Cara L. Lewis, PT, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, Curriculum Vitae

Phone: 617-353-7509  Email
Human Adaptation Lab

BS, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN;
MS, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Click here for current research study opportunities

Video: “Hip Pain?  Walk it off”

Courses Taught

• HP 151 Introduction to the Health and Rehabilitation Professions
• PT 520 Functional Anatomy

Scholarly, Research, and/or Practice Interests

Musculoskeletal causes of hip pain and motor adaptation to robotic assistance during gait

Scholarship – Recent Presentations

• The controversial role of structure in hip pain. Presented at the MGH Sports Medicine Seminar, Boston, MA, April 2012
• Hip pain in young adults. Presented at the Movement System Impairment (MSI) Retreat, Innsbrook, MO, Mar 12
• Changing your gait to save your hip. Presented at the Spaulding Research Seminar, Boston, MA, May, 2011.
• Effect of increased pushoff during gait on hip joint forces. Proceedings of the 2011 meeting of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society, Bethesda, MD, April 2011.
• Hip joint forces with exercise and gait. Presented at the Movement System Impairment (MSI) Retreat, Innsbrook, MO, March, 2011.
• Reducing joint forces at the hip. Presented at the Kinesiology Department Seminar, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, February, 2011.
• Movement pattern differences in young adults with and without hip pain. Presented at CREST Seminar, Boston University, Boston, MA, February, 2011.
• Hip joint forces during gait with normal and with increased ankle pushoff. Proceedings of the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, New Orleans, LA, February 2011.
• Using a robotic hip exoskeleton for gait modification. Presented at the Mechanical Engineering Department Seminar, Boston University, Boston, MA, November, 2010.
• Robotic lower limb exoskeletons for human locomotion. Presentation member for the 2010 joint meeting of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society and the European Society of Movement Analysis in Adults and Children (JEGM 2010), Miami, FL, May, 2010.
• Hip joint kinetics while walking with a robotic hip orthosis. Proceedings of the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, San Diego, CA, February, 2010.
• Altering Hip Mechanics during Ambulation. Presented at The Boston Action Club, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, January, 2010.
• Plantar flexor response to a perturbation during human walking maintains ankle joint torque pattern, 33rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, State College, PA, August, 2009.
• Invariant ankle moment patterns with plantar flexor assistance from a powered ankle orthosis. North American Congress on Biomechanics, Ann Arbor, MI, August, 2008.
• Motor response during unexpectedly reduced plantar flexor torque provided by a powered orthosis during walking. Proceedings of the North American Congress on Biomechanics, Ann Arbor, MI, August, 2008.
• Walking with increased push-off decreases hip moment. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, Palo Alto, CA, August, 2007.

Scholarship – Recent Publications

• Monaghan GM, Lewis CL, Hsu WH, Saltzman E, Hamill J, Holt KG. Forefoot angle determines duration and amplitude of pronation during walking. Gait and Posture, in press.
• Caron RR, Wagenaar RC, Lewis CL, Saltzman E, Holt KG. Forward lean maintains center of mass trajectory and orientation to ankle and knee in sagittal plane is maintained with forward lean when backpack load changes during treadmill walking. Journal of Biomechanics, in press.
• Lewis CL, Millis MB, and Schoenecker PL. Perthes Disease and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: Major developmental causes of femoroacetabular impingement. Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, in press.
• Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA, Moran DW. Effect of hip angle on anterior hip joint forces during gait. Gait & Posture, 2010;32:603-607.
• Lewis CL, Ferris DP. Invariant hip moment pattern while walking with a robotic hip exoskeleton. Journal of Biomechanics, 2011; 44(5):789-93.
• Kao PC, Lewis CL, Ferris DP. Short-term locomotor adaptation to a robotic ankle exoskeleton does not alter soleus Hoffmann reflex amplitude. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2010; 7:33.
• Kao PC, Lewis CL, Ferris DP. Invariant ankle moment patterns when walking with and without a robotic ankle exoskeleton. Journal of Biomechanics,2010;43(2):203-9.
• Kao PC, Lewis CL, Ferris DP. Joint kinetic response during unexpectedly reduced plantar flexor torque provided by a robotic ankle exoskeleton during walking. Journal of Biomechanics, 2010;43(7):1401-1407.
• Lewis CL. Extra-articular snapping hip: a literature review. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 2010;2:186-190.
• Charnock BL, Lewis CL, Garrett WE, Queen RM. Adductor longus vulnerability in the maximal effort soccer kick. Sports Biomechanics. 2009; 8(3): 223-34.
• Sawicki GS, Lewis CL, Ferris DP. It pays to have a spring in your step. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2009;37(3):130-8.
• Ferris DP and Lewis CL Robotic lower limb exoskeletons using proportional myoelectric control. Proceedings of the 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Minneapolis, MN. 2009;2119-24.
• Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA. Muscle activation and movement patterns during prone hip extension in females. Journal of Athletic Training. 2009;44(3):238-48.
• Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA, Moran DW. Effect of alteration in synergist muscle force contribution on hip forces when performing hip strengthening exercises. Clinical Biomechanics. 2009;24(1):35-42.
• Lewis CL, Ferris DP. Walking with increased push-off decreases hip moment. Journal of Biomechanics. 2008;41:2082-2089.
• Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA, Moran DW. Anterior hip joint force increases with hip extension, decreased gluteal force, or decreased iliopsoas force. Journal of Biomechanics. 2007;40(16):3725-3731.
• Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA. Acetabular labral tears. Physical Therapy. 2006;86(1):110-121.
• Klaesner JW, Hastings MK, Zou D, Lewis C, Mueller MJ. Plantar tissue stiffness in patients with diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2002;83(12):1796-801.

Scholarship – Selected Peer-reviewed Abstracts

• Marinko L, Lewis CL. Postural correction reduces hip pain in young adult with acetabular dysplasia: a case study. Proceedings of the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, San Diego, CA, January 2013.
• Lewis CL. Altered hip movement in females with hip pain during single leg step down. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, Gainesville, FL, August, 2012.
• Monaghan G, Lewis CL, Hsu WH, Saltzman E, Hamill J, and Holt KG. Forefoot orientation angle determines duration and amplitude of pronation during walking. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, Gainesville, FL, August, 2012.
• Caron RR, Wagenaar RC, Lewis CL, Saltzman E, and Holt KG. Vertical trajectory of center of mass maintained with increased vertical stiffness while carrying load. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, Gainesville, FL, August, 2012.
• Lewis CL. Altered hip movement in women with hip pain during single leg step down. Proceedings of the 2012 meeting of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society, Grand Rapids, MI, May 2012.
• Marinko L, Lewis CL. Lumbopelvic stability deficits in a patient with surgical treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement. Proceedings of the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, Chicago, IL, February 2012.

Scholarship – Recent Activities

Grant Application Reviewer

• Missouri Physical Therapy Association
• U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command

Manuscript Reviewer:

• American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
• Sports Health
• Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• BioMedical Engineering OnLine
• Clinical Biomechanics
• Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• Journal of Athletic Training
• Journal of Biomechanics

Professional Activities

Member, Item Writer Task Force, National Physical Therapy Examination, 2011-2013

Member, Eugene Michels Forum Committee, Section on Research, American Physical Therapy Association

Academic and Professional Honors

2012 Participant, AAOS/ORS Femoroacetabular Impingement Research Symposium

2011 Recipient, Outstanding Service Award, Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

2010 Peter Paul Career Development Professorship

2010 Inductee, Academy of Advanced Item Writers, Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

2009 Participant, ERRIS Intensive Workshop on Grant Writing, Preparation, and Submission in Rehabilitation Research

Recent Grant Activity

• Recipient, NIH NIAMS R-21
• Recipient, NIH Clinical and Translational Science Institute KL2 Scholar
• Recipient, NIH Kirschstein-NRSA Individual Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship
• Recipient, NIH Kirschstein-NRSA Institutional Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship
• Recipient, NIH Kirschstein-NRSA Institutional Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship

Licenses and Certifications:

Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts: Physical Therapist 112159