Meet the Team
Melinda Couch, PT
Clinic Owner and Program Director
Melinda
Melinda has been a practicing physical therapist since 1993, and she moved to Colorado in 1995 because of her love of the mountains. She is a physical therapist for the U.S. Figure Skating Team, and has traveled with them extensively, including the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan (2007 and 2011) and Los Angeles, California (2009).
Working with top performing athletes in the highly charged environment of international sports honed her skills in assessing injury, de-escalating pain and trauma. In the sports arena and in the clinic, the patient’s success is measured in sustained pain free functioning.
Melinda’s primary goal for Peak Performance is to bring that superior level of attention and healing to all patients, and go above and beyond the typical warehouse model of physical therapy. She has assembled a unique team of highly trained professionals who together to serve each person’s individual needs.
John Hayes, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
John graduated with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from LSU in New Orleans and practiced in an orthopedic clinic treating a wide range of post-surgical, acute and chronic injuries. He moved to Colorado to pursue an active mountain lifestyle and enjoy running in all seasons. He also trains in martial arts including Kung Fu, Muy Thia kick-boxing and Jiu Jitsu.
John specializes in sports rehabilitation and performance, as well as cutting edge manual therapies for spine and other chronic injuries.
Emily Moncheski, PT
Physical Therapist
Emily received her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from Saint Louis University in 2006 and enjoys working with orthopedic, pediatric and balance issues. Sports injury prevention, shoulder and low back pain, and balance are areas of special interest. Emily finds that a hands-on approach coupled with specific functional training is effective in restoring motion and relieving pain. She is passionate about using current research to guide each patient’s treatment.
Emily practices yoga, takes ballet, and enjoys hiking in the Colorado Springs area. Emily is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
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Jeff Bickford
Feldenkrais Practitioner
Jeff
Jeff is a Feldenkrais Guild of North America Certified teacher. This gentle method effectively reduces pain and tension by calming the nervous system and restoring healthy neuro-muscular function. Perfect for those in intense pain with restricted movement and very effective for injuries caused by the repetitive stress of disorganized movement and posture. It can help anyone move better at whatever they do.
Learn more about Jeff’s work at: unfetteredmovement.org/
Learn more about Feldenkrais
Gail Gustafson
Therapeutic Pilates Instructor
Gail
Gail Gustafson has been a certified Therapeutic Pilates instructor for over 15 years. She utilizes the Pilates Reformer exercise machine in working one-on-one with patients. She trained in the original rehabilitative model of Pilates for use as a tool to recover from injury. She is also a Laban-certified movement analyst and uses these skills as well when working with patients to determine deficits and potential muscle imbalances that can be improved upon with the Pilates work.
Learn more at: movetowisdom.com
Kate Aronson
Therapeutic Pilates Instructor
Kate
Kate practices Therapeutic Pilates by utilizing the Pilates equipment – the reformer and the trapeze table – to aid patients in rehabilitating from injury, and to help them avoid re-injury. She is a certified Pilates instructor who has been practicing and teaching Pilates for over 10 years. Kate has also studied movement analysis with Gail Gustafson, and she brings these skills to her practice when working with patients to help them discover habitual movement patterns and imbalances that may be causing pain or injury.
Jennifer Chee, CNMT, CKTP, CFT, SET, RMT
Massage Therapist
Jennifer
Jennifer started practicing massage therapy in 2005 in Austin, Texas. She and her family moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2007. She graduated from Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy in 2009 with certification in Neuromuscular Therapy and Trigger Point Therapy. She practices a combination of Neuromuscular, Trigger Point, Deep Tissue, Swedish, Muscle Energy Techniques, Facilitated Stretching and Myofascial Release, among others, drawing from each of the appropriate techniques to address clients’ individual goals for the session.
She joined the team of therapists at Peak Performance Physical Therapy in January 2010. She is also one of the massage therapists at the Olympics Training Center-Recovery Center. Her private practice is located in Carmichael Training Systems (CTS). Chris Carmichael is the founder and CEO of CTS and personal coach to seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong. She has valuable experiences working with many pro-cyclists, triathlon, marathon, ironman and other Olympics sports’ athletes.
Laura McNamara
Massage Therapist
Laura
A native to Colorado, born and raised in Colorado Springs, Laura has spent a lifetime playing in the wondrous outdoors of this fabulous state. Living in Summit County for ten years, Laura gained valuable experience working with professional athletes from the worlds of skiing, kayaking, mountaineering, biking, and running.
Laura joined the Peak Performance team in 2007 and maintains a thriving private practice. Embracing a whole-body approach to wellness, Laura tailors a combination of techniques to each of her clients’ individual needs, focusing on their healing and swift return to homeostasis.
Joe Uveges
Massage Therapist
Joe Uveges is a neuromuscualr massage therapist who specializes in the spine and shoulders. More detailed bio soon to come!
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Robin
Robin
Robin is our most awesome Office Manager – she keeps the flow going here so that we can help you get your flow going!
MORE INFORMATION
for physicians and allied professionals
