About Us

Our Staff

Our Staff

Our Staff | Physical Therapy Advantage

Joe King

Joe King,
PT, Owner

Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer Joe King opened Physical Therapy Advantage in April of 2007, determined to translate his lifelong interest in the sciences and human anatomy into compassionate and effective care for his patients.

He was introduced to the health sciences by an older brother of his who is also an athletic trainer.

When Joe was in high school, he suffered a severe orthopaedic injury which exposed him to long bouts of physical therapy. He was intrigued not only by what was being done to heal his physical pain, but also by the overall approaches to care from different health professionals. He learned what made him feel better mentally and emotionally as well as physically, and studied the differences in how his health professionals approached him and his treatments.

“That’s why it is so important to me now to treat patients like I wanted to be treated,” he explains. He built his whole practice around evidence-based compassionate care and his clinic has a reputation for that, with clients experiencing more one-on-one time with their physical therapists and a significant education component so they can be empowered to help with their healing.

Joe has a Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Nebraska -Lincoln and a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Certified in ASTYM and beginning his certification for Functional Dry Needling (FDN).

Having worked in the western suburbs for more than 12 years, when Joe decided where to open his own practice, he realized he didn’t have to go far from home. In April of 2007, he brought his respected hands-on physical therapy services delivered in a one-on-one setting to the Fox Valley.

Joe has 23+ years of varied experience treating collegiate and high school athletes, orthopaedic patients, and pediatric clients in athletic medicine and outpatient physical therapy settings.

He also has a special interest in pediatric sports medicine and functional foot orthotics. A life-long learner, he is equally at ease treating premature infants with special needs or treating marathon runners. Through the years he has also acquired experience in the fabrication of foot orthotics, myofascial release, cerebral palsy, running techniques, pediatric milestones, lower back dysfunction, pediatric sports injuries, shoulder pathologies, patello-femoral and lower extremity injuries, Mulligan techniques and Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization (ASTYM).

Julie Crane

Julie Crane,
PT, DPT, Clinical Director

Julie Crane has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the Ola Grimsby Institute. Certified in Functional Dry Needling (FDN) and ASTYM.

She joined the team at Physical Therapy Advantage in March of 2009.

Prior to that she worked in a variety of settings including outpatient orthopaedics, inpatient acute care working primarily with joint replacement patients and in the area of neurological rehabilitation.

Julie oversees our vestibular rehabilitation therapies. Her manual training emphasizes exercise prescriptions. She also has experience in Pilates which she incorporates into her practice. Julie lives in Batavia with her husband and three children.

Christine Leszczewicz

Christine Leszczewicz,
PT, DPT

Christine graduated from Bradley University with her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2021. She was extremely grateful and excited to begin her career at Physical Therapy Advantage. Her favorite part of PT is working one-on-one with her clients and getting to be in a fun, busy envioronment.

In her free time, she likes dancing, going to the movies, and taking care of her small jungle of houseplants.

Susan Smith

Susan Smith,
Patient Care Coordinator

Susan graduated from West Aurora High School and studied Social Work at Aurora University. She has been advocating for clients for over 20 years in different settings. She enjoys assisting and empowering clients to maximize their insurance benefits to reach their health goals. Susan is honored to be a part of the positive environment Physical Therapy Advantage provides for our community.

When Susan is not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending every moment with her daughter and her family.

Ana Garcia

Ana Garcia,
Client Service Advocate

I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Physical Therapy Advantage and excited to take part on this new chapter in my life. I graduated from West Aurora Hight School in 2006 and have lived in Aurora, Illinois, my entire life. I've spent the last 20 years or so working in three different customer services careers, learning and growing in each. This year, I made the choice to obtain a Medical Office Certificate. I'm currently enrolled at the College of DuPate, where I'm pursuing an Associate in Arts degree and hope to graduate in a couple of years. I enjoy learning new skills, helping others, and meeting new people.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking for family and friends, going on nature walks alone or with my dog, and watching shows and movies.

Matthew Bayna

Matthew Bayna,
PT Aide

Matthew is currently in his gap year applying to physical therapy school. Matthew graduated from Neuqua Valley in Naperville in 2014 then graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. Matthew is a fan of all types of sports more specifically soccer where he played semi-professionally in Las Vegas.

During his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants, exercising, and watching sports with his friends.

Greg Bresse

Greg Bresse,
PT Aide

Greg Bresse is a current student at Aurora University. He is graduating in May 2022 with a degree in exercise science and minors in psychology and physiology. Eventually he's looking to become a physical therapist assistant. 

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, going hiking, and trying out new restaurants.