Hi! I’m Evan Pham.
I’m a physical therapist, coach, and fellow weekend warrior. My goal is to be a resource for you to get back from injury or to achieve the best version of yourself in the activities you enjoy most.
I help people like yourself overcome obstacles and conditions to get back into consistent and healthy activities you enjoy. I want to be a part of your journey in getting to your best.
Injuries happen! I aim to combine the science of movement with your own story to give you practical guidance for your own process when these moments get to you. Remember, you’re in the driver seat about what you know about your struggles.
I established this platform to cater to individuals who share my passion for running, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting. My goal is to delve deeper into the intricacies of these sports and leverage this knowledge to assist you in your fitness journey. I aim to spend time understanding your story while understanding the demands of these sports to develop a specific plan that tailors to your needs.
Let’s work together to get you where you need to be!
Everyday I get to talk to people about
How they had physical therapy experiences where they were misunderstood
What to do to take care of their bodies
What can I do for any given diagnosis they were told about
Dealing with injuries that stop them from feeling motivated to train at their best capacity
Does this sound like what you’re going through? Hopefully you get to see that this questions resonate with my story.
I am born and raised in Orange County, California and enjoyed watching sports with my family. The Olympics was a family affair we would watch through the opening ceremonies to the final events; the idea of competition was always something that I knew from a young age as a result of this family time. Swimming became the first time I could channel my competitive energy into a sport I could participate in. I would ask my parents to rent videos on how to swim faster, learning how to have the best form possible to be the fastest. What I did not understand was what went into the training until I was in high school.
I started weightlifting into high school, thinking that this exercise was hindering my own progress, but I noticed its effects as I felt stronger during my practices (outside of the days I felt sore) and into performances. These efforts got me NCAA Division I program phone calls during my summer before my senior year. However, that all came to a halt when I had experienced low back and pain in both thighs right before that year started. MRIs told me that I had disc herniations at two levels. What came to hurt the most was that I was told that if I kept at the pace I was swimming and weightlifting, that I would eventually be crippled for the rest of my life. Those words stung and rocked me to my core.
However, these experiences created a new path. Between thinking about my college days thinking “what if?” as some of my peers found major success during their NCAA and Olympic Trial performances and the messages I was given about fragility of my spine, I decided to carry that as my passion into physical therapy.
Fast forward about fifteen years or so, I attended University of St. Augustine, Sam Marcos to pursue my dream career. My first time trying running was during physical therapy school when I needed a break from studying; it helped me zone out of the long hours of my head into the books. I also loved the social aspect during group runs with my classmates. We all got to talk about our worries about passing PT school, what life could possibly be like after we graduate, and what our passions in life are. I ran 5ks and 15ks with my classmates to create memories of our difficult times in school together.
Because of my love for timed sports, I wanted to see if I could run my first marathon to which I had no direction on preparing for all the efforts I would require for this race. I then attempted to try to make every run following that first largely unsuccessful attempt at a marathon a fast one, not realizing that this style of training would create some new problems not experienced before that would derail my own progress. Even with these aches and pains, the passion of learning on what it takes to be a better athlete for longer carries me forward as a physical therapist and coach.
Over these years, I have been lucky enough to be able to work with individuals at all levels. I served as a lead physical therapist for Dynamx Physical Therapy, treating those who have been told differing opinions about their injuries when returning back to their specific sport, not only learning from my clinic peers, but the incredible mentors who have guided me along the way. I have also been fortunate to serve as captain for Social Hour Run Club to bring beginner and intermediate level runners to reach their goals in half and full marathon distances. I believe in learning from them about the importance of communication and how everyone comes from different circumstances that define their response to training/performance. These experiences helped guide me to understand that people like yourself require presence in providing the highest quality care possible. The traditional model of PT often leads to shortened sessions, treatments that are not meaningful, and unanswered questions. I hope to change that for you.
I have been very fortunate in my life to be able to help others like yourself to take charge in their physical abilities when it is needed the most after running into problems.