Support Your Nervous System. Transform Your Life.
At Hummingbird Performance Medicine, our holistic approach equips our clients with the knowledge and tools they need to confidently navigate their healing journeys and optimize their performance. We know that understanding your nervous system unlocks the path to your full potential. That’s why education and empowerment are the beating heart of every service we provide. Our compassionate and personalized approach helps you take control and achieve your goals, wherever your journey may lead. We’re excited to support you on your path to optimal health and performance.
We’re Here to Help!
Did you know that your body has incredible natural self-protection abilities that are always communicating with you? Too often, our culture’s approaches to recovery and performance tell us to ignore, drown out, or even fight against these helpful and protective messages. But, when we override this self-protective system, we invariably lead ourselves to feeling stuck or stagnant, experiencing one frustration or failure after another.
At Hummingbird Performance Medicine, our holistic approach works with your body’s innate defense system to help you gain control of your healing experience. Our friendly, supportive environment encourages you to explore and grow, ensuring your journey into somatic medicine is rewarding and impactful.
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Our Somatic Coaching services are for anyone! Regardless of injury status, career field, or how active you are (or aren’t), we’re ready to work with you!
We work with athletes, performers, tactical personnel, and other active individuals who:
feel “stuck” or stalled, whether in their recovery, improving their athletic performance, or pursuing their life’s goals: “Something’s not right but I don’t know what it is”
experience recurring injuries to the same body part: “I’ve just always had problems with my (knee/ankle/back/etc.)”
tend to have injuries or other physical impairments frequently: “If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” or “I just can’t catch a break!”
feel disconnected from their identity, their body, and/or their team, especially during their injury recovery process
were overlooked, dismissed, or unheard by prior traditional medical approaches
are returning to activity following an injury
want to gain an “edge” in their performance
We also work with fellow medical professionals ready to take control of their entire human experience, improving their well-being beyond just their clinical self-identity.
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Each of our services for medical professionals focuses on clinical applications of somatic sports medicine concepts. Whether you’re looking for advice about a specific case or you want to integrate Somatic Activities and an understanding of Parts into your regular practice, when you work with us, you’ll learn the concepts and the techniques central to our approach so you can begin applying them in your clinical care right away.
Ways to work with us:
Case Consultation: Invite us to collaborate in your patient care! When we consult on a case, we learn the specifics of the case and your goals for your patient’s recovery. Then, we teach you relevant concepts and somatic tools tailored to your patient’s needs. We discuss progressions and answer any questions you have to set you up for successful resolution of the patient’s case. Our unique approach to clinical care is especially helpful for your “frequent flyer” patients, your patient who just isn’t progressing like you expect, or your patient whose physiological response to treatment is either excessive or non-existent.
You can schedule a one-time case consultation with us, or we also offer ongoing/long-term case mentoring packages to assist you throughout a patient’s full rehabilitation and recovery journey.
Professional Mentoring: Work with us one-on-one to learn the concepts and techniques of our one-of-a-kind approach to patient care. Our mentoring empowers you to begin applying the concepts of Self-Protective Nervous System Activation to your clinical practice while you receive ongoing support and feedback. You’ll learn how to identify patients who will benefit from these techniques, select appropriate interventions based on your patient’s presentation, how to include these techniques in your patient homework/HEPs, how to progress/regress to meet your patient where they’re at on a given day, and so much more!
Personal Coaching: These sessions address all aspects of your life and place a special emphasis on critical components of being a medical professional, including:
honoring your needs while serving in a Helping Profession
refining your boundaries related to work
addressing the impact of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
healing from an imbalanced, unhealthy, or otherwise toxic work environment
understanding the unique traits and circumstances that lead us to the medical field and also place us on the path to burnout — and how to stay engaged in our profession without losing ourselves
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Our engaging workshops help you transform your organization’s approach to injuries, recovery, performance, and leadership. We tailor your workshop to the unique challenges you face, whether you’re a sports team, dance company, military unit, sports medicine department, coaching staff, professional association, or other group in Human Performance. Every workshop equips your group with actionable tools you can implement immediately.
Sample workshops for athletes, performers, operators, and patients:
Overcoming “Stuckness” in Training and Performance
How to Actually “Listen to Your Body” (and Improve Your Recovery and Performance)
Optimize Your Performance through the Immense Power of Your Nervous System
Sample workshops for coaches, managers, and staff:
Somatic Practices to Enhance Your Team’s Recovery and Performance
Understanding the Physiological and Environmental Factors Contributing to Your Team’s Successes and Challenges
You’re their Leader, Not their Parent: How to Build a Work Culture that Meets Your Employees Where They’re at While Empowering Them to Grow
Sample workshops for sports medicine practitioners:
Integrating Polyvagal Theory into Your Sports Medicine Practice
Why Medical Professionals are Susceptible to Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Vicarious Trauma — and What to Do About It
After the Accident: A Nervous System Focused Approach to Trauma-Informed Care
And so much more! When you contact us to set up a workshop, we’ll discuss your goals and make sure you get exactly what you need!
Other opportunities to work with us
Continuing Education Conferences: We are proud to present on a variety of topics at sports medicine conferences and continuing education events. Use the form below to invite us to share our knowledge at your next event!
Educators: Our founder, Laura, is available as a guest speaker, lecturer, or instructor for your Athletic Training Education Program or Physical Therapy training program. Contact us to learn more!
In-Person Care
Our CEO, Laura, works with clients in person at Athletic HealthCare, the sports medicine and performance facility inside Las Vegas Circus Center.
Working with Laura in-person means you get hands-on assessment and tailored treatment that blends sports medicine, polyvagal theory, somatic practices, parts work, and trauma-informed care. Her in-clinic guidance combines precise manual techniques, real-time movement coaching, and individualized strategies you can practice between visits to help you move more comfortably and rebuild confidence in your body and abilities.
When you work with Laura, you get:
clear education about what’s happening in your body
realistic treatment goals
immediately-actionable strategies to feel better and move with more confidence.
Laura’s manual therapy skills include:
Dry Needling
Fascial Manipulation
Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization ("scraping")
Cupping
and more!
You do not have to be a circus performer or pay for gym time at the Circus Center to receive care. Athletic HealthCare has a massage therapist on staff as well, so you can also schedule a massage with him!
Not sure what you need?
Let’s figure it out together!
Schedule a free 20 minute video consultation to discuss your situation and goals. We’ll review your options and guide you in next steps, even if they’re not with us!
Holistic Healing and Performance Optimization
Hummingbird Performance Medicine’s innovative services blend Western sports medicine with somatic practices and concepts from polyvagal theory and parts work. We’re dedicated to fostering a safe space for your growth and healing, making us a trusted partner in your journey to optimal performance and well-being.
We empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to reconnect with your body’s innate protective system so you can navigate your personal and professional challenges with ease.
Our founder is personally involved in every service we offer.
Meet Laura!
Laura Mertz, founder of Hummingbird Performance Medicine, is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with over 17 years of experience in high-performance environments including US Special Forces and Cirque du Soleil. She’s utilized a Whole Person, Whole Life approach in her clinical care for over a decade. This approach is the foundation of Hummingbird Performance Medicine’s services.
Several years ago, Laura recognized that current Western Sports Medicine constructs were failing to meet her patients’ needs. She began incorporating somatic practices and concepts from polyvagal theory into her regular clinical care and received overwhelmingly positive responses from her patients. That’s when Laura’s work to advance sports medicine practices for both patients and practitioners began in earnest, with the nervous system oriented peer education and clinical services that eventually became Hummingbird Performance Medicine.
Laura remains passionate about bringing this vital information to as many people as possible. That’s why, when you hire us, you’ll work directly with Laura. This level of personal attention ensures that your unique circumstances and needs are addressed through a multidisciplinary lens blending sports medicine, polyvagal theory, somatic practices, and trauma-informed care.
Contact Us
Ready to learn how our approach can help you? Have a question that wasn’t answered here? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message to learn more about our personalized coaching, educational, and professional training services.