Meet Our Team
Dealing with health issues can be a difficult situation. You shouldn’t have to go it alone. The Active Physical Therapy & Sports Injury Center team of certified, highly skilled, and experienced care providers always has our patients’ best interests and wellbeing at heart.
Timothy Messer, DPT, MSPT, CSCS
Tim is a graduate of The University of Montana with more than 20 years professional experience. He’s a licensed physical therapist with a doctorate of physical therapy and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He’s worked extensively with adolescent and collegiate athletes – many who have enjoyed professional athletic careers. While the primary focus of Tim's practice has been sports rehabilitation and orthopedics, he also has extensive education and training in manual therapies for treating patients of all ages. Tim is very active in the community and has served as in such roles such as an instructor at the University of Montana and working with the Missoula County Fire Department on evaluations and injury preventiion.
Laurie Darnell, MSPT
Laurie joined our team of licensed therapists in 2010, after practicing in Georgia. She’s a graduate of the University of Georgia and North Georgia College & State University with a master’s degree in physical therapy. Laurie enjoys providing physical therapy for clients of all ages. Laurie has also completed a specialty course conducted by the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy on biomechanical assessment and manual therapy techniques of the lumbar spine, the lower thoracic spine, hip, knee, foot and ankle joints.
Andrew Kafka, DPT
Drew was born and raised in Havre, MT. He is the youngest of four children and was raised on a ranch where the values of work ethic, integrity and accountability were instilled in him. He participated in football, basketball, soccer, and track in high school. He played two seasons of collegiate football at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. Drew graduated from the University of Montana with a B.S. in exercise science and three years following completion of his undergraduate degree he earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Montana. The greatest influence in Drew wanting to become a PT was his mother, who had paraplegia and required years of PT to regain her full function.
Drew’s interests include hunting, fly fishing, basketball, football, and hiking. His wife Emily, daughter Libby, and their two black labs Harper and Willow love to get out and enjoy all Missoula has to offer. He is an Army veteran and proudly served his country for 6 years. He has a passion for empowering patients in the rehabilitation process and helping patients reach their highest potential. He enjoys treating shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and cervical pathologies and works tirelessly to ensure the highest level of evidence based interventions are utilized to ensure the best outcomes possible.
Tanner Williams, DPT
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Tanner is originally from Laramie, WY and received his bachelor’s in Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Wyoming. After taking some time off to support underserved community members through Americorps, Tanner earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Regis University in Denver, CO. Tanner is passionate about community involvement and service to others which is evident by his treatment approach of individualized and compassionate care. He is an active APTA member and is involved in the APTA sports section. His clinical interests are in sports rehab, general orthopedics, and strength and conditioning. Outside of work, Tanner spends time with his daughter Alayah and wife Andrea where they are often seen outside hiking, biking, skiing, or playing disc golf. Tanner believes in improving the human experience through evidence-based and compassionate care. He wants each of his patients to reach their fullest potential and doesn’t think anyone should have to sacrifice their quality of life because of an injury or pain.
Alicia Rogers, PTA
Alicia is a Missoula, Montana native with six years of clinical experience since graduating from Great Falls College MSU in 1026. She has worked closely with patients of all ages and various activity levels. As a former athlete herself, Alicia utilizes a teamwork approach with a focus on patient education regarding proper exercise progression to build strength and avoid future injuries. Alicia is happy to be serving her local community and working alongside her colleagues her at Active.