Howard Head Sports Medicine

10/28/2025

✨Welcome Paige Aschenbrener OTR/L✨

Paige joined the Howard Head Acute Care Team in Vail as a full-time Occupational Therapist and we are thrilled!

Paige grew up in the Twin Cities and received her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota. She pursued her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and began her career in acute care at a local hospital. In 2022, she moved to Denver Colorado to be closer to her favorite outdoor activities, and to work for an inpatient rehabilitation hospital where she served on the stroke committee and explored a role in case management. In her nearly five years as an occupational therapist, Paige has developed a passion for neuro-rehabilitation and interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure her patients succeed after discharging home.
When she’s not at the hospital, Paige can be found hiking, skiing, and playing with her cats (Molasses and Laszlo).

We are so glad to have you, Paige!

10/18/2025

💪BIG NEWS💪

Our very own Jon Harrison, Business Operations Manager at Howard Head, placed 2nd overall at the Run Rabbit Run 100 crushing 100 miles in 19:06!

From a quiet start to a blazing finish, Jon’s performance was nothing short of incredible.

You’re a rockstar, Jon⭐️ We’re so proud of you!

You’ll want to read the full story😉

https://www.vaildaily.com/news/run-rabbit-run-ultramarathon-100-mile-eagle-runner-performance

📸1. Mike McMonagle
📸2. Vail Recreation District

10/09/2025

2nd Annual Cougar Ridge Classic 26K Trail Running Race is IN💪 THE👏 BOOKS🙌

A HUGE THANK YOU to for putting on this wonderful event for the second year in a row!
Over 200 runners started in Lionshead Village in Vail, and finished at the Town of Minturn.
Shoutout to Howard Head Therapists, Kristin Thomas and Erin Liegel for running such an incredible race and representing Howard Head!
Thank you to and the Town of Minturn for hosting the start and finish. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day!

10/06/2025

📍Located in the Shaw Cancer Center Conference Room, (next to cafeteria) from 2PM-4PM!

✨More about Leah✨

Leah graduated from Boston University as a Doctor of Occupational Therapy in 2022 where she advocated for occupational therapy’s role in maternal mental health promotion. She has a passion for meeting community needs and valuing mental health in clinical practice. Leah has extensive expertise in global maternal mental health promotion and qualitative research. She has presented at multiple national and global conferences, including APHA, AOTA, Marcé Society and the South Africa National Mental Health conference. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors here in beautiful Colorado!

09/23/2025

So much fun this Summer with the VRD!

09/19/2025

PEACE✌️ LOVE♥️ & BIRDIES🐣⛳️

This groovy🌀 crew brought all the vibes to the 12th Annual Businesses, Bogeys & Bragging Rights Golf Tournament!
Proceeds from this event go to the Tom Slaughter Jr. Memorial Fund, which provides opportunity to local youth in our community to participate in Vail Recreation District programming and college scholarship opportunities. Not only did we raise funds for a great cause, but we had a blast with the infamous golf ball launcher…talk about adding some extra DRIVE🏌️‍♂️ to the FUN!

did not disappoint!
Shout out to Dan, Andy, Mark, and Nate for representing us on the course and for bringing home the tourney WIN👏🏆

Thanks to everyone who came out and made it such a success- Until next year!

09/16/2025

💡¿DID YOU KNOW?💡

This innovative orthosis is designed for individuals with radial nerve injury, which can lead to wrist drop and difficulty extending the wrist, fingers, and thumb.
The dynamic splint shown here uses elastic tension and jointed supports to assist finger and wrist extension, helping restore functional movement for daily tasks like gripping and releasing objects.
This particular device was created as part of a lab with our Certified Hand Therapy (CHT) Fellow, (hi Joanie😉) at Howard Head Sports Medicine, where hands-on training and real-world applications come together to enhance clinical skills.
What’s even more amazing?
At Howard Head, Certified Hand Therapists are trained to design and fabricate custom splints like this one, using advanced rehabilitation technologies tailored to each patient’s specific needs!
Combining expert care with innovative tools, our CHTs help patients regain strength, mobility, and independence after nerve injuries and hand trauma.

09/01/2025

Baby & Me Tomorrow, 9/2!

📍2:00-4:00PM
📍Shaw Conference Room on Vail Health Edwards Campus (Next to Cafeteria)

Physical Therapist and Women’s Health Clinical Specialist, Stephanie Drew will be speaking about a variety of topics pertaining to pelvic health. Come join new moms and babies, 0-9 months to share in the trials and tribulations of motherhood!

➡️A little more about Stephanie:
“Stephanie graduated with her doctorate from Loma Linda University and began her career in California with a focus on orthopedics and a manual therapy residency. She has been with Howard Head since 2009 and has focused primarily on men’s and women’s pelvic health in the last decade of her practice. When she’s not at work, you can typically find her either on her mountain bike or pulling off some crazy antics with her kids and her husband Joe.”

08/20/2025

08/18/2025

🔆❕WELCOME TO THE TEAM(S)❕🔆

We’re so happy to announce that we’ve welcomed five new clinicians to Howard Head Sports Medicine across each of our regions! From L➡️R:

🔆Julia Wopat PT, DPT- HHSM Frisco
🔆Lauren Macleod OTR/L- HHSM Edwards
🔆Barbara Burns PT, DPT- HHSM Vail Inpatient
🔆Sarah Boak PT, DPT, OCS- HHSM Basalt
🔆Taylor Hyde PT, DPT, SCS- HHSM Basalt

From pediatrics and neuro rehab to pelvic health, vestibular therapy, and advanced sports performance- this powerhouse addition of clinicians brings a wide range of specialties.

With certifications in dry needling, BFR (blood flow restriction) training, ACL and return-to-sport protocols, PLUS experience in both outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation, they’re equipped, (and excited!) to treat individuals across all stages of life and recovery💪

WELCOMEJulia, Lauren, Barbara, Sarah and Taylor! We are so glad to have you!