Raising the Bar: Dr. Davis Koh Featured in inMotion

In its Fall 2015 issue, inMotion, the magazine of the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, profiled Dr. Davis Koh, a USC physical therapy and business graduate and the founder of KOH Physical Therapy Lab. The feature, "Raising the Bar," focused on his work with competitive weightlifters as part of the Team USA medical team.

Working with Team USA Weightlifting

The article traces Dr. Koh's work with Team USA Weightlifting back to 2008 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, followed by an invitation to serve on the U.S. Olympic Committee's medical team. At the time of the feature he was preparing to work the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in Houston, a qualifying event for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Competition-day care, as the article describes it, ranges from taping, stretching and soft tissue work before a lift to hands-on treatment afterward for problems such as rotator cuff strains, knee pain or low back pain. The goal is practical: help each athlete get through the event safely, or advise them not to compete when that is the right call.

Dr. Koh also spoke about the demands of the sport. He noted that weightlifting done properly has real benefits, and that the margin for error at heavy loads is small. In his words, "There's no room for margin of error because the weight is so heavy..."

Why the work matters to him

Asked about representing the country, he told inMotion, "You do feel like you're helping your country." He described the lifters he works with as hardworking, down-to-earth athletes who train as hard as professionals in far better-paid sports.

The feature also noted that his clinical practice in Orange County keeps his caseload broad, from older adults recovering from stroke to young athletes and people recovering from joint replacement surgery.

USC roots

Dr. Koh credited his USC education with a strong foundation in manual skills and current research, and at the time he served as president of the USC Physical Therapy Alumni Association. He described the alumni network as a source of guidance and opportunity throughout his career.

Summary of "Raising the Bar" by Breanne Grady, inMotion (USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy), Fall 2015. Quotes are from the original article. Read the original issue (archived PDF)

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