I have had one-on-one Pilates appointments with Jeanette for over a year to help manage my back pain and sciatica. Jeanette prioritizes safety and is extremely knowledgeable. She always has a plan, but easily pivots based on my body's needs and limits. Very often, I am experiencing pain or sciatica flare ups when I see Jeanette, but when I wake up the next morning my body feels significantly better. The cost of private Pilates sessions is worth it for access to the specialized equipment at Core Connections and for Jeanette's experience and kindness. read more

See all

I can't recommended the kind and positive team there highly enough. I started seeing Kelly 4 years ago for regular physical therapy when acute pain stemming from a cervical spine issue plagued me. Since then she's helped with recurring lower back pain through physical manipulation and behavior modification. She's a persistent sleuth who methodically works to get at the root causes. I now also regularly see Jeanette for pilates to strengthen key areas. The work is tailored to my specific needs and all is coordinated between Kelly and Jeanette who work like a tandem team. My wife has even become a regular doing pilates with Jenna who she likes a lot. And a good friend of mine is a huge fan of Ruthie's PT work. read more

Kelly is, by far, the very best physical therapist I've ever worked with! An absolute professional who knows her stuff. Doesn't go with a one-size-fits-all approach, but instead tailors her sessions to exactly what your body needs in order to heal. Highly recommend Kelly Otis- the office itself is also top notch with a very welcoming feel overall! read more

Unfortunately I'm a "frequent flyer" in the therapy world. I've got several chronic injuries and I've visited many types of PTs for help over the years. Last week I saw Matt Rohan for a severe neck and shoulder flare up. Matt's listen skills and manual work were phenomenal. He's the real deal. After 2 sessions I'm significantly better and have lots of new things to do on my own to improve and prevent re-injury. I'm feeling so grateful for my experience I had to share this on yelp. . read more

We are SO lucky to have Core Connections Physical Therapy here in Santa Cruz! I have tailbone, pelvis, and lower back issues among other things and am grateful to have found Core Connections! If you have chronic issues with physical movement the therapists here will help unravel what needs to be strengthened and what needs to be released so that being more comfortable in your body is attainable! Thank you! read more

Wow...what a disappointment Kelly Otis was. I am a 75 year old guy with a chronic shoulder injury. I went to her and in the course of "treatment" she pressed down HARD into the injury causing me to cry out in pain. She then proceeded to do the same thing again about 10 minutes later. She made it MUCH worse. It took me 3 months of seeing other therapists to rehabilitate the injury she caused. It still hurts. I may never recover... The weird thing for me was her total lack of empathy when I told her how unhappy I was. She never apologized, she never expressed any concern for what she did, even though I was clearly hurt by her "treatment" She expressed no compassion, no follow through, no connection...a terrible experience. read more

In my late 40's, the abuse to my body started to catch up with me. In an attempt to remedy this, I initially tried intensive yoga, but noticed that I continued to have pain, particularly neck and lower back. I tried chiropractic, but this seemed to be more of a maintenance, pain-relief treatment. At Core Connections, Kelly developed her conceptualization and used therapies some of which are pilates-based. While I am still undergoing therapy, I have significantly less pain and increased flexibility. In addition and probably as important, she provided insights on my body alignment so now I know what to be mindful of in daily life. She also suggests therapies for home-practice to help me hold on to progress made and prepare me to manage my body in the longer term. Thanks Kelly. read more

I started seeing Kelly Otis over 2 years ago after a very complicated shoulder surgery. Kelly helped me get my mobility back and then proceeded to work on the rest of my body. Thanks to Kelly I'm back to surfing, biking, and yoga at 59 years old! Now I can work out & get my body worked on all in one place. Kelly's amazing instructors offer everything from body rolling to TRX. The instructors are high energy & super knowledgable. Core Connections rocks! read more

Core Connections Physical Therapy - Kelly Otis & me, Sand Point! Thanks to Kelly I can do this ride again! - Physical Therapy Near Me - Scotts Valley, California

Kelly and Denise were great listeners and helped me understand the issues with my body on a holistic level. Their goal was to give me tools to carry throughout my life and get me out of the healthcare system. I saw a pretty significant improvement after being in their care. They are passionate about helping their clients and I have recommended two people so far to them. They are also fun to work with. I enjoyed their company as well as their treatment. read more

Kelly and Denise are true healers! Can't say enough about how satisfied I am with their work. I first started coming in 2020 at 50 to address a couple weekend warrior shoulder and elbow injuries and came back in 2021 to address a chronic ankle injury that require PT after major joint fusion surgery. And thanks to K & D, I was back to ice hockey in no time; my surgeon was very impressed with the recovery time. Not only did they address the specific injury with various rehab modalities but they also worked with me to address the root cause of my injury with various "fix it" exercises. I've been to the 'factory' PT shops in the past with mixed results. Kelly and Denise make sure you get the care you need and spend a full hour with you. And they have all types of equipment including Pilates equipment to target any particle muscle or exercise needed. A word of advice: do your homework exercises, it makes all the difference!!! read more

I had surgery in 2009 for lower back pain and sciatic pain. I've grown frustrated with the lack of care most PT centers have offered over the last six years in SCC. My experience has been once you are evaluated; the assistance take over. At Core Connections, the PT Kelly works with you one on one. She's kind, intuitive, and offers years of experience. Within 4 visits, she taught my how to use my breath to begin engaging my core muscles to stablize my spine. One of her therapies are manual therapy (Maitland Technique); my pain has gone from a 5/6 to 0/1. Thanks Kelly read more

I want to let others know about the gifted and caring attention you'll receive at Core Connections Physical Therapy. I've been referred to a lot of physical therapists after multiple horse accidents and none of them helped much. I walked (crawled) into an appointment with Kelly and she immediately recognized the problem of years of compounded injuries and she started the process so I can heal without drugs. Kelly has a group of experienced and educated associates and there is never a long wait... they've always been punctual with my appointments and you leave feeling like your issues are important and being treated appropriately. read more

I am an occupational therapist, body worker, athlete and yoga practitioner. I think I know bodies, but when I get really stuck and cannot seem to help myself, Kelly is my go-to P.T. and is worth every mile of the drive from San Jose. I met Kelly 20 years ago while working with her as a massage therapist. Over the years Kelly has unfrozen my shoulder (in one session), and has improved my mobility, decreased my pain, and made me more aware of my movement patterns with my neck, pelvis, and ankles. Kelly, unlike the P.T.s I've seen at Kaiser and elsewhere is very hands on; she doesn't just give you a handout of exercises and send you on your way. Kelly is relaxed and accomplished, has built a beautiful studio in Scotts Valley with an outstanding team of therapists and body workers, and has created not just a healing space but also a community. I highly recommend Core Connections and Kelly Otis, P.T. for Physical Therapy, Pilates, and massage. read more