About

Dr. Christina Merkl PT, DPT, MFDc

An Intro.

Dr. Christina or “CJ” is Owner/Physical Therapist of Evolve Movement Physiotherapy. After spending 12 years of her career working in different Physical Therapy clinics across the country, she realized that the demands of corporate clinics were not conducive to individualized care and more about sacrificing quality care for more visits. The SARS CoV-2 pandemic gave her the opportunity to branch out on her own with a new paradigm of true one on one Physical Therapy that treats the entire individual. Every person has their unique response to different treatments and there is no “one size fits all” approach to improving your health. She believes the body has the ability to heal itself when given the right conditions and uses her skill set to determine what will be most effective for each individual.

Born and raised in the Hudson Valley of Upstate New York, Christina received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University at Buffalo in 2008. She spent her residency focused on Outpatient Orthopedics and fell in love with the West Coast while on her final rotation. After spending 3 years practicing as an Orthopedic Physical Therapist in NY, she moved to Phoenix, AZ where she had the opportunity to work with high-level and professional athletes. During her 4 years in Arizona she was able to focus on personalized quality care and became skilled in a variety of Manual Therapy approaches.

Dr. CJ now calls the Bay Area her home where she enjoys spending time outdoors; hiking, running, gardening, practicing yoga and enjoying time with her two amazing boys, husband, and dogs.