Everything you’d ask first.

In most cases, no. Colorado has direct access to physical therapy, so you can usually book an assessment without a doctor’s referral. Some insurance plans still require a physician referral for coverage, and direct-access rules vary by state. We verify your specific benefits before your first visit so there are no surprises.

Your first visit is a full-hour evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We take a history, screen your movement and strength, find the real driver of the problem, map it to a goal-based program, and start hands-on treatment that same day. You’ll leave with a clear plan and a home program on the app.

We work with most major plans — Anthem BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Aetna, Medicare, and TRICARE — and accept HSA/FSA and cash pay with transparent rates. Before your first visit we run a free benefits check so you know your coverage, any visit limits, and your expected cost up front.

Most people feel a brief twitch or a dull ache as a trigger point releases, then noticeable relief. It’s performed only by certified Doctors of Physical Therapy, using thin sterile filament needles, and is always paired with movement work. We’ll explain everything and go at your pace.

Good rehab respects pain — we work with it, not through it. Some exercises create a manageable challenge, but our job is to calm symptoms first and then rebuild on a load you can tolerate. If something flares you up, we adjust. Boom-and-bust is not our method.

We don’t guess, and we don’t go by the calendar alone. You’re cleared when you pass objective return-to-activity criteria — strength symmetry, hop and agility testing, and sport-specific demands. For runners we add gait analysis and a graded walk-run progression. The goal is to return durable, not just available.

Your home program lives on the Kinetic app: each exercise has a short demo video, your sets and reps, and a place to log how it felt. Your therapist updates it as you progress, and can see your logs before each visit so we spend time on what matters.

Usually not. Most musculoskeletal pain — including the majority of low-back pain — is diagnosed clinically and responds to movement and strengthening, not imaging. If your evaluation suggests imaging or a physician is warranted, we’ll tell you and help coordinate it. This is educational, not a substitute for a medical diagnosis.

Always. For post-surgical rehab we follow your surgeon’s specific protocol, coordinate on milestones, and never advance load faster than the tissue-healing timeline allows. Protecting the repair comes first; rebuilding capacity comes in the right order.

Often, yes — though the approach is different. For persistent pain we combine pain-neuroscience education with graded, paced movement to calm a sensitized system and rebuild your confidence and tolerance. Progress is measured in function and flare-frequency, not just a pain number. Results vary by individual.