Dr. Chris Fahs, DPT, CSC I
My name is Dr. Chris Fahs, and I am a physical therapist specializing in a technique called Fascial Counterstrain.
I graduated with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Midwestern University in 2004 and have been working in the outpatient orthopedic setting since. When I started out as a rookie PT, I loved my profession and was eager to help as many people as I could. I was equipped with the standard tools of traditional physical therapy including exercise prescription, soft tissue mobilization, and joint mobilization techniques. It was truly rewarding to help many people meet their goals of returning to sport, improving function, and getting rid of pain, until I was faced with failure. Not being able to help someone kept me up at night, searching for answers. I took many continuing education courses and found improved results with my patients following each class, especially with manual therapy techniques. I began “speed-dating” the various methods, and when I first saw a demonstration of one such technique called Counterstrain, I was immediately impressed. Since that time, I have dedicated my career to mastering Counterstain, have taken 20+ courses and counting, and became Certified in Fascial Counterstrain in 2023.
PHILOSOPHY:
I am one part of the healthcare team. Your team might consist of one or more of the following: chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, osteopath, naturopath, traditional physical therapist, personal trainer, allopath (MD), functional medicine physician, and many others. I know there is great value in receiving care from not just one expert individual but from an expert and collaborative team. I do not desire to replace your medical providers; I want to collaborate with them to identify which of the body’s systems have yet to be addressed. Working more than 20 years as a physical therapist, it is my experience that traditional physical therapy has great success approximately 75% of the time. Counterstrain is a highly effective treatment for the 25% of people who have failed to progress. It is likely that your symptoms are being driven by something other than your musculoskeletal system. For example, tissues may not be getting enough oxygenated blood when you were injured and you also injured your arteries. Counterstrain assesses the various systems of the body to identify and treat the actual sources of your condition, not just your symptoms. Counterstrain is based on the deep study of Human Anatomy and Physiology. I am committed to lifelong learning, and I absolutely love studying and gaining more and more knowledge in order to help as many people as I can.