Dr. Venu Akuthota is the CU Medicine Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (CU PM&R) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Akuthota and CU PM&R are devoted to growing the value of the PM&R disciplines through interdisciplinary clinical care and research as well as training the next generation of rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists, and rehabilitation researchers. Through his role as service line champion of The Spine Center at University of Colorado Hospital and CU Sports Medicine, he provides clinical expertise in aggressive, non-operative treatment of spine and musculoskeletal conditions. He is board certified in PM&R with subspecialty certifications in Sports Medicine and Pain Medicine. Dr. Akuthota also serves as a team physician for University of Colorado Buffaloes and University of Denver Pioneers, and he has been repeatedly voted by his peer physicians as a Denver 5280 magazine “Top Doctor.”

After training and working as a faculty physician at Northwestern University’s prestigious Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now Shirley Ryan Ability Lab), he was recruited, in 2002, to the University of Colorado to develop the multidisciplinary Spine Center and multidisciplinary Pain and Sports Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Akuthota is the author of more than 100 publications, author/editor of two textbooks and a sought after visiting professor/speaker. He served as a founding senior editor of the journal PM&R and previously served on the Boards of NASS (North American Spine Society) and the erstwhile PASSOR (Physiatric Association of Spine Sports and Occupational Rehabilitation). He is currently a co-editor of Evidence-Based Physiatry within the American Journal of PM&R. In 2012, he and co-authors received the Outstanding Paper Award by The Spine Journal for research on spinal injections. He is part of the LESS study group of investigators which has published seminal lumbar stenosis research in the New England Journal of Medicine and other publications.

Dr. Akuthota is an active physician scientist investigating innovative spine and musculoskeletal treatments, having held grant funding from agencies like the AHRQ, PCORI, Foundation for PM&R and the CU Health and Welfare Trust. Dr. Akuthota has been a senior or lead investigator on various published clinical trials, including ones for regenerative spine medicine, lumbar spinal stenosis, efficacy and utilization of spinal injections, functional movement training, hamstring stretching, hip provocation maneuvers, and nerve injuries in athletes.

Clinical Interest for Patients

Dr. Akuthota is Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado. In addition, he served as the medical director of the Spine Center at University of Colorado Hospital and is responsible for the Runners' Clinic at the University Sports Medicine Center. He is board-certified in sports medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, pain medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. His clinical interests include prevention and management of the neck, spine, lower back pain, and running injuries.

Care Philosophy

Treat people like family members

Teaching