”I just wanted to thank you again for your great expertise. You saved my life by getting me back on the water by March, and I just returned home from the Senior World Championships with a gold Medal. I really did not think I would ever ski again before I came to see you.“
—Jennifer LaPoint

People


Christopher M. Powers, PhD, PT, FACSM, FAPTA

Dr. Powers is the founder and owner of the Movement Performance Institute in Los Angeles. In addition, he is a Professor in the Department of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy, and Co-Director of the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Southern California. He holds joint appointments in the departments of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery within the Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Powers received his Bachelors degree in Physical Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984, his Masters degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Biokinesiology in 1996 from USC. Dr. Powers did his post-doctoral training at the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, University of California, Irvine.

Dr. Powers is recognized nationally and internationally for his research related to the biomechanical causes of lower extremity injury. More specifically, he is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on knee injuries; in particular patellofemoral joint dysfunction and tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Dr. Powers has published over 200 research articles and has received several awards from the American Physical Therapy Association, including the Rose Excellence in Research Award from the Orthopaedic Section, the Eugene Michels New Investigator Award, the Dorothy Briggs Scientific Inquiry Award and the Helen J Hislop Award for contributions to the professional literature.

Dr. Powers is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. He also is a member of the American Society for Biomechanics, American Society for Testing and Measures, and the North American Society for Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis.