In a town where pushing your body to its limits is the norm, it’s important to have people who keep you in peak condition. When locals hit an obstacle in their training, they turn to physical therapist Sarah Miller.
Pyramid Performance owner Sarah Miller is on a mission to heal Aspenites.
The 29-year-old Aspen transplant owns Pyramid Performance on Main Street, where she treats everyone from the U.S. Ski Team to weekend warriors. “Rest is not something people in Aspen like to do,” she says. “And they tend to overdo it when they’re constantly giving 110%.”
It’s her job to get them back to at least 100% via hands-on manipulation, soft tissue work, stretching and more. But what happens in her office is only the beginning. “I value education for patients almost more than treatment,” she explains. “If they can understand what’s wrong, they can help fix it rather than just depending on me.” Every patient leaves her office with three or four exercises specific to their issues that will help them get healthier and stronger between visits. “I can give you the alley-oop,” she says, “but you’ve got to slam dunk the ball by doing the exercises.”
Miller is well-acquainted with what it takes to perform: Growing up, she swam competitively and coached local swim teams. When she moved here in 2016, she worked with Challenge Aspen, a nonprofit offering adaptive sports programming for individuals with disabilities.
Recovery, to Miller, is just as relevant to those with an injury as it is to those who go hard on the slopes, trails and roads. “Your body is your machine,” she says, “and if that machine isn’t working properly, you won’t be able to keep doing what you love.” Luckily for Aspen’s athletes, Miller can help take their performance to new heights—literally.
Photography by: Frank Shine
