Cheryl Thomas, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CMTPT

I've spent 20+ years working in sports and orthopedic physical therapy, with a focus on gymnastics medicine that started early in my career and never really let go. There's something about this sport — the precision, the complexity of the movement, the way the whole body is loaded simultaneously — that demands a different kind of clinical thinking.

I've had the privilege of working numerous national and international events in gymnastics, providing sideline medical care at the highest levels of the sport. That work gave me a clear-eyed view of what gymnastics actually demands — and why the rehab has to reflect it. It also sharpened what I believe about return-to-sport: it isn't a date on a calendar, and it isn't "pain-free." It's a methodical process of restoring capacity, testing it, and repeating that cycle until the athlete can confidently perform under the demands of their sport.

Innovative Physical Therapy, LLC exists to bring that level of care to gymnasts at every level — from recreational athletes dealing with their first ankle sprain to college gymnasts managing chronic load issues to elites navigating postoperative return to competition.

---

Clinical strengths