About Sense

Sense Physical Therapy and Sports Performance was founded by Dr. Tara Tidwell in 2024. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy & Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, she has over 8 years of experience working with Olympic & professional athletes, Iron Man & triathletes, high school athletes, dancers, post surgical patients, and the elderly population.

She initially became interested in physical therapy when she sustained a hip injury in high school during cross country season. Participating in physical therapy for over a year with minimal improvement, she decided to become a physical therapist to not only help her own injury but also to help other people maintain an active lifestyle and get back to their favorite recreational/athletic activities post-injury.

While at USC, Tara was the Head Student Athletic Trainer for the USC Football team. Performing wound care, onsite hydration and ankle taping, and assisting in rehabilitation programs, Tara was a vital piece to the success of the USC Football team.  She also worked with the USC Women's Tennis and USC Women's Soccer teams as a student athletic trainer.

As a PT, Tara has worked as the clinic director of Jaguar Therapeutics, a sports performance physical therapy facility in Miami, Florida, at Harbor Physical Therapy in LA focusing on spine rehabilitation under Dr. Mike O'Donnell, and as the clinic director of MOTUS Physical Therapy in San Clemente working primarily with professional and recreational athletes. 

Dr. Tara is constantly learning new evidence based interventions to help her patients. In the past few years, she has focused on learning how to create a more holistic physical therapy program for her patients, implementing techniques from Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, Postural Restoration Institute, and Functional Anatomy Seminars.

Education:

• University of Southern California (USC),  B.S. Kinesiology, 2013

• University of Southern California (USC), Minor in Psychology, 2013

• University of Southern California (USC), Doctorate in Physical Therapy, 2016

Credentials:

• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

• Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS)

• Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms)

• Functional Range Assessment  Specialist (FRAs)

• Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Postural Respiration

• Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Pelvic Restoration

• Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Myokinematic Restoration

• Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Impingement & Instability

• Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) A

• Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) B