Education: Dr. Porter graduated from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2007. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Health Science (Healthcare Administration) from the UAB School of Health Professions in 2004. He is an active member of the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) and the orthopedic, research, and education sections. Kris is also an adjunct faculty member at Marymount University in Arlington, VA

Kris is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He graduated from the 2009 orthopedic physical therapy residency program at the Jackson Clinics and then took on the role of director of The Jackson Clinics APTA credentialed orthopedic residency program in 2011. He is also a Board Certified Direct Access Provider. Kris has been certified has a clinical instructor from the American Physical Therapy Association and is a mentor in the Residency program. His focus is on residency operations, curriculum development, clinical reasoning, and integrating evidence “enhanced” practice into the residency and the company. He also has a passion for integrating new technology to manage information to enhance retention of knowledge, knowledge accessibility, promote collaboration, and ultimately decision making in patient care.

Kris was a collegiate baseball pitcher and naturally has a strong interest in treating dysfunction of the shoulder, upper quarter, and sports injuries. He also makes custom orthotics for the foot and related disorders of the knee and above. He enjoys utilizing movement analysis software for gait/running evaluations.

Specialties: Kris has a diverse interest in musculoskeletal pathology. This includes spinal, upper, and lower extremity disorders. "I feel the physical therapist is the practitioner of choice for conservative treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Therapists are trained to look at the human machine as a whole and treat the "WHY" behind the patient’s complaint. Even our post-surgical patient's need skilled therapy to assist them with returning to maximum function, even if the surgery was perfect. With the help of our medical colleagues in certain cases, I feel the key to healing is finding the right recipe of therapeutic exercise, manual therapy as needed, and applying a strong emphasis on patient education and empowerment."

Fun Facts: Kris enjoys playing the guitar, volunteering within the local and international community, and is a professional Wiffle Ball player with two tournament victories in 2009.

Links:
Physical Therapy Volunteer Goes to Peru by Kris Porter, PT, DPT, OCS

Check out Kris in a video by MoveForwardPT, Walking Tips from a Physical Therapist. http://youtu.be/2u8DXWRzkUE