About Backcountry Physical Therapy
Therapists Who Actually Play the Sports You Play
Backcountry Physical Therapy is a cash-based sports PT clinic in Colorado Springs built for active adults and outdoor athletes. We treat hikers, runners, mountain bikers, skiers, climbers, and lifters who are tired of being told to rest, take it easy, or accept that pain is just part of getting older. One-on-one care. Strength-first. Therapists who understand the sports you do — because we do them too.
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Why We Started Backcountry PT
Dr. Scott Runyon founded Backcountry PT after spending years as a traveling contract therapist, working across nearly every region of the country. He kept being drawn to communities full of athletes — people with real performance goals, not just a checkbox to "feel better." Colorado Springs was the obvious place to plant roots. The trails, the climbs, the snow, the gym culture — it's a city where staying active isn't a hobby, it's a way of life. We built Backcountry PT to match that. No shared sessions. No handoffs to aides. No generic protocols pulled from a binder. Just one-on-one care from physical therapists who train hard, climb the same routes, ride the same trails, and ski the same lines as the people we treat.
What We Believe About Recovery
Most of what active adults get told about pain is wrong. Rest it. Stop running. Cut back on the lifting. Maybe try ice. These approaches don't fix anything — they just delay the problem until it comes back worse. Here's what we actually believe.
Strength Is Medicine
A stronger body is a more resilient body. Strength training is the most reliable tool we have for resolving pain, preventing re-injury, and staying active for the long haul.
One-on-One, Every Session
No aides. No assembly line. No therapist juggling three patients in one room. You get the full session with your provider, every visit. That's the only way real care works.
Sport-Specific or It Doesn't Count
Returning to walking pain-free is not the goal. Returning to your trail, your route, your line, your lift — that's the goal. Every plan is built around the actual demands of the sport you do.
Long-Term Durability, Not Quick Fixes
Symptom relief is easy. Building a body that can keep doing what you love for decades takes a plan. We measure success by how durable you are six months and six years from now — not by how fast the pain goes away.
Meet the People Behind Backcountry PT
Two doctors of physical therapy who are also lifelong outdoor athletes. One administrative lead who keeps everything running. We're a small team on purpose — it lets us give every patient the time and attention real recovery requires.
Dr. Scott Runyon
PT, DPT
Scott is the owner of Backcountry Physical Therapy and a sports physical therapist focused on treating active adults and outdoor athletes. He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University in 2014 after completing his Kinesiology degree at the University of Illinois. He spent two years as a traveling contract therapist before settling in Colorado in 2016, and has built his practice around orthopedic injuries in patients with high performance goals.
Scott is certified in Functional Dry Needling (Level 1) and Emergency Medical Response in Sports Venues, and he volunteers alongside the athletic trainer at Palmer High School. Outside the clinic, Scott is an avid outdoorsman — hiking, skiing, climbing, fishing, and whitewater sports are all part of his life, and that perspective shapes how he treats the athletes who come through his door.
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Dr. Nick Wohkittel
PT, DPT
Nick believes physical therapy should do more than reduce pain — it should help athletes return to training with confidence and resilience. His approach centers on the idea that exercise is medicine and that the best outcomes come from intelligently loading the body, not avoiding stress. Nick takes time to understand each athlete's sport, training demands, and goals before building a plan that supports both recovery and long-term performance.
He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2019 after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he has extensive orthopedic experience across clinics in Milwaukee and Colorado Springs. A former college teaching assistant, Nick is committed to clearly explaining the why behind every treatment. Outside the clinic, he is an avid mountain biker, rock climber, and trail runner — and he brings that firsthand understanding of injury and recovery into every session.
Jessica Madding
Jessica holds a degree in Sports Business from Maryville University and is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Since moving to Colorado, she has embraced the active outdoor community that defines Colorado Springs — exploring hiking trails, planning to take up snowboarding, and looking for new corners of the area to discover.
When she is not at the clinic, Jessica trains for bodybuilding competitions and admires classic cars. She is excited to be part of the team and to help new patients get started on their path back to the activities they love.
What Our Patients Are Saying
Serving active adults and outdoor athletes across Colorado Springs and the Front Range.
Ready to Get Back to the Mountains?
Schedule a free discovery call to talk through your injury, ask any questions you have about how we work, and see if Backcountry PT is the right fit. If it is, we'll get you in for an evaluation and a plan built around the sport you actually do.