Dr. Kate Spencer and Dr. James Spencer founded Ajax Physical Therapy in Aspen, CO in 2017. We graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 2006. From 2007 to 2016, Kate and James worked in Aspen during the winter, but all across the United States during the summer gaining experience working with a tremendous variety of individuals, cultures, and medical complexities. We have worked in elite sports and with the most complicated of medical populations. We are Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists (OCS), but our unusually wide range of experiences influence our treatment models today. In particular, our experience in traditional home health, acute, and sub-acute care give us a uniquely broad and deep pool of knowledge to pull from. In addition, we each serve in roles Nationally with the American Physical Therapy Association which keeps us practicing at the very forefront of the Physical Therapy profession.
In 2016, we settled fulltime in Aspen, started Ajax Physical Therapy, and have two young girls. We believe in treatment centered around a hands-on approach and individualized exercise in any recovery and are trained in dry needling and blood flow restriction training. We look forward to learning your story and helping you recovery and get back to action from whatever is limiting you.
I started my physical therapy career in Maine working for a private practice that specializes in post-professional therapist education, manual therapy, and treating the US Ski Team. Afterwards, I took on travel therapy for 10 years treating people of all ages, cultures, and medical acuity across the country.
I believe hands-on treatment improves the effectiveness of injury-specific exercises in any recovery. I have advanced training in many different manual therapy techniques as well as dry needling. I use current research and best-practice models in selecting treatment for my clients. My primary goal is to choose techniques that are effective and easy for clients to incorporate into their already busy lives.
I love spending time with my family and exploring the outdoors. I dabble in competitive uphilling, cross country ski racing, and running, but also love baking and reading a good book. I serve several positions in Colorado and Nationally for the American Physical Therapy Association, and I am currently authoring a course for PTs on ski injuries which is scheduled for international publication in 2023.
(970) 924-0490
I started my career in sports medicine as a PT student working with the Boston Celtics. After a short stint working in Burlington, VT. I set out on the road as a traveling physical therapist with Kate for 10 years, across 7 states.
Manual therapy and exercise are the cornerstones of most of my treatment plans. In addition, I lean heavily on dry needling and blood flow restriction training (BFR). BFR helps accelerate strengthening and recovery with the use of a pressurized cuff during exercise.
Skiing is my passion in the winter. In the summer, I enjoy running, hiking, open water swim races, and camping with my family.
Much of the rest of my free time is spent volunteering in national leadership positions within the American Physical Therapy Association. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of APTA's Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy - the national body representing 20,000 musculoskeletal PT Members advocating for Physical Therapists and our patients.
(970) 924-0520