Meet Dr. Julie Cortina and Larry Ortega

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Julie Cortina and Larry Ortega. They and their team shared their story with us below:

What do a college gymnast and combat veteran have in common? The desire to help people through physical rehabilitation and wellness. And they do this through Arizona Performance Institute, a cutting-edge physical therapy, golf, and sports performance facility that opened its doors in the rapidly expanding Mesa-Gateway area. Arizona Performance Institute (AZPI for short) offers a wide range of rehabilitation and preventative physical therapy services, as well as one-on-one, semi-private, and group golf and sports performance coaching.

Located off of Ellsworth and Pecos, AZPI has over 5,600 square feet of space and offers a unique experience from the moment you step through the front doors. “We didn’t want to be just another physical therapy clinic,” cofounder Dr. Julie Cortina says. We want our patients and athletes to look forward to each visit, get the most out of their time at the facility, and expect better when it comes to their physical therapy and sports performance needs. AZPI started as a distant dream between two physical therapy co-workers who wanted more for their patients. “Julie and I would often discuss how we wished we could give more time and undivided attention to our patients, but it was out of our control.” says cofounder Larry Ortega.

Two years later, Arizona Performance Institute opened its doors to the public in the fall of 2022. One day, Larry and Julie decided to explore opening their facility with their spouses immediately on board. Larry, a combat veteran who served two one-year tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, may unlikely team up with Julie, a collegiate gymnast. However, the two share an equal passion for physical wellness, sports and a strong desire to help others. “You only get one body, and we want to help you take care of yours!” says Julie.

Larry has over 25 years of competitive and recreational golf experience and has worked in the physical therapy field for over a decade. He also holds three level two certifications from Titleist Performance Institute. Julie has been an athlete nearly her entire life, including a full-ride sports scholarship at the University of Minnesota. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Julie became a personal trainer but quickly realized that many of her clients had injuries she couldn’t treat. This inspired her to become a physical therapist, where she helps a wide range of patients, including some as young as 6 weeks and as old as ninety-six years.

The phrase ‘Expect Better’ is displayed in AZPI’s gym and across their website – so how does this show up in the patient and athlete experience? Through full one-on-one sessions, a learning environment, two golf simulators, a specious modern facility, high-end equipment, a custom exercise app, and more.

This video also shares our WHY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS1pGtcozGU&t=3s

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The Phoenix area is saturated with physical therapy clinics, making it challenging for new patients and athletes to find us when they have several options. AZPI is also competing with many big physical therapy businesses with several locations across the country as a family-owned business. To overcome this, Arizona Performance Institute continues to focus on educating and promoting what makes them different, and giving patients and athletes complete and one-on-one undivided attention makes AZPI a rarity in physical therapy. A modern, spacious gym with state-of-the-art equipment makes AZPI more than just a clinic – it is an experience. And patients have caught on. AZPI continues to see word of mouth spreading, and their Google Business Profile is full of 5-star reviews from happy patients and athletes. AZPI also focuses on integrating into the community since its founders are all part of it. This has helped the word spread.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Services: Physical therapy, golf performance, sports performance, sports recovery

We are known for disrupting the physical therapy industry by putting patients over profits. Our 1-on-1 approach, #ExpectBetter focus, and bringing patients into a modern gym facility that doesn’t feel like your typical medical clinic sets AZPI apart; our focus on sports performance can help athletes improve their sport. AZPI has two custom golf bays and Trackman technology, making it a great place to help golfers. Larry’s Titleist certifications allow AZPI to help golfers of all abilities, including those who want to return to the sport after injury.

We are most proud of the lives we are changing and improving through physical therapy. Seeing patients come to us on day one versus the day they leave is astonishing in their progress. Our DPT, Julie, also specializes in pelvic floor therapy and has been able to help many women in the valley who thought they would have to live with their uncomfortable symptoms for life. We are also proud of how we are helping other small businesses. We know that for our family-owned small business to thrive in this economy, we also need to help other small businesses. We’ve closely partnered with other gyms, such as Crossfit Incite to help their athletes. Through our monthly indoor yoga and shopping events, We have supported local businesses that rely on farmers’ markets and outdoor events to sell their products. We host these events to attract local people in the community and give space in our spacious gym to vendors so they can keep selling their products during the hot months when people don’t want to be outside. When we opened our doors, we used as many small businesses in our area as possible for services we needed.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Our business was able to start as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. When the pandemic began, the physical therapy industry was immediately impacted as it wasn’t a life or death need, and many PT places suffered. Due to this, Larry stopped working and was at home with his wife and family. He turned his garage into his “golf lab” and started offering private golf performance lessons during this time.

This sparked an idea that we could do more, and it’s when Larry and Julie took the dream of starting their place together and turned it into a reality, spending the next 2 years preparing and planning. Our main lesson was to keep pushing forward and embrace the curveballs life may throw at you.

Pricing:

• AZPI accepts most major insurances for physical therapy and has cash-based and monthly membership options for golf and sports performance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://azpipt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azpi_pt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azpipt
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/azpi_pt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhqJ0sYvl_8qa7pLs04ByA
• Yelp: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3b2iHS1CGVVLtumTA?g_st=ic
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@azpi_pt