Where Hope Meets Movement: Why Families Travel Across the Country for KinActive Kids’ Intensive Therapy Program

Every child deserves the chance to move freely, gain independence, and reach milestones on their own timeline. But for many families, that chance feels impossible. After weeks of fragmented appointments, slow progress, and doctors chalking everything up to a diagnosis, parents are left exhausted, defeated, and slowly losing hope. At KinActive Kids, we believe breakthroughs are always possible and we’ve proven it with over 700 intensive programs that have changed lives across 45 states and 25 countries. This is the story of how we started, why we’re different, and how families are discovering that where others see impossible, we see opportunity through our intensive therapy model.

The Problem Every Parent Knows: Let’s Just Wait & See

Before KinActive Kids existed, there was a problem with traditional therapy that needed changing.

In 2020, Dr. Emily Heisey, DPT, founded KinActive Kids with a clear conviction rooted in frustration: children deserve more than scattered, slow care. She watched families bounce between appointments, weeks between each session, months passing with such slow progress. Parents told her stories of frustration. She knew children were capable of so much more, but the traditional therapy model just couldn’t unlock it.

The system wasn’t broken because therapists weren’t caring enough. It was broken because the body doesn’t change on a weekly schedule. Neurological and physical development require concentrated, intentional focus. Families didn’t need another checklist of appointments. They needed breakthroughs.

That conviction became the foundation of everything we do today.

The Game-Changing Question: What If Two Disciplines Worked Together?

Intensive therapy isn’t new, but after seeing the benefits of chiropractic being added to her own daily PT sessions with her daughter, Dr. Emily partnered with pediatric chiropractor Dr. Matt Otteman, DC and they began to formalize the first intensive to include PT and chiropractic (KinActive Kamps).

What began as mutual professional respect evolved into something bigger: a shared mission around a powerful question:

What would happen if pediatric physical therapy and chiropractic care worked together intentionally, every single day, instead of separately?

Most children receive physical therapy to strengthen muscles, retrain movement, and build coordination. Some receive chiropractic care to support alignment and nervous system function. But rarely do these work as one integrated system based on a deep understanding of how movement actually develops.

We realized something fundamental: the body’s movement potential is unlocked when we address the nervous system and true biomechanics of gross motor development together. Most practitioners see these pieces separately. We see them as inseparable.

From this partnership, the KinActive Method was born: a whole-child, whole-body approach built on the true building blocks of development for lasting results.

The KinActive Method: What Makes This Different

Every chiropractor can adjust a spine. Every physical therapist can teach exercises. What makes our approach revolutionary is the marriage of three things:

1. The Biomechanics of Gross Motor Development

We don’t just see a child who can’t walk or sit. We see the specific breakdown in biomechanical patterns that’s preventing that skill from emerging. Our team of clinicians are trained to identify specific joint restrictions, or subluxations, and movement restrictions by watching how a child moves (or doesn’t move).

2. The True Building Blocks, Not Just the End Goal

Traditional physical therapy often focuses on the visible skill you want to see, like rolling, crawling, or walking. Our sessions start with the foundational building blocks that must be in place first.

3. Communicating Effectively to Get the Complete Picture

Chiropractors and physical therapists are different professions for a reason. We’re taught differently and because of that, we see things through different lenses. But when we learn to communicate effectively and trust each other’s expertise, we get a really clear picture of what each child needs. That clarity is what ultimately unlocks breakthroughs.

Together, this creates something no single discipline alone can accomplish. A chiropractor without PT expertise misses the movement complexity. A PT without chiropractic insight can’t address the nervous system and joint restrictions keeping patterns locked in place.

The KinActive Method, seen in our intensive therapy programs, starts with understanding how your child’s unique neurology and body biomechanics are either supporting or blocking development. Then we build from there.

Why Intensive Therapy Changes Everything: Daily Progress Instead of Monthly Waiting

Traditional therapy spreads treatment over months. A child might receive one or two sessions per week, celebrate small wins, and still feel like they’re inching forward while life moves at full speed.

The KinActive Intensive Therapy Model (Kamp) is designed to change that rhythm entirely.

Instead of scattered sessions, your child receives focused, daily 1:1 care over 1-4 weeks. This concentrated environment removes the distraction of time and creates the neurological window needed for real, lasting change.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Multiple therapy modalities daily – combining chiropractic adjustments, function-focused physical therapy, and repetitive movement training in coordinated sessions
• Consistency of care – your child works with the same team, building momentum that compounds each day
• Real-time adjustments – our team monitors progress daily and refines the program to maximize results
• Intensive focus – every movement is coached, every adjustment supports the overall goal, every day matters

This isn’t more therapy. It’s the right therapy, stacked with purpose.

The research is clear: intensive therapy models accelerate progress dramatically. Families see weeks of gain that typically takes months or years to achieve with traditional weekly sessions. And because we’re addressing both the nervous system barriers and the true biomechanics of development, those changes stick.

The Results That Families Travel Across the Country For

Over the last five years, we’ve completed more than 700 KinActive Kamps. Families have traveled from 45 different states and 25 countries to participate. That’s not marketing. That’s testimony.

Here’s what families tell us:

“The chiro/PT combo is such an important key component in the development of children that you don’t get anywhere else. We love KinActive! The staff is amazing and so knowledgeable. They really took their time to assess and break down the deficiencies within my child and work towards my goal instead of power through to the end.”

— Parent after second Kamp

“We were only able to do one week and his progress was shocking. This facility and team are by far the best we have ever been to. I’ve never met a team I felt cared about his growth and my clear understanding of how to help once we left like I did here. They are worth your travels especially if you have heard the words, ‘Your child will never…'”

— Parent after one-week intensive

“Words can’t express how thankful I am. My son completed a 10-day intensive under the care of Jamie and Dr. Jennine. They provided invaluable information every session and put such care into individualized treatments. They sent us home with a detailed home exercise program that gave me the confidence to continue working with my son. All staff were supportive and really took time and thought into every aspect of our Kamp experience.”

— Parent after 10-day intensive

These aren’t just testimonials. They’re proof of what happens when the right expertise, the right methodology, and the right environment come together.

Why the Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Combination Is the Missing Piece

For decades, pediatric therapy has separated disciplines that should work together.

But movement development doesn’t compartmentalize. It’s a coordinated system where nervous system function and biomechanical patterns are inseparable.

Here’s what happens in traditional care: A PT works on strengthening and skill development. A chiropractor works on alignment and nervous system connection. They operate independently, never connecting the dots about how restriction in one system blocks development in the other.

Here’s what our integrated approach does:

First, we assess the biomechanical reality. Our chiropractors watch your child move. They identify where subluxations and restrictions are disrupting the nervous system. They see the compensation patterns that are keeping your child locked in a limited movement strategy. Our PTs assess the developmental building blocks that are missing. Together, we map the complete picture of why your child is where they are.

Second, we remove the barriers. Through chiropractic adjustments, informed by our understanding of pediatric development, we restore nervous system communication and proper biomechanical function. We’re not just adjusting spines. We’re removing the specific restrictions that are blocking the movement patterns your child needs to learn.

Third, we rebuild properly. Our PTs then teach the movement patterns your child’s nervous system can now access. We start with true building blocks, not shortcuts to skills. Your child’s body learns the correct activation sequences and coordination patterns that will support both current and future abilities.

This is why a child might spend a year in traditional physical therapy with gradual improvement, then do a two-week KinActive Kamp and make leaps they couldn’t access before. The biomechanical barriers were still in place. The nervous system was being blocked by restrictions that PT alone couldn’t address. The KinActive Method removes those barriers while building proper patterns simultaneously.

More Than Therapy: A Community That Believes in Your Child

What sets KinActive apart isn’t only what happens in the treatment rooms, though that’s where the magic starts.

It’s what surrounds the therapy.

When families arrive for their Kamp, they’re not just clients scheduling appointments. They’re joining a community of parents who understand the journey, who’ve heard the limiting words, and who’ve watched their children do the impossible.

You receive:

• Daily education – our team explains what we’re doing, why, and how it supports your child’s development 
• Detailed home programs – personalized exercises and techniques so progress continues when you leave
• Family gatherings – connecting with other families who are on the same journey
• Ongoing support – access to your treatment team even after your intensive ends

Families don’t leave with a “good luck.” They leave with tools, clarity, and confidence.

Many families return for second and third intensives as their children grow, because they’ve experienced firsthand what’s possible when two disciplines work together intentionally and knowledgeably.

Our Mission: Changing How the World Treats Its Kids

KinActive Kids was founded on a bigger conviction than just “better therapy.”

We’re on a mission to change the way the world treats its kids. We believe every child deserves care that sees their potential instead of their diagnosis. Care that removes limitations instead of managing them. Care that says “let’s discover what’s possible” instead of “let’s hope for the best.”

Where others see diagnoses, we see potential. Where others see limitations, we see opportunity. Where others see slow paths, we build new ones.

That’s not just our tagline. It’s our operating system.

Is Your Child Ready for a Breakthrough?

If you’ve spent months or years in traditional therapy watching progress plateau. If doctors have told you what your child will never do. If you’re exhausted from the fragmented approach and ready for concentrated, intentional care built on true understanding of how development works.

KinActive Kids exists for families like yours.

Over 700 families from 45 states and 25 countries have discovered what’s possible when chiropractic expertise in biomechanics and highly skilled physical therapy work together. Their children have achieved milestones they were told were impossible. Their parents have regained hope and confidence.

Your child’s story doesn’t have to be defined by limitations. It can be defined by breakthrough.

Need Additional Support?

At KinActive, we understand that every baby develops at their own pace, but we’re here to support you through every stage of your little one’s journey. If you have concerns about your baby’s motor development or are seeking guidance on encouraging more traditional crawling, we can help in a few ways.

• Take a masterclass. Best for parents needing professional guidance from the comfort of their own home.
• Book a Kamp. Best for parents with children experiencing atypical development.
• Book a virtual consultation with our clinic.

We offer comprehensive services designed to support your baby’s physical development, from structured therapy sessions to hands-on advice that you can implement at home. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and help your baby reach their full potential. And don’t forget to follow us on social media for more tips and information on your baby’s development!