stability
✅ Less hesitation with the movement

With the pain reduced, he became more aware of the underlying weakness—which gives us a clearer target for his rehabilitation.

Pain relief is an important first step. Building strength, control, and confidence is what helps an athlete return to competing without constantly worrying about the knee.

If knee pain is keeping you from trusting your leg on the court, send me a DM to learn whether shockwave treatment combined with rehabilitation may help.

08/25/2026

What happens when the pain decreases—but the weakness is still there?

This pickleball player came in with chronic knee pain and experienced immediate relief following focused shockwave treatment. Once the pain subsided, they became much more aware of the underlying weakness affecting the knee.

Pain relief is an important first step, but rebuilding strength and improving how the body handles load are essential for lasting progress and a confident return to the court.

Tired of knee pain limiting your pickleball game? DM me to learn whether shockwave therapy and physical therapy may be right for you.

Individual responses to treatment vary.

Address

1415 Mendota Heights Road
Mendota Heights, MN
55120

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 3:30pm - 8pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

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