The Climb Clinic | Physical Therapy & Sports Performance

Fantastic experience: It is a relief to finally be able to see a doctor who understands the unique injuries related to climbing. Kevin quickly figured out exactly what was going on with my finger and sent a comprehensive rehab/training plan to get me back on track. I've seen a lot of doctors for climbing injuries before, and mostly left feeling disappointed and like no one listened to me. It was amazing being in a medical setting where the entire staff knew so much about climbing. Can't recommend enough!

Fantastic experience: Christine is a phenomenal PT, and I only wish I had gone to her earlier this summer! After having soreness and sharp pain in my knee, I booked an appointment with Christine to look into injury prevention. Christine was incredibly attentive and empathetic regarding my concerns about over stressing my knees playing volleyball and tennis. She reassured me that I was just overusing muscles I had not strengthened properly. After assessing my flexibility and strength in the onsite gym, she recommended a warmup and progressive strength training regiment. The next day, I had the assessment summary, warmup, and exercises all in a thorough email, which was great because there was a lot of information packed into the session. The following week at volleyball, my coach commented that I have never played better, and we won because I “could jump again”!

Fantastic experience: Kevin was attentive, knowledgable, and effective! The Climb Clinic is an excellent facility rehab and training. Definitely a great place to visit if you're a dedicated climber looking for sport specific treatment/training.

Fantastic experience: Huge thank you to Christine who treated my 21 year old son Daniel at the Heart and Soul comp in Denver last weekend. He strained his right hamstring in qualifiers and was pretty sore going into finals. She spent a lot of time with him, made some great observations and recommendations then treated him and prepared him for finals. She also taped him and helped him stay injury free in finals. She was very professional and knowledgeable and couldn't have been nicer. Kevin and Taylor were very kind as well. My son lives in Salt Lake now but if he were in Denver. We'd use the Climbing Clinic!! Thank you so much.

Fantastic experience: Words can’t fully describe the care I received with Annie at the Climb Clinic. Annie and all the staff offer a professional and warm welcome in a state of the art facility. After breaking my foot in a climbing accident, resulting in surgery, I spent over 3 months receiving exceptional physical therapy with Annie; she was able to honor my drive to return to the wall as soon as possible while always encouraging me to be patient and respect the healing process. The staff at the Climb Clinic has become another extension of my climbing family and I can’t wait to continue skills training with Derek!

Fantastic experience: Kevin was able to give me a prompt diagnosis for my hand injury, and followed up with a detailed plan that gives me confidence I'll be back climbing strong soon. He's also very understanding of the mental struggle of not climbing during rehab. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: I had a lingering shoulder injury that hadn't healed after months of rest. I found The Climb Clinic on a flyer at Movement Golden and made an app't with Annie. She was awesome. She was super thorough in her exam trying to figure out what was wrong with me. She did a lot of soft tissue therapy and gave me exercises and stretches. The homework was emailed to me and was super-organized - there was a list of each exercise or stretch, the purpose, a link to a video of it, and how often and how many to do. It took about three sessions before I noticed a meaningful difference, and after five meetings I'm finally able to climb again consistently without pain. Towards the end of our sessions I also sprained my ankle and she was able to rehab that too. I'm super thankful to have Annie in my corner for all my PT. She's fantastic.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been having a great experience with The Climb Clinic! They have been incredibly helpful with my rehab of a few climbing-related injuries and I feel like I’m making progress through each session. Every PT and conditioning specialist is incredibly thoughtful and smart in their craft and I can tell I’m in good hands. 6 stars out of 5.

Fantastic experience: I have had nothing but good experience speaking and working with the folks from the climb clinic! From the expansive knowledge of climbing related injuries to just in general being really fun people to be around. You won’t be disappointed. If you are a climber with serious injuries, aches and pains, or have training and coaching needs the climb clinic is the place to go!

Fantastic experience: I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Climb Clinic and would easily recommend it for anyone looking for sports oriented physical therapy. Especially climbers. Kevin took his time to understand my injury and laid out a detailed plan to result in recovery and strengthening, showing me many exercises in person. He sent a very detailed follow-up email with exercises (as well as how-to videos), and considerations for my climbing throughout my recovery process. Again - couldn’t recommend them more and I will be coming back!

Fantastic experience: TL;DR - Kevin is great, worth the money, and will get you back climbing strong quicker than you can on your own. After years of strong climbers telling me to 'go see Kevin' after each finger injury, I finally did. He did not disappoint. It was so refreshing to have a doctor that's a climbing expert diagnose my ailments and craft a rehab protocol specific to my needs. I went into the clinic thinking for sure I had a pulled A2 but after an ultrasound on my digit Kevin confirmed I had finger flexor tenosynovitis - basically inflamed tendon sheath. Turns out these two are treated very differently so my 'self-diagnosis' and treatment plan for months leading up to my appointment only kept me from climbing hard and did not actually help my recovery. Now that I've got Kevin's protocol and am on the mend, I've been able to climb consistently without pain - meaning I can train harder and climb stronger. So, if you're a stubborn and frugal climber, which is all of us, do yourself a favor and go see the folks at the Climbing Clinic so that you can get healthy and climb stronger.

Fantastic experience: I can’t recommend Kevin and the Climb Clinic enough. After injuring my shoulder, I met with an MD who told me I didn’t need surgery but didn’t provide much more info or anything in the way of a rehab plan. I work a physical job and a permanent injury to my shoulder joint would be a career-ender. In the past, I’ve been underwhelmed with physical therapy. Knowing several climbers that have had similar injuries to mine I decided to give the Climb Clinic a chance. Kevin gave my shoulder a thorough physical exam and gave me a definitive diagnosis. He then outlined a detailed rehab plan with videos to show the exercises and modified my current workout routine to assist with my rehab. Knowing exactly what is wrong with my shoulder and what I need to do to return to full strength has taken a ton of stress out of a painful situation.

Fantastic experience: I am very great full for being able to attend to this session, I wanted to be seen by experts in climbing, and thats what I got. The encouragement given helped me a lot and together with the exercises Ill be soon climbing again. Indira ☀️

Fantastic experience: I can't recommend Kevin & the Climbing Clinic enough. I've been struggling with a shoulder issue and was clueless how to handle and Kevin came highly recommended through friends. I immediately made a quick phone consult & then saw him the following week. He did a very thorough evaluation, some great treatments to alleviate my symptoms in real time, and not only walked me through an initial treatment plan, but followed up with the most thorough email of all time with specific instructions, links to videos, and a killer training plan. He's great at explaining the how & why behind everything and I finally feel like I'm on a path to recovery. Not to mention, felt immediate pain relief from the session. Don't think twice, make the appointment!

Fantastic experience: If you're looking for expert physical therapy look no further! I’ve utilized this clinic for three separate concerns. Dr. Kevin has helped me with a flexor tendon finger injury and also a shoulder injury, and Dr. Annie helped me with a knee issue. Both thoroughly evaluated me (ultrasound was an awesome visual aid) and put together an excellent protocol/program that's easy to follow. With their exceptional care and advice they both got me back to climbing stronger than before. The instagram videos are super helpful!

Fantastic experience: Did an initial eval with Kevin. He was very knowledgeable and easy to work with. He set me up with 3 splints and even gave me material to try making one myself! I look forward to working with them for further rehab and strengthening.

Fantastic experience: Kevin did an amazing job helping me through some chronic medial elbow pain. The routine he gave me to do at home worked well and got me back to climbing pain free without limitations. The way he progressed the routine made it easy for me to feel progress and stay motivated. Can't recommend Kevin and the team enough!

Fantastic experience: Dr. Neal is fantastic! I suffer from a decades old injury and just haven't been happy with any physical therapist's approach to therapy, until now. She put me through an array of tests, identified my weaknesses, and built me a custom program to not only rehabilitate but to strengthen the injured area so I can push off a knee replacement for as long as possible. Could not recommend these guys enough!

Fantastic experience: I saw Kevin concerning persistent shoulder pain while climbing. Kevin assessed my shoulder and helped me create a plan to reduce pain and build strength to not only get back to where I was, but to also progress in a way that will reduce the likelihood of future injury. Kevin, and all the other folks at the Climb Clinic are super pro and friendly. I only wish I came to see them sooner.

Fantastic experience: I had an excellent experience at the Climb Clinic! Kevin was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive to my finger injury rehabilitation. He designed a personalized treatment plan that will let me regain strength quickly and get back outside rock climbing in no time! The facility was clean, well-equipped, and the therapists were friendly and professional. Thanks to their expertise, I am confident about my finger rehabilitation, and I couldn't be happier with the care I received. Thank you Climb Clinic!

Fantastic experience: I had my first session with Kevin last week for a climbing related knee injury. He was very helpful in determining the type of injury, starting me on a rehab plan, and laying out the ideal timelines and progressions. I look forward to continuing to work with him, and would highly recommend him and the climb clinic for working through climbing injuries.

Fantastic experience: I was very happy with my experience at the Climb Clinic! The climbing and athlete specific experience that the therapists have is super helpful for them being able to properly dose and progress excercise and rehab plans. For climbing and sports related injuries, you will find much better treatment here then a traditional physical therapy clinic! -Manny

Fantastic experience: Annie has been an amazing PT for my various climbing injuries. She is thorough in her diagnoses, offers many options for treatment, and - most importantly - understands the importance to be able to continue exercising while healing as an athlete. Highly recommend her for any stubborn injuries and to any athletes wanting to maintain their performance.

Fantastic experience: I visited Kevin for a shoulder injury. He's really awesome. He is both a PT and a climber (I actually met him at the crag before seeing him in his clinic), so he knows exactly what kind of injuries we climbers go through. His approach to diagnosis is very methodical, and I really loved how he gave me a set of exercises and wrote them down & sent them in a follow-up email, so I could do them as a warmup and also as rehab for my shoulder injury. 10/10 would recommend!

Fantastic experience: I cannot recommend Annie and the Climb Clinic enough. They provided me with a comprehensive recovery guide and allowed me to return to climbing significantly faster than I anticipated. Furthermore, the time spent with them at the Golden location was always enjoyable and allowed me to comfortably work through my injury. I would highly recommend them for any injury be it climbing related or any other sport.

Fantastic experience: Derek and Kevin are the best of the best when it comes to injury and training progression. I cannot recommend The Climb Clinic enough to anyone who has been struggling with injury throughout their climbing career. If you are thinking about making an appointment. Do it.

Fantastic experience: Annie has been helping me with various finger injuries for the past 6 months - most recently a partially ruptured A4 pulley. Her diagnosis (using ultrasound of the finger) was seamless and she has put together a rehabilitation/healing schedule for me that has already made a difference. She has also used dry needling techniques on my forearm to help a previous tendon strain as well as elbow tendonitis. Annie knows her stuff and continues to become more of a climbing specific body expert!

Fantastic experience: This is the only place to go for PT whether you're a climber or not. I've never felt so supported and listened to in dealing with an injury in all my years of being active. I spent one whole year in and out of the ortho for an injury, but I'll never go that route again. Instead of telling me (like an ortho would) to stop climbing end of story, Christine (and Kevin on another occasion) did everything in their power to keep me climbing, working out and doing all the things I love. Christine has gone above and beyond with checkins via email and spending extra time with me even though I know all their schedules are jam packed. 10/10 recommend to anyone dealing with a sports related injury.

Fantastic experience: I've visited the climb clinic 3 times to see both Kevin Cowell and Christine Neal and each time I was pleased. Their ability to diagnose finger injuries is much better than the other generalist PTs and surgeons I've seen. Most recently, I saw Kevin for a popped pulley. He was able to determine the severity of the injury fairly quickly and had a program ready to go. Additionally, he made me a custom splint for my pulley. Going to see Kevin not only gave me an evidence based plan of action but also helped my mentally as this injury was absolutely devastating and I was dreading a much longer recovery. They aren't just a one trick pulley pony either. Christine diagnosed tenosynovitis in my finger right before I had a trip to Greece. I told her my goal was to be able to at least climb 11d on the trip and her programming got me there and I had a successful trip! We're lucky to finally have a climbing specialty clinic on the front range, it's a bonus that they provide a great service!

Fantastic experience: I reached out to Kevin and the folks at The Climb Clinic after I tore my labrum and had to have surgery to fix it. They're been nothing short of excellent to work with, and my ortho was absolutely shocked at the progress I'd made between follow-ups. I've since gone back to Kevin for other issues and it's always been a great experience. Can't recommend them enough.

Fantastic experience: I had a great experience at the climb clinic! I climb but am also a big runner and was having foot and hip issues. I saw Dr Leavitt since she has a special interest in running and she did a gait assessment and gave me some great exercises to fix my asymmetries. She was wonderful. Strongly recommend

Fantastic experience: Wow, Kevin is a miracle worker! After one session with him I had a noticeable decrease in pain in my shoulder. The exercises and warm ups he recommends are sent to you with a lot of information about how to do them, the amount, and even videos showing what the exercise looks like! I also had the opportunity to work with Derek, their strength specialist, and I had so much fun getting on the wall with him and talking about techniques and ways to avoid over straining my injured shoulder. They have a kilter board and a tension board, and an abundance of exercise machines and bands to work with. Overall I would recommend this place to any climber that is having some pain and wants to get it looked at. Don't wait! Do it now!

Fantastic experience: Kevin is professional, personable and generous with his time. I came in with a tricky and nagging injury and Kevin was able to run me through a set of diagnostics to pretty quickly identify both the symptom and the root cause of the issue. Understanding the difference was pretty insightful for me as it helped me prioritize the PT. Kevin then ran me through a custom PT plan for a few weeks to alleviate the initial pain and symptoms. I stuck to his plan and it worked. Now we're moving forward with a custom plan to improve strength and resiliency in the impacted area. Can't recommend The Climb Clinic enough. Also, Kevin gave me a free band to do the PT!

Fantastic experience: I was recommended to see Dr. Kevin Cowell from a former physical therapist employee of mine, and as a PT myself, I had high expectations for my evaluation with Kevin. I had been having some palm pain for about 3 months, and had been recently evaluated by a hand ortho who thought I might have Dupuytren's disease, and to just "keep an eye on it", which totally had me freaked out. After Kevin performed ultrasound imaging on my hand, he found swelling in the area and no real signs of Dupuytren's, which had me greatly relieved!! He then performed some manual treatments and showed me techniques I can do on my own to manage the swelling and help reduce the pain so I could continue CrossFit and mountain biking. Overall, super impressed and would recommend him and his new space in Golden to everyone! PT FIRST!!!

Fantastic experience: I’ve been coming here since it was just Kevin at G1 and I was on the CU climbing team. I knew I had to come back to help get treatment for an injury even though I now live in Canada that’s had an impact on my route-setting. When I was back in town I saw Annie and she helped me out so much with a nagging injury. She took my injury pretty seriously and came up with a long term plan to get it back on track. These guys also really care about their community with climbing team partnerships and extra care for route-setters. Thanks so much you guys! Only wish I lived closer :).

Fantastic experience: Kevin was so helpful in diagnosing my finger injury and coming up with a comprehensive recovery program. You can instantly tell how knowledgeable and caring he is. I highly recommend anyone struggling with climbing (or other sport) related injuries to see him.

Fantastic experience: Christine is amazing at what she does. I'd been dealing with a climbing injury for 3 months and no one could quite figure out what was going on. She gave me some great insight just in the free phone consult. Then in the appointment she was so thorough, really listened and made me feel comfortable explaining what had been going on. She gave me a plan to move forward and I've started climbing again since that appointment, which feels great. Thank you for everything!

Fantastic experience: Kevin is the man! Knowledgable and great bedside manner. He provided me with some great guidance on recovery strategy for a climbing related brachioradialis strain as well as some PIP joint synovitis lingering after a previous collateral ligament injury. Definitely schedule an appointment with him if you have a stubborn injury and don't know what steps to take. I'm sure he'll be stoked to help.

Fantastic experience: Christine from the climbing clinic is amazing! I have experienced tons of injuries from working as a trail builder. This year, Christine has helped by giving me tons of great mobility exercises to warm up and cool down with in order to actively prevent my injuries. This has allowed me to continue my work and active lifestyle!

Fantastic experience: Christine and Kevin gave me an hour of personalized care and undivided attention. They assessed my previous injuries and potential risks for my upcoming trail season. They were extremely knowledgeable and honest, giving me the tools I need to manage my injury when I'm not at the clinic. I look forward to my next visit and would definitely recommend the Climb Clinic to anyone seeking quality care to remain active.

Fantastic experience: I saw Kevin at the beginning of last summer and was super impressed from the get-go! His evaluation was thorough and I loved the interactive use of the ultrasound which was really interesting. It felt more like a conversation rather than being peppered with questions and he really seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say about my symptoms/climbing habits. I had some life stuff come up so hadn't been able to get as plugged into his recommended workouts/exercises as I would've liked, however he sent me a huge summary email full of information that I kept in my inbox until I was ready to dedicate time to recovering. Overall so happy with my visit!

Fantastic experience: Kevin has an unparalleled knowledge of the issues facing climbers. His breadth of knowledge of potential injuries for climbers is excellent. He takes a holistic approach to diagnosing and addressing any problem. I went to see him for upper chest pain and was astonished to see how “issues” that you think may not be connected are actually connected and the main root of your problem. After the session, he provided me with many excellent exercises and supplemental videos as well to maintain my upper back and chest strength and mobility. I have gone to physical therapy in the past and had multiple sessions where I feel little improvement but simply one session with Kevin provided me immense help. I highly recommend if you are having any issues whatsoever!!

Fantastic experience: I have been to Kevin for all types of injuries; from climbing, to running, and even minuscule crochet injuries. His sessions leave me feeling better than when I came in and always include a clear plan of action on how to actively recover after our session. I love Kevin's approach because he tries his best to give you a rehabilitation plan that works while allowing you to continue your activities while recovering. Highly, highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: As a life long climber of close to 30 years and a professional climbing coach I'm no stranger to injuries. I've sent many clients client to the climbing clinic with wonderful results. So when I heard a pop in my finger I knew just who to contact. Kevin's gifts go beyond his wonderful diagnostic and rehab prescription abilities to include some of the best interpersonal skills you could ask for in a clinician. His ability to help me feel heard, supported, and confident moving forward is worth its weight in gold. I can't recommend the climbing clinic and Kevin enough for climbing related injuries or anything else. I'm confident you will be in good hands!

Fantastic experience: I have had the pleasure to work with Kevin as an instructor with the Climbing Doctors Special Interest Group and one-on-one as a mentor helping me build my own climbing specific PT clinic. He is both an excellent educator and mentor. He really takes pride in what he does and is passionate about passing his knowledge on to others. I would highly recommend him both as a physical therapist to those suffering from climbing related injuries and as a great resource to other physical therapist interested in working in the climbing realm!

Fantastic experience: Saw Kevin for a nagging knee injury. As a competitive distance runner of 10+ years, I’ve seen a lot of people for the injuries I’ve picked up along the way. Kevin, by far, struck me as the most professional, kind, and knowledgeable. I believe I was his last appt that day and he still went overtime with me making sure to be thorough and clear of his thoughts on my injury and rehab timeline. I left feeling confident in my plan going forward and that it wouldn’t be long before I was back to regular training. I would absolutely recommend Kevin and his associates (Christine, for example, who is a running specialist that I’ll be seeing now after referral by Kevin) to anyone looking to get their bodies back on track—regardless of degree of athletic ability or commitment.

Fantastic experience: After getting my knee MRI results back from my surgeon, I decided to contact Kevin at the Climb Clinic to see if he could help me avoid surgery. I had the same surgery 5 years back on my other knee and was unable to avoid surgery even after 6 months of PT with another PT. After. seeing Kevin, he not only assessed what was happening in our 60min consult, but wrote me an extensive 8 week plan with easy to follow instructions, and videos. Each of the exercises are planed towards building upon one another to get me back into climbing movement. Kevin was also able to help me work around my current weight training schedule so that I can PT and keep the rest of my body strong. Kevin is scientific with his approach and calculated. He takes the time to explain exactly what he's seeing and doing to help me recover. I feel confident Kevin is putting me on the road to recovery and getting my knee stronger to get back to climbing

Fantastic experience: Kevin has all the credentials, knowledge and enthusiasm to help rehabilitate injuries or just increase overall strength and fitness for any level athlete. I have climbed for many decades and trust Kevin to help me return to climbing after sustaining a severe finger injury. The progress I have made thus far with Kevin's guidance has been nothing short of remarkable! So glad to have found Kevin and The Climb Clinic!

Fantastic experience: I saw Kevin a little over a week ago for an ankle sprain. I waited to write my review because I wanted some time with the rehab plan he built. I'm glad I did! It helped cement the outstanding experience I had with him. When I first came in Kevin spent time talking with me about my goals for the session. I truly felt heard as I was talking to him and right off the bat I felt like we were a team working on my injury. He took time assessing the joint and talked me through the injury. We worked on some different exercises and he created a personalized rehab plan for me that's been phenomenal. All in all I'm extremely happy with my time with Kevin. He's extremely knowledgeable, easy to talk to and truly takes his time with his patients. I will be returning to him for all my PT needs.

Fantastic experience: Kevin really knows his stuff! He's very engaged and his drive to help you reach your rehab and climbing goals is clear. His take-home plans are well thought out and easy to follow. It is really nice to get PT in a space oriented to climbing!