Cheryl Smith, DPT

Cheryl Smith, DPT received her undergraduate degree in Health and Sport Sciences from the University of Oklahoma in 1997and a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) from the University of Oklahoma in 2004. After working as a traveling therapist for several years, she embarked on a yearlong fellowship Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSTL). There she studied, researched, and was trained in diagnosis and treatment of movement system impairment (MSI) syndromes.  Cheryl recently received her Post-Professional Doctorate in Physical Therapy from WUSTL.

Cheryl’s focus in physical therapy has been primarily in outpatient orthopedics.  She was first introduced to the teachings of Shirley Sarhmann, PT, PhD, FAPTA by mentors in PT school and integrated the principles of muscle balance and movement retraining early in her career.  Her interest in this specialty lead her to seek the fellowship at WUSTL. Cheryl has been invited by Shirley Sahrmann to lab assist in Movement System Impairment (MSI) courses in St. Louis and is currently working closely with the faculty at WUSTL on a case series for publication on posterior hip instabilities in young females.

Cheryl’s expertise includes treatment of the lumbopelvic-hip complex and cervical spine in patients of all ages. She also has additional training in the treatment of TMJ in relation to cervical spine dysfunction. She performs a systematic initial evaluation and uses patient education, postural training, therapeutic exercise, movement re-education, home exercises, and self care instruction to help her patients decrease their symptoms and improve their alignment and biomechanics with all of their daily activities.

During her career as a PT, Cheryl was a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma and a lab assistant to PT students at both the University of Oklahoma and WUSTL Cheryl is committed to teaching the concepts of diagnosis and treatment of movement impairment and hopes to serve as clinical faculty at local universities in the programs of physical therapy. 

In her free time, Cheryl enjoys being outdoors, hiking, biking, cooking with friends, traveling, OU football, and Lady Sooners basketball.

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