Our Team
Kate Copelan
Kate grew up in the Volborg area on her parents’ cattle ranch. After graduating from PRCDHS, she attended MSU-Bozeman to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Human Performance in 2016, prior to attending the University of Montana in Missoula where she graduated in 2019 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, much to her dad’s dismay (an avid Bobcat fan). During that time, she was a part of the first graduating cohort to concurrently receive a Certificate in Rural Health, that focused on merging the realms of public health and treating underserved populations in their unique environment.
Throughout her doctoral program, she completed multiple clinical rotations across Montana in orthopedic outpatient clinics allowing for exposure to treatment of a wide array of conditions, including post-operative care, overuse injuries of both the upper and lower extremities, and treatment of manual laborers and athletes, alike. She received instruction in the area of women’s health both during pregnancy and post-partum, running assessments, and has developed a special interest in treating lower extremity injuries. Following graduation, she practiced in Livingston, Montana where she was able to pursue continuing education from the Institute of Clinical Excellence in the management of the aging population. Kate is also a certified dry needling provider with advanced training from KinetaCore.
In 2021, Kate, her husband Kyle, and their dog Barley, decided to return home in hopes of affording those in rural Montana the same quality care that is received in larger areas. She takes pride in her ability to seek out additional knowledge and creating a team-based approach to the rehab process through resiliency and self-efficacy. It is her firm belief that people should be able to participate in all activities because of their age, not in spite of it.
Special areas of interest include weight lifting for all ages, women’s health, treating young athletes, and working with the aging population.
If not in the clinic, you can find Kate enjoying podcasts, good coffee, cooking for others, and working on forever-morphing family projects.
Kristy Elgin
Kristy is a long time resident of Powder River County. She received a great high school education at PRCDHS, then received her undergraduate education at Black Hills State University. She was then accepted into the Physical Therapy Doctoral Program at the University of Mary, where she graduated at the top of her class.
When Kristy was offered a position as Physical Therapist and Director of Rehabilitation at Powder River Manor, she jumped at the chance to return to her home town and serve her community. Kristy spent 8 years as the first full time physical therapist in Broadus treating nursing home residents and outpatients there, and building a program that could continue to benefit them in the future. She also sought opportunity to assist other rural communities in Southeast Montana, including Ekalaka and Ashland. During that time, Kristy continued to pursue her passion of serving others and life long learning through becoming a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. This designation is given to those PTs who have demonstrated advanced clinical knowledge and skills in advanced techniques and methods to assist the patient toward optimal function. It requires a rigorous study course, 2000 hours of direct patient contact, and the passing of a board exam. As owner of the Body Shop Physical Therapy, Kristy continues to seek opportunities to advance her knowledge and provide excellent, advanced, and diverse care to the great folks in our rural community.
Kristy truly enjoys working with all patient populations, but has a special interest in general population orthopedics, pediatric care, and vertigo treatment. She has extensive experience working with the low back, hip, knee, foot/ankle, shoulder, and cervical spine, but also has a great knowledge base working with the jaw, hands, and elbow.
In her off time, Kristy loves spending time with her husband, John, her sons, Jack and Jordy, and her corgi, Roomba on their ranch just north of Biddle, MT. She enjoys hiking, reading, watching sporting events, working cows, and attending community activities.
Vision Statement
Utilize the most current practice techniques and clinical expertise to promote the patient’s experience and progress toward their movement goals. We strive to be patients’ leading choice for reliable, individualized physical therapy care in an environment they can feel secure in. In doing so, we hope to provide equal opportunity for quality healthcare and educational programs in rural Southeastern Montana for current and future generations.
