Dr. Catherine “Cat” Lewan, PT, DPT, C-IAYT

Licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, Research Physical Therapist, Adjunct Faculty and professional continuing education provider, Certified Yoga Therapist

Dr. Cat earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2010. She practiced as an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist in Chicago until 2023, specializing in complex cases involving persistent pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, connective tissue disorders/EDS, and dysautonomia/POTS. Her experience ranges from working with bedbound patients at home to treating high-level athletes and performance artists.

A Midwest native, Dr. Cat earned her BA from Wake Forest University as a Presidential Scholar for Dance. With 30 years of experience teaching movement, she began her career as a dance and gymnastics instructor for children. She has received multiple awards for choreography and toured the Southeastern U.S. with a dance company before settling in Chicago, where she launched her first business, Equability Yoga and Pilates LLC. There, she built a vibrant community offering group classes and private fitness training.

Her second business, Inner Awakening LLC, reflected her evolving professional philosophy: that everyone possesses the innate ability to heal and recover with the right resources and support. Through Inner Awakening, Dr. Cat offered physical therapy, health coaching, wellness classes, and workshops. In 2014, she expanded her impact by teaching professional education courses for healthcare, yoga, and fitness professionals. She has been invited to present at national and global conferences, medical schools, and residency programs. Touring the U.S. with her continuing education courses, she has trained thousands of therapists in evidence-informed, person-centered, biopsychosocialspiritual care.

In 2023, Dr. Cat moved to Charleston, SC, and joined the Medical University of South Carolina as a Research Physical Therapist and Adjunct Faculty. She contributed to a study on vagal nerve stimulation for hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)—a condition close to her heart, as she lives with hEDS herself. This genetic connective tissue disorder has shaped her personal journey and brought comorbidities such as POTS/dysautonomia, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and pelvic congestion syndrome.

Just days before starting her role at MUSC, Dr. Cat experienced a spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, leaving her bedridden for months in a new city without a medical team or community. Despite this, she has continued to draw strength from movement and resilience. At age 12, while spending three months in a cast and crutches, she pedaled a stationary bike with her uninjured leg to stay active. In January 2024, seven months after sustaining two actively leaking CSF tears, Dr. Cat completed the Charleston Half Marathon using a safe and mindful run/walk strategy, honoring her body’s boundaries throughout training.

Dr. Cat’s personal and professional experiences deeply shape her practice. While she has learned from many mentors, her most important teacher has been her own body. She is passionate about empowering others to listen to their bodies, respond to their needs, and provide themselves with the support necessary for healing. Believing that recovery often requires a team or community, she is dedicated to fostering opportunities for connection, support, and exploration of movement and health goals.

In alignment with this vision, Inner Awakening LLC is now doing business as Move Well Collective, reflecting the community-based support essential for overcoming challenges, recovering, healing, and thriving.

Dr. Cat's approach is:

• Person-centered

• Evidence-informed

• Biopsychosocial

• Trauma-informed

Her work is heavily influenced by:

• Post-traumatic growth

• Orthopedic manual therapies

• Polyvagal theory

• Pain neuroscience education

• Mentors and thought leaders she is so grateful to learn from including: Lorimer Moseley, Steven Porges, Sandy Hilton, Steven Shaffer, Adriaan Louw, Carolyn Vandyken, George Hornby, Carol Courtney, and Bessel van der Kolk

Areas of Specialty:

• Orthopedics

• Manual therapy for spine, pelvis & other joints as well as nerves and soft tissue

• Pelvic health, including incontinence, pelvic pain, constipation, and dyspareunia

• Hypermobile spectrum disorders (hEDS/HSD, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome)

• Dysautonomia/POTS management

• Dry needling

• Headaches, migraines, jaw pain (TMJ/tempromandibular disorder), thoracic outlet syndrome

• Vestibular rehabilitation & concussion/mTBI recovery integrated with cervical manual therapy & visual, proprioceptive & balance retraining

• Chronic pain, including persistent pain after trauma or neurological conditions like stroke

• Pain impacting sexual function

• Neuromodulation, including posterior tibial nerve stimulation for pelvic health: urinary incontinence; urinary retention; constipation; fecal incontinence

• Personalized progressive exercise programming, pacing and active recovery strategies

• Integrated approaches for pain, stiffness, or altered sensation in the head/neck/jaw, spine, trunk, ribs, chest, abdomen, shoulders, arms, hands/wrists, hips, knees, legs ankles & foot, focusing on mobilization, stabilization, strengthening & somatic techniques.

• Proprioception, sensory integration, and somatic therapy

• Whole-person health and wellness strategies

• Physiological quieting and autonomic self-regulation

• Vagal nerve stimulation and strategies for neuroplasticity, nourishing your nervous system and brain-body-mind health

At Move Well Collective, we are a community dedicated to making movement accessible—and even enjoyable—for everyone. Our heartfelt goal is to help you experience the profound benefits of health and wellness through movement and connection with a supportive community. Move well, be well, with the resources you need and community support to ensure you succeed.