About Us

Robert Forster, PT has been treating athletes in Santa Monica for over twenty-seven years and his extensive work with recreational and elite athletes has set his clinic apart from the rest. His staff is experienced in solving difficult sports injuries and developing rehabilitation programs that are exercise based and makes you an active participant in your rehabilitation process.

FORSTER PHYSICAL THERAPY OFFERS:

Physical Therapy programs specializing in sports injury, conditions of the spine, and post-surgical cases

Voted "Best Place to go for a Sports Injury" by the readers of Competitor Magazine in 2002, 2004, and 2007

Exercise based Physical Therapy programs utilizing the latest modalities and techniques

Individualized AQUA THERAPY for a wide spectrum of orthopedic and medical diagnoses

Twenty-seven year history of practice in Santa Monica

Voted "Best Place to go for a Sports Massage" by the readers of Competitor Magazine in 2002, 2004, 2007

Professional staff including seven licensed Physical Therapists with over 115 years of combined experience

Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:00am - 8:00pm and Saturday 8:00am - 12:00pm

Free secure parking

About Forster Physical Therapy's Staff

Robert Forster, PT
Master Physical Therapist

Robert Forster P.T. has practiced Sports Physical Therapy in Santa Monica, CA, for twenty-seven years. His early years spent treating runners and dancers established him as a leader in the health and fitness community. Robert has lectured throughout the States and Europe on Sports Rehabilitation and safety in exercise. He has worked with leaders in the Exercise Industry such as Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld and Kathy Smith and has presented at multiple I.D.E.A. Conferences. Robert has recently been named to the Governor's Council of Physical Fitness Advisory Board.

Robert served as a private physical therapist at the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics for Olympians Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence "Flo-Jo" Joyner, Gail Devers and their teammates won a combined 24 Olympic Medals under his direct care. He has also worked with tennis great Pete Sampras over the last 5 years of his career to help him come back from several injuries and achieve his unprecedented 7th Wimbledon Championship and thirteenth Grand Slam title. Robert has also worked with basketball All-Star Kobe Bryant and tennis phenom, Maria Sharapova, and track & field World Champion Allyson Felix and Michelle Perry.

Los Angeles Magazine featured his clinic as offering the "Best Physical Therapy in L.A." in their Best of L.A.! issue. In 2002, 2004 and 2007 Forster Physical Therapy was voted "Best Place to go for a Sports Injury," "Best Place for a Sports Massage" and his Phase IV Scientific Training and Performance Center was voted "Best Gym/Triathlon Club" by readers of Competitor magazine. Robert has published several articles in the scientific press and co-authored The Complete Water Power Workout Book published in 1993 by Random House. He has also written a regular column in Triathlete Magazine.

In July 2002 Bob founded Phase IV Scientific Training and Performance Center. Phase IV is a training Mecca for goal-oriented athletes. Utilizing techniques previously reserved for professional and elite athletes Phase IV is an athletic think tank offering more in-depth assessment and instruction than that of a standard gym or personal trainer. Staffed by Physical Therapists, Registered Dietitians and Exercise Physiologists, Phase IV is dedicated to helping athletes achieve injury-free peak performance.

Robert is active in the community sponsoring the Los Angeles Running Club and Los Angeles Triathlon Club as well as providing free treatment for patients of the Venice Family Clinic. He has also founded and coaches The Santa Monica Bay Wrestling Club overseeing a program to introduce this great sport to children in our community. He has personally completed the two toughest mountain-bike stage races in the world; La Ruta de Conquistadors in Costa Rica and the TransAlp Challenge, an eight day stage race traversing the Austrian Alps and Italian Dolomites.

Ron Berry; Director of Water Rehabilitation
Master Physical Therapist

Ron has been a Physical Therapist since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from California State University, Long Beach in 1990. Prior to that, he attended U.C. Santa Cruz and worked as a massage therapist. He has worked with Robert Forster since 1993 treating a variety of diagnoses. Upon the opening of the new clinic in 1996 he helped develop the aqua therapy program. He has also worked on developing periodized training programs with athletes at Phase IV, the Scientific Training & Performance Center, since it’s inception in 2002. Since then he has returned to treating a variety of diagnoses out of the water, as well. Ron keeps active and fit through a variety of sports and hobbies. He is an active member of the physical therapy professional association, the APTA, and continues to enhance his skills through educational seminars.

Kent Moody, Director of Clinical Quality Assurance
Master Physical Therapist

Kent received his Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1977. Prior to that, he earned a B.S. in Health Education from the University of Oregon in 1975. Kent joined Robert Forster in October 2000 as a Staff Physical Therapist and Head of Clinical Quality Assurance. Prior to that, he worked at HealthSouth Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic since 1993. He has also worked at Southern California Center for Sports Medicine in Long Beach, S.C.O.R., Inc. at Cigna Healthplans in Los Angeles in cardiac rehabilitation and at Daniel Freeman Hospital in cardiac rehabilitation. Kent has been an avid runner since 1967 and has participated in numerous 10k runs and half marathons. He is also involved in swimming, surfing, skiing, backpacking, and camping.

Bill Adkins, PT

Bill is a Santa Monica High School graduate, where he was the Scholar Athlete and Dale Dehnke Award recipient for Most Inspirational Athlete. Bill received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Kinesiology from UCLA in 1988. He then returned to Santa Monica High School to coach and teach biology and physiology. He also taught abroad at a Ukrainian University in Zaporoshye and at an international school in Seoul, Korea. While in Korea, Bill served with the US Ski Patrol-Asian Division. He then returned to the United States to achieve a Masters degree in Physical Therapy from California State University, Long Beach in 2001. Before coming to Robert Forster Physical Therapy, Bill worked as a physical therapist for Health South Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic and spent a summer teaching physical therapy at the top rehabilitation hospital in Beijing, China. Bill is involved with his church, leading various small groups, and plays volleyball, SCUBA dives, kayaks, hikes, camps and backpacks.

Edwin Tinoco, PT, ATC

Edwin earned a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Sports Sciences and a Masters degree in 2005 in Physical Therapy at Florida International University. Edwin is also a Certified Athletic Trainer and has worked with high school, college and professional athletes. One of the highlights of Edwin’s collegiate career was being selected as one of only two seniors in his Bachelor program to participate in an internship at UHZ Sports Medicine Institute, where he worked alongside renowned orthopedic surgeons and team doctors for Florida International University, University of Miami and the Miami Dolphins. Edwin recently moved to California along with is wife Jessica, their dog Sergeant Pepper and two cats (Batman & Tinkerbell). Edwin, a state-ranked wrestler in high school, still enjoys his time on the mat, as well as, surfing, SCUBA diving and roller hockey. He and his wife enjoy taking advantage of the wonderful outdoor lifestyle California has to offer.

Evan Williams, PTLA

Evan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physiotherapy from St. Georges Hospital Medical School in London, England in 2003. Prior to re-training, he worked as a professional dancer with The Royal Ballet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Geneva Ballet. Upon Graduating from St George’s, he worked at Kings College Hospital in Southeast London, doing rotations in musculoskeletal outpatients, orthopedics, elderly care and liver intensive Care. Outside of work he enjoys running, swimming and traveling.

Amy Huenniger, MSPT

Amy received her Masters of Science and Physical Therapy from Ithaca College, New York in 2003. Prior to joining Forster Physical Therapy, she worked for three years as a Physical Therapist and Assistant Clinical Director in an outpatient orthopedic clinic located in Valencia, CA. In addition, she is currently working at UCLA Orthopedic Hospital, doing inpatient rotations in post-operative spine and orthopedics, pediatrics, geriatrics, intensive care patients and cancer ward patients. Outside of work, Amy enjoys skiing, running, soccer and track and field.

TESTIMONIALS

Dear LAtri clubbers,

Training for my first Ironman (Louisville KY) I was plagued with injuries. So to make my training injury free for my next Ironman (Hainan Island, Haikou China) I had a structural exam and appraisal by Robert Forester (Phase IV). Robert (Bob) was very good at pointing out my muscle imbalances and potentials for injury. Bob prescribed a stretching and weight program that addressed my issues.

My major issues:

Rotator cuff, impingement syndrome, right shoulder
Left leg functionally longer than my right

Left leg weaker than the right

Freakishly weak left ankle.

Bob understands that I am training for an Ironman so he designed a program that fits in with my IM schedule so I don't have problems with my weight program being out of sync with my IM training i.e. having my weight program peaking when I should be tapering for a race

Since Bob knew about my issues, I had an exceptionally good bike fit (ERGO-POWER PLUS). Bob hooked me up to a computrainer that gave a picture of my pedal stroke. I was supposed to have a round circle but I had the classic dumb bell shape. Bob adjusted the position of my cleats and the height of my seat, for my leg length discrepancy he cut out a cork insole and placed it in my left shoe and I was able to improve my pedal stroke dramatically.

Bob doesn't sell bicycle parts but he has the uncanny ability to give you accurate specifications for any part he recommends.

I have been on Phase IV stretching and weight program for 5 months, my left leg and ankle are feeling much stronger and my right shoulder doesn't hurt when I swim. My bike has been adjusted to my imperfect biomechanics making my chronic injuries disappear. With 12 weeks until race day, my training has been injury free and much more enjoyable.

Sincerely,

Steven Chiamori

Dear Mr. Forster,
I greatly appreciate the help and consideration you and your crew gave me last year and early 2005. There is no doubt the help facilitated my whiplash recovery and being walking distance to you from my bus and home truly saved me. Claudia is awesome, Bill was so patient, Rich and al the other financial and admin folks were so supportive.
Thank you all so much.
Sincerely yours,

Carol R.

Dear Ron,
It is impossible to express proper regard and appreciation for the gift you have given me. That gift is being able to run through, as you know, a very painful and debilitating fascia injury, which YOU made possible.
Ahhh, to finally have answers to all of my hamstring challenges! It is with a huge sigh of relief that your expert evaluation and treatment has given me hope that I can run, hopefully pain-free and fast again! During this entire hamstring fiasco, you were more than my therapist; You were my coach, my confidant, my true inspiration for moving forward.
Through the extensive strength training, stretching and modified running program, complete with lots of cross-training and plastic ice baggies, you guided me, transformed me, from a broken, injured soul, to the strong, capable athlete that I am. There are no words to let you know just what all this means to me. However, please know that I am eternally grateful.
I can’t even tell you how motivated, how appreciative, how awesome I feel to have you in my life. THANK YOU for giving me a competitive Cross-Country (XC) season, one in which I finished 13th in the country in the National Master’s XC Championship and “The Janes” repeated as National XC Team Champions! It was certainly a season I never thought possible. You were the reason I was able to compete at all, you are the reason I will continue to be a competitor no matter the obstacles.
If ever it seems that you have not transcended the bonds of common physical therapy, just know that most people cannot reciprocate their hearts and passion as you do. Most people do not have the expertise, the care, the generosity that you possess. Ron, you are truly extraordinary! Like in the quote below, you do for others what no one can. Thank you for everything. I love you more than I can say.
With complete love and gratitude,
Jeaney G.

“One of the deepest secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.” - Lewis Carroll