Physical Therapy in Aurora, CO
Mountain View Pain Center's licensed physical therapists treat patients across Aurora from two clinics — East Aurora at Southlands and Southeast Aurora on Briarwood Circle. Colorado is a direct access state, so you can start physical therapy without a physician's referral. Your therapist works alongside on-site chiropractors, pain physicians and acupuncturists, reading the same chart — so if your plan needs to change, it changes in the same building with the same team.
Same-day and next-day appointments are usually available. Call (720) 749-5599.
What our Aurora physical therapists treat
- Lower back pain and sciatica, including disc-related pain that travels into the leg
- Neck pain and upper back pain, from desk work and after a collision
- Hip and joint pain — among the most searched problems in Aurora, and among the most treatable without surgery
- Knee and shoulder pain, including pain that began somewhere else and moved
- Post-operative recovery after spine, joint or soft-tissue surgery
- Sports and work injuries, documented to the standard a claim requires
- Balance and mobility loss, including dizziness and unsteadiness
You do not need a referral
Colorado allows direct access to physical therapy, which means you can book with us and begin treatment without seeing a physician first. Some insurance plans still require a referral for coverage rather than for care — we check your specific benefits before your first visit and tell you either way, rather than leaving you to find out afterwards.
How treatment works here
Your first visit is an evaluation, not a workout. We test movement, strength and tolerance, then talk about what you actually need to get back to — work, a sport, sleeping through the night, lifting a grandchild. The plan is built around that, not around a protocol attached to a diagnosis code.
Sessions are one-on-one. Manual therapy, dry needling and modalities are used where they help, combined with the exercise progression that does the lasting work. Your home programme is short, specific and revised as you progress.
You will get an estimate of how many visits to expect and what should have changed by the midpoint, so you can tell whether the plan is working.
Recovering after surgery
Post-operative rehabilitation is one of the most common reasons Aurora patients are referred to us, and one of the places where timing matters most. Starting at the right point protects the repair while restoring the motion and strength you will need long after the surgical follow-up ends.
We work from your surgeon's protocol and coordinate through the same chart as your pain physician, so restrictions, imaging and progress are visible to everyone treating you.
Neck, upper back and desk-related pain
Long hours at a desk or behind the wheel draw the spine away from its natural position, and the surrounding muscles quietly adapt around the new shape. Pain between the shoulder blades, tightness through the rib cage and headaches that start at the base of the skull usually come from the same place.
Physical therapy addresses this differently from treatment aimed only at relief: the goal is to change what the neck and upper back can tolerate, so the pain stops returning every time you have a long week.
Physical therapy, chiropractic, or both?
Aurora patients often search for one and need the other.
Physical therapy rebuilds strength, control and tolerance. It is the right answer when the goal is to stop the problem coming back.
Chiropractic care restores joint motion and addresses the mechanical driver of pain. Often the faster route to relief.
Pain management adds imaging, injections and medical treatment when pain is severe, long-standing or nerve-driven.
Most good outcomes use more than one. Because all four services run at both Aurora clinics, moving between them does not mean a new referral, a new intake, or a new building.
Your physical therapy team in Aurora
East Aurora — Southlands
- Kristopher Yanez, PTA — therapeutic exercise progression, manual therapy support, neuromuscular re-education, chronic pain rehabilitation
- Catherine Yanez, PTA — therapeutic exercise progression, manual therapy support, neuromuscular re-education, chronic pain rehabilitation
Southeast Aurora — Cornerstar
- Lauren Parish, DPT — rehabilitation for joint injuries, strength restoration, functional movement training
- Kayla Homner, PTA — therapeutic exercise plans, manual therapy support, mobility and recovery training
- Kit Matthews, PTA — injury rehab, balance and stability training, return-to-activity programs
Which Aurora clinic should you book?
Both offer physical therapy and both keep the same hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, closed Saturday and Sunday.
East Aurora — Southlands — 6155 S Main St #220, Aurora, CO 80016. Inside Southlands Mall on the second floor. Convenient for east Aurora, Southlands, Tallyn's Reach, Saddle Rock, Parker, Centennial and Foxfield. Local line (303) 627-5735.
Southeast Aurora — Cornerstar — 15901 E Briarwood Cir Suite 150, Aurora, CO 80016. In the Cornerstar Healthcare Plaza building. Convenient for southeast Aurora, Centennial, Parker, Smoky Hill and Piney Creek. Local line (303) 645-4363.
Insurance
Both Aurora clinics accept Aetna, ASH (American Specialty Health), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Pathway), Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (UHC), OptumCare, Optum Physical Health, Humana, Medicare, Colorado Medicaid, Devoted Health, First Health, Columbine, Tricare, ATA Holista, Workers' Compensation, and Auto/Lien. We verify your benefits before your first visit. See full insurance details.
Common questions
Do I need a referral for physical therapy in Aurora? No. Colorado is a direct access state, so you can begin without a physician's referral. If your plan requires one for coverage, we will tell you before your first visit.
How soon after a car accident should I start? Usually within the first week or two, once anything serious has been ruled out. Waiting tends to make rehabilitation longer, not shorter. Both Aurora clinics treat auto injuries daily.
How long will treatment take? It depends on what we find, but you will have an estimate after your evaluation rather than an open-ended plan.
Can I see a physical therapist and a chiropractor at the same time? Yes, and for many back and neck problems that combination works better than either alone. Both are in the same building at both Aurora clinics.
Reviewed by the clinical team at Mountain View Pain Center. Last reviewed August 2026.