A new physical therapy clinic has recently opened its doors in Cortez.
Ramage Performance Therapy, started by Dr. Thomas Ramage, is at Mountain Range Fitness and aims to provide personalized, high-quality care to patients. Ramage started working in the clinic part-time in April of 2024, but went full-time in February.
Ramage, who has nearly a decade of experience, said his approach to physical therapy focuses on individualized treatment plans and long-term wellness.
Ramage was inspired to pursue physical therapy after overcoming football injuries during his college years. He earned his degree from Rocky Mountain University and has been practicing for 9½ years.
“I played way too much football, we’ll put it that way,” Ramage told The Journal. “I played in college and had a couple of really nasty injuries that I had to work through, and that kind of put me on the path of trying to help people. I had some great people that helped me recover.”
After moving to Cortez in January 2020 with his wife, Swayzee, a Cortez native, Ramage worked at another local physical therapy practice before deciding to open his own clinic.
Ramage Performance Therapy offers a wide range of services, catering to everyone from athletes to “weekend warriors” to the elderly. Ramage is certified in specialized treatments, including concussion management, TMJ (jaw) issues, blood flow restriction training, muscle scraping and dry needling.
His approach addresses diverse needs, from postsurgical recovery to helping patients return to activities like softball or gym workouts. His one-on-one appointments with patients last for a full hour.
“I have a very eclectic approach is what I like to say. I do a mix of everything. I am certified to treat concussions, TMJ or jaw issues,” Ramage said. “I do a lot of training whether its athletes or weekend warriors, people that are trying to get back into different routines, or maybe they’ve been training for something and are trying to work through an injury and a host of other things.”
Ramage’s philosophy centers on a three-step process: managing pain, identifying the root cause and preventing future issues. He shared that his goal is to treat patients as whole individuals, not just their injuries, considering factors like lifestyle and personal goals.
“I have a three-step process that I use with everyone, and I really preach this,” Ramage said. “Number one, we want to get on top of the pain or whatever the issue is. The second part is, we want to get down to the root cause of whatever is causing the pain or dysfunction. And then the third thing is … as soon as the pain is gone, then they feel like they’re done, right? I really push for the third part, and that’s, let’s continue on so that we prevent this from happening again. The goal is to empower people and teach them what they can do to prevent and keep from having the same recurring issues over and over.”
Ramage emphasized that his philosophy also treats patients as individuals and not as body parts to be treated.
“They will get a very personable and personalized treatment plan. Everybody’s treated as an individual, not as a body part,” Ramage said. “Usually, if they’re coming in for a shoulder or whatever other need, there’s usually other contributing factors to it. I don’t see them as just whatever body parts or pain that is bothering them, but see them as a whole person and try to treat them as such.”
The clinic operates with flexible hours, accommodating patients as early as 6 a.m. and into the evening, and is now accepting new patients. Appointments can be scheduled by calling or texting (970) 516-3434 or emailing ramageperformancetherapy@gmail.com.
