Parkersburg, WV – Balance Center

Chris Covert completed his undergraduate degree in Exercise physical therapistlogy at West Virginia University in 2005 and obtained his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from WVU in 2008. Following this, Chris completed post-professional orthopedic physical therapy residency training through Evidence in Motion in 2010. His residency training had a strong emphasis in orthopedic manual physical therapy and integrating high-quality research into clinical decision making. In 2010, Chris became a Board-certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. In 2015, he completed manual physical therapy fellowship training through Sports Medicine of Atlanta with a focus on efficient medical screening with direct access patients, along with integrating movement sciences and manual therapy to obtain optimal outcomes for patients.

In 2018, he became certified in Vestibular Rehabilitation through the American Institute of Balance.  This certification, (AIB-VR), focuses on treating patients with Vestibular issues such as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and Vestibular hypofunctions causing balance issues.

Chris has been working with Mountain River Physical Therapy from 2008 to present as a Physical Therapist, Director of Clinical Development, and Site Coordinator of Clinical Education for Student Internships. He is a Manual Therapy Fellowship Mentor for Nxt Gen Institute of Physical Therapy (2015 to present). He periodically assists in the manual therapy labs with WVU DPT students during portions of their orthopedic/musculoskeletal coursework. Chris also serves as a lab assistant for Temporomandibular and Craniofacial courses with Mariano Rocabado.

Chris is certified in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA Levels I and II), Functional Dry Needling Levels I,II,& III (Kinetacore), Mulligan Mobilization with Movement Techniques, and ASTYM.

Chris’s hobbies and interests include traveling, hanging out with family and friends, golf, fishing, hiking, watching sports, attending physical therapy conferences, and WVU sports. Chris is married to his wife, Missy Covert, who is an Occupational Therapist and the Occupational Therapy Team Leader at Camden Clark Medical Center – WVU Medicine. Chris and Missy have an 8 year old daughter, Aspen, who is involved in Soccer, AWANA, and loves swimming. They enjoy traveling together, outdoor activities, and watching movies.  They attend Fellowship Baptist Church.