DR. CRAIG LIEBENSON
DIRECTOR
Dr. Craig Liebenson is a pain patient advocate who promotes healthy longevity and sustainable athleticism. He is the founder of First Principles of Movement, which is dedicated to promoting health span and preventing disability by addressing the worldwide inactivity crisis.
Dr. Liebenson is the Founder and Director of L.A. Sports & Spine, providing health span and performance enhancement advice. He and his team supervise one on one in person and TeleHealth sessions as well as offering monthly online programming.
He is the first health care provider in California to receive a Certification of Recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) on Achievement of Recognition for Delivery of Quality Back Pain Care. Dr. Liebenson has engaged in research as a Visiting Scholar at Pr. Stuart McGill’s Spine Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, Department of Biomechanics & Kinesiology.
He began studying directly with both Dr. Karel Lewit and Pr Vladimir Janda in 1987 after launching The Visiting Scholars Program at his Alma Mater, the Southern California Unversity of Health Sciences. He is Continuing Education faculty with Parker University in Dallas Texas and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals including the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation; the PM&R Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation; the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy; and Journal of Manual Therapy.
Dr Liebenson was the first ever chiropractic member of the McKenzie Institute (U.S.) Board of Directors and is a past Associate Professor at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.
He has published extensively and is the editor of the book Rehabilitation of the Spine: A Person-Centered Approach (3rd ed), 2020; & The Functional Training Handbook. His books have been published in Spanish, Greek, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese and Japanese. He also released the DVD series: Functional Integrated Training, Functional Performance Training, Core Stability Training, and Flexibility, Yoga Training and Ergonomic Postural Advice. He worked as the Team Chiropractor for the N.B.A. Los Angeles Clippers from 2005-2009, served as consultant for the M.L.B. Arizona Diamondbacks, the N.F.L Seattle Seahawks, Penn State Football program, EXOS (formerly Athletes Performance International), Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group and Perform Better, Inc.
Dr. Liebenson has worked with athletes from the MLB, NBA, NFL, PGA, snowboarding, Olympic weight lifting, Olympic gymnastics, skateboarding, kite surfing, skiing and more. Including Kobe Bryant, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross, Julia Mancuso, Bruna Kajiya & others.
Dr Liebenson is the Founder of First Principles of Movement which offers programs for clinicians and coaches bridging the gap between rehab and performance. He has taught throughout the world including China, Taiwan, S Korea, Japan, Australia, U.S., Canada and throughout eastern and western Europe since 1990. Currently he has created an International Virtual Roundtable community to promote positive health and evidence-informed musculoskeletal health care. He is working on a new multidisciplinary book Sustainable Athleticism and Healthy Longevity (publication 2025) with co-editor Nicole Rodriguez which includes contributions from international experts such as Alex Natera, JB Morin, Jonas Dodoo, Boo Schexnayder, Matt Jordan and others.