Dr. Chris Garcia holds the distinction as San Diego’s first residency trained sports clinical specialist in physical therapy. He has extensive experience in treating athletes of all levels and sports, including working with Olympic, professional and recreational athletes. For three years, Chris served as a physical therapist at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, where he treated the nation’s best athletes. Additionally, he has been an integral member of sports performance teams during the NFL Combine Training program. He further enhanced his treatment methodology with a 4-month clinical internship with world-renowned physical therapist, Dr. Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD, FAPTA. Chris excels at relieving pain and improving performance of athletes by blending manual therapy with movement analysis to quickly identify and correct inefficient movement patterns. He has a special interest in managing low back pain, hip pain and knee ACL injury prevention. He has developed a unique screening assessment and approach to identify athletes at risk for injury. Having traveled around the world managing the care of the nation’s best athletes, Chris brings this vast experience and knowledge to help you train longer, harder and pain free.

A San Diego native, Dr. Garcia received his Bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University in Kinesiology and was honored as the Outstanding Graduate of the Year in a graduating class of 10,000 students. He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Washington University in St. Louis, ranked at the top 1% of the nation’s physical therapy programs. Chris went on to complete a 15-month intensive sports physical therapy residency from The Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center. Chris is a board certified Sports Clinical Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and Advanced Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting. Chris has presented at local, state and national conferences on sports medicine, including core stability, hip pain, sports performance, and bridging the gap between rehabilitation and return to sport. He also serves as adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at San Diego State University.

Skills and Specialties

Athlete Experience

Dr. Chris served on various medical teams to provide care for Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes nationally and internationally.