Meet Matt Whitehead

A Client First
Matt Whitehead, BS,  is the Therapy Director of the Egoscue Method in Portland, Oregon. While majoring in Exercise Science at Gonzaga University, he was a NCAA Division 1 cross-country and track runner but found his time there riddled with injuries: foot pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, and anterior compartment syndrome. The thing that shocked Matt was that no one could give him an explanation that ever made common sense of why the pain was there, and that treatments only offered short term relief as the pain would return on the very next run. His pain was blamed on everything from “the wrong shoes” to “running too much on hard surfaces” to “increasing mileage too fast”, but the problem was that he only had pain on his right side and both legs were wearing the same shoes, running on the same surfaces and doing the same mileage. Common sense was missing from all these “causes”.

After graduating and taking up cycling (because running hurt too much), Matt was working as a personal trainer when he was lucky enough to be introduced to Egoscue by a co-worker. When reading Pete Egoscue’s first book, The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion, the light bulb went off as this was the first approach to pain relief that not only made common sense but resonated with what he had always felt: something was not balanced about how his body was working. Egoscue offered an explanation and a cure (much more appealing than the surgery that was suggested).

Experienced Instructor, Speaker, Writer
Matt has over 10 years of experience as an Exercise Therapist and is certified as a Postural Alignment Specialist (Level II) and Advanced Exercise Therapist (AET). He is a seasoned member of the teaching faculty for Egoscue University (EU) having taught EU certification courses since 2005. Matt is one of only six Clinic Directors worldwide selected to teach the Postural Alignment Specialist (PAS) I & II certifications. He is a sought after instructor because of his clinical and teaching experience, inspiring attitude, interactive class atmosphere, and ability to challenge students to reach a new level of understanding and application of Egoscue.

Matt has presented seminars and taught workshops on posture and its relationship to chronic pain and athletic performance to a wide array of participants, from fitness and wellness professionals to medical practitioners. He enjoys teaching people how to find the true cause of their pain and movement disorders and also how to most effectively correct the problem. Matt has presented seminars on topics including “The 3 Things You Must Do to Be Pain Free for Life”, “Golf: Posture and Mechanics”, “Tennis Injury Prevention”, “Understanding and Affecting Scoliosis”, and “Core Training: Dispelling Myths & Finding Truth”. He has experience working with everyone from professional athletes to geriatrics on eliminating their pain and limitations.

Matt is a member of the IDEA Health & Fitness Association and has been an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer since 2001. He is also featured as a contributing writer and “Top HealthBlogger” for www.wellsphere.com recognizing him as one of the leading health bloggers on the web. Matt is an avid runner, cyclist, Nordic & alpine skier, hiker, and outdoor enthusiast.