Hi, I’m Cody Weisbach, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT

I’m a physical therapist and Boulder native. For nearly 20 years, I’ve helped people understand their pain, settle their nervous system, and build simple movement practices for a body that works with them instead of against them.

I grew up here and studied at CU. I left for Boston to earn my doctorate in physical therapy. Along the way I met my wife, found exceptional mentors, completed a fellowship in manual therapy, spent years teaching other clinicians, and made my way back home to Boulder.

What all of that gave me, more than anything, was a finer sense of listening. To what a body is trying to say, and what it needs.

I’ve come to see pain as a message, and usually a request. Your body is asking for something: more safety, more capacity, or a little less load. My job is to help you figure out what it’s asking.

So we start with a thorough evaluation, where we look at your story (the long version), how you move, how you breathe, and what makes things better or worse. You’ll leave with a much clearer picture of what your body needs and what to do about it.

From there we get to work. Each session combines some of the following:

Once we start to see improvements we know we’re on the right track and we keep building from there.

Who I work with

If your body is making life harder than it should be, I can help.

The people I work with come from many walks of life, but they share a few things. Their lives are physical, even when it isn’t a sport. They care about where they’re headed, and they don’t have time for their body to get in the way. Many have already tried a few things. They want to understand what’s going on, not just be told what to do, and they believe real improvement is possible, even without a quick fix.

I especially enjoy working with:

• Musicians, vocalists, and performers. Pain and tension shouldn’t come between you and your art.
• Creatives, knowledge workers, and executives. Focus and flow are much harder when you hurt.
• Parents. Parenting is hard enough. Your body shouldn’t make it harder.
• Athletes and weekend warriors. Build a solid foundation, so you can keep progressing.
• Headaches, jaw pain, and TMJ. Advanced training in an area often missed elsewhere.
• My Boulder Community. I provide quality physical therapy care, expertise for complex cases, and provide second opinions for Boulderites and the surrounding community.

How I work

I am an independent practitioner, although my clinical work is done through Embody to Empower, LLC, a business my wife (also a PT) and I share.

I see clients in a private room at Functional Fitness and Wellness in Boulder.

Here’s my philosophy…

Unhurried. I see a limited number of clients, so you get my full attention and aren’t just another face in a busy schedule. I schedule enough time for us to work slowly and thoroughly.

Listening first. I work hard to listen deeply and to see the problem through your eyes. I take the time to make sure you understand your situation as completely as possible. I think in scientific terms, but I speak in ways that make sense.

Your experience leads. Your experience matters more than my theories. If what I think doesn’t match what you feel, the theory needs to change, not you. We look at the problem from a different angle until we find the one that works.

Grounded in science, not bound by it. My approach is rooted in science. There is also wisdom in practices that research hasn’t caught up with yet, and we’ll lean into them when we think they’ll help.

Come as you are. You can show up however is true for you that day. No need to perform. No need to be a good patient. No need to make sure I’m comfortable. I’m comfortable with however you show up, and that’s where the real work happens.

You, not just your problem. I actually want to get to know you. Meeting and connecting with all kinds of interesting people is one of my favorite parts of this work.

At your service. I’m here for you. If it turns out I’m not the right fit, I’ll do what I can to help you find someone who is.

The story behind the mark

My logo is a simple picture of how I think about this work.

The two linked shapes are you. The upper one is your mind and the lower one is your body. They’re always shaping each other.

Where they meet, the tips curl back toward each other without closing. That’s your breath. It’s where mind and body meet, and one of the simplest ways to reach both.

The circle around them is your environment: your work, your home, your relationships, your sleep, your stress. You can’t separate yourself from it, but you can often shape it and make choices within it.

The three points on the circle are the ways I help, from within your life rather than outside it. The top point is understanding. When you know what’s going on and have a plan, your mind settles, and your body tends to follow. The two lower points are hands-on care and movement.

When your body gets what it needs, your mind feels the difference too.

My hope is that you find the logo useful and that it can help you see more and more ways to create health and resilience in your life.

The letters behind my name: PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT

One of the most common questions I get is “what do all of those letters behind your name mean?”

You may see many letters behind a physical therapist’s name. Some come from completing courses of varying quality and rigor, with little oversight beyond the creator of the course.

I’ve completed plenty of shorter courses too, and you’ll find them below. But I keep the letters after my name for credentials that come from programs with very high standards and national or international oversight.

Most importantly they have all been sought out specifically to ensure I can offer you the highest quality care possible.

PT – Physical Therapist: My legal designation. I am a physical therapist, licensed in Colorado.

DPT – Doctor of Physical Therapy: My degree. I earned a clinical doctorate in physical therapy from Simmons University in 2007

OCS – Orthopedic Certified Specialist: This certification comes from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, part of the American Physical Therapy Association. I have held and maintained this certification since 2010.

Physical therapists can work in many areas: pediatrics, on the hospital floor, with people with neurological conditions, and more. Each is a very different job.

The OCS shows that my training has taken me beyond general physical therapy, and that I am a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy.

FAAOMPT – Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists: This distinction comes from completing a formal fellowship program through Regis University. The program is credentialed both nationally (through the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists) and internationally (through the International Federation of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists) to ensure high quality training.

Earning this involved an intensive program in advanced clinical decision making, assessment approaches and manual therapy techniques, including thrust joint manipulation (what most people call “cracking” joints including the spine). It included rigorous course work, a national presentation and over 100 hours of 1-on-1 mentorship with recognized manual therapy experts.

I have held and maintained this designation since 2011.

This is one of the few designations that has research showing the individuals who posses this level of training achieve better results in fewer visits than PT generalists or OCS trained PTs.

Nationally less than 1% of physical therapists achieve this level of training.

Additional training and experience

Beyond the credentials above, I’ve also completed focused training to better help you with specific problems.

• Certified Functional Breathwork Instructor through the Oxygen Advantage
  • Training in-progress
• Founder of Musicians Maintenance, an online resource for musicians health
  • Created the Musician Specific Exercise Program
  • Appeared on numerous podcasts related to musician’s health
  • Presented to state, national, and educational organizations on prevention and treatment of injury in musicians
• Certified in Functional Dry Needling through Kinetacore
• TMJ, Headache and Face pain specific training through CRAFTA (Cranio Facial Therapy Academy)
• Certified Tennis Performance Specialist through the International Tennis Performance Association
• Tennis movement screen certified through RacquetFit

Teaching Experience

I don’t just work as a physical therapist. I have a long history of teaching the next generation of PTs what I have learned.

I’ve taught courses and assisted in the labs for advanced musculoskeletal and spine courses in doctor of physical therapy programs.

I’ve taught assessment and treatment of headaches, the upper cervical spine and TMJ, as well as manual therapy for the spine in continuing education courses.

I’ve co-taught continuing education courses on nervous system based approaches like manual therapy for the nervous system, Graded Motor Imagery, and explaining the neuroscience of pain.

I have been the chair of the Manual Therapy Special Interest Group for the American Physical Therapy Association of Massachusetts.

Personally

When I’m not in the clinic, I’m spending time with my family. Driving my son to hockey. Watching my daughter enjoy gymnastics. Nerding out on movement and breathwork with my wife Cara. Hanging out with other kids and parents in our amazing Boulder neighborhood. I also enjoy tennis, reading books, going to coffee shops, live music and occasionally playing my guitars or sax.

Other ways to work together