Cara L. Lewis, PT, PhD

Professor, Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College

Biography

Cara L. Lewis, PT, PhD is a Professor and director of the Human Adaptation Laboratory. She is also the Director of the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences. The long-term goal of her research is to improve the lives of individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain and prevent or slow the progression of musculoskeletal damage through improved knowledge of joint function, leading to advanced, targeted intervention strategies. Dr. Lewis' current focus is on treatment for hip pain, especially in adults with variant hip morphology, such as femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) and acetabular dysplasia. In the Human Adaptation Laboratory, they are working to better understand the role of movement in the development of hip bone shape and hip pain. The knowledge gained from Dr. Lewis' work has the potential to redirect treatment for people with FAIS and dysplasia by identifying pathology-specific movement patterns that could be targeted by non-invasive therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Lewis has been supported by the National Institutes of Health. She has published and presented her research nationally and internationally in biomechanics, physical therapy, and motor control forums.

Publications

  • Published 4/11/2025

    Sara LK, Felson DT, Tilley S, LaValley MP, Lewis CE, Lynch JA, Segal NA, Guermazi A, Roemer F, Stefanik JJ, Lewis CL. The relation of walking forces to structural damage in the knee: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2025 Apr 11. PMID: 40222627.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/8/2025

    Kratzer AL, Rao RP, Chang AH, Khuu A, Araújo VL, Santos TRT, Lewis CL. Increased ankle pushoff alters frontal-plane hip and knee mechanics. J Biomech. 2025 Apr; 183:112623. PMID: 40107188.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/1/2025

    James KA, Neogi T, Felson DT, Corrigan P, Lewis CL, Davis IS, Bacon KL, Torner JC, Lewis CE, Nevitt MC, Stefanik JJ. Association of walking cadence to changes in knee pain and physical function: The multicenter osteoarthritis study. Osteoarthr Cartil Open. 2025 Mar; 7(1):100575. PMID: 39995587.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/7/2024

    Kiapour AM, Mitchell C, Hosseinzadeh S, Emami A, Lewis CL, Warfield SK, Bixby S, Stracciolini A, Novais EN, Kim YJ. Association Between Hip Translation and Hip Rotation and Anatomy: A Pilot Quasi-static MRI Study. Orthop J Sports Med. 2024 Oct; 12(10):23259671241275662. PMID: 39380668.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/5/2024

    Ahn N, Haischer MH, Lewis CL, Kipp K. Relative muscular effort in the older adults during the sit-to-stand task: Monitoring neuromuscular reserve and movement limitations. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2024 Dec; 120:106360. PMID: 39406131.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 82 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Arthritis & Autoimmune Diseases Research Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Washington University in St. Louis, PhD
  • Washington University in St. Louis, MS
  • University of Notre Dame, BS

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