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Our goal is to help our clients live a high performance, pain-free life. If you like to do CrossFit, we’ll help you stay healthy while you train. If you love tennis, we’ll get you back on the court and keep you there so you enjoy quality time with your friends/team. If you’re a runner and have aspirations of doing your first half marathon, we’ll help you accomplish that goal!
Dr. Andrew had a vision. He knew the traditional model was broken and change was needed — thus, The Charlotte Athlete was born. He wanted a company where the best PTs in the country could come together, make a major impact on the community, and help athletes get past pain and injuries in a way they deserve. Here we solve the root cause of pain, help athletes crush their goals, and pave the way for them to take their bodies to the next level! Let’s do this!!!
Dr. Andrew graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology from Arizona State University in 2009 and Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in 2014. Upon graduation, Dr. Kenas moved to Houston Texas where he completed an Orthopedic Residency from Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, and soon after, a Sports Manual Therapy Fellowship from the Institute for Athlete Regeneration. Through these expert programs, Dr. Andrew evolved into a highly sought after clinician with unparalleled skills in manual therapy, movement analysis, injury prevention, recovery, and human performance.
He’s dual board certified in orthopedics (OCS) and sports (SCS) specialties and holds certifications as a strength and conditioning specialists (CSCS), United States Weight Coach (USAW), and Sports Nutritionist (CISSN). This rare combination makes Dr. Andrew one of the highest credentialed physical therapists in the country. Dr. Andrew also coaches and teaches physical therapists, and has worked with dozens of professional (NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS) and collegiate organizations from around the country!
His advanced treatment methodology allows him to not only efficiently diagnose his patients but uncover and treat the underlying cause. This allows him to achieve quick improvements, but also long-term results. His eclectic approach allows him to succeed where other practitioners have failed, and help athletes reach a level that was otherwise not attainable.
Dr. Andrew is an athlete himself, passionate about CrossFit and Olympic Weight Lifting. He loves to travel, explore the great outdoors, and hang with his dog, Moose!
Dr. Aerial is a passionate CrossFitter and mom of 2 baby girls. She knows what it’s like to train and compete at some of the highest levels, but also knows what it’s like to take a step back and reprioritize training to meet you in your current season of life – whether it’s going through a pregnancy/postpartum period, training for a competition or race, or recovering from an injury!
Dr. Mike is your go-to PT for all things sports. No matter your injury, he is passionate about setting his patient’s up with an individualized plan so they may excel when getting back in the game. He is our go-to expert for ACL reconstructions and Shoulder Surgeries when returning to throw. When not in the clinic, you can catch him playing Men’s league baseball, out on the links, or camping in the mountains
Dr. Mike is a transplanted Texan originally from Nacogdoches known as the oldest town in Texas. He is a former collegiate baseball player where he attended North Central Texas College prior to transferring to Houston Baptist University where he graduated in 2014.
Dr. Mike then graduated from The University of Texas Medical Branch with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2018 and began working for Houston Methodist Clear Lake while also enrolling in the Institute of Athlete Regneration’s (IAR) Sports Manual Therapy Fellowship. In late 2019, he returned to his hometown to further his practice with Nacogdoches Medical Center where he also served as Physical Therapist for Stephen F. Austin State University. Through his fellowship and practice experiences, he has become adept at movement assessment to identify faulty movement patterns that result in pain and using his manual therapy skills to assist in putting out the fire. His true passion is Return to Sport rehab and lives by the mantra “Better Than Before” resulting in a blend of Physical Therapy and performance training to get you back crushing your goals. To further assist you through your injury, he is an emergency medical responder for the athlete, a certified Running Rehab Specialist, and certified in Dry Needling (DN) and Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT).
Dr. Mike continues to compete in Men’s League Softball and is an avid golfer. He takes an all encompassing approach to training utilizing a variety of powerlifting, plyometric, and endurance cycles to maintain rotational power while expanding physical ability for strength, speed, and endurance. Through these different training methods, he understands the pains and mobility restrictions that pop up while training and can help fellow athletes progress through their programming whether it’s an acute or chronic injury. In his free time, he enjoys attending sporting events and exploring the country through travelling, hiking, or biking.
As an athlete his entire life, Ells knows what it takes to push the limits, but also what it feels like to have a setback. His vendetta against having those life altering injuries and pains is what landed him in the rehabilitation world. He wants to make sure that you can get out of your pain, create a great understanding of your own body, and be able to further your athletic potential.
Dr. Ells is originally from New Orleans, LA but spent most of his time growing up in Asheville, NC. He grew up playing multiple sports including soccer, lacrosse, football, and track as well as spending a lot of time with Olympic weightlifting. Through spending time with these sports, he generated interest in what it takes to become a better athlete. Ells ended up getting his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Appalachian State University while throwing shot put, discus, and javelin for the track team. Ells continued his education graduating with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2021 at Winston Salem State University. After graduation, Ells moved to Charlotte and quickly enrolled in the Sports Manual Therapy Fellowship of the Institute of Athlete Regeneration to continue with his passion for sports and athletes.
Ells continues to be an athlete in the gym and has a strong passion for strength sports including weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, and CrossFit is slowly growing on him. His interest is in optimal performance and being the best athlete that you can be, in whatever discipline to choose. Outside of the wide world of sports, Ells has an interest in movies, music, art, and animals. He has three snakes as pets and one of them he has had since he was 10. His favorite era of movies is the 80s and is a big nerd of comics and video games.
Leah has a passion for fitness and active lifestyles. She believes that all athletes have the ability to heal while staying active. Physical therapy doesn’t have to be post-injury – let’s find new ways to enhance your performance in the activities you love, while limiting injuries and pain. It is not just about being an athlete now, it’s about staying an athlete for life!
Dr. Leah Roten was born and raised in Galena, Ohio. She played softball for the nationally ranked Indiana Magic Gold and is a former collegiate shortstop for Walsh University. Growing up an avid athlete on the field and in the weight room, she acquired a fair amount of injuries. Her ultimate goal was always to return to sport at peak capacity in order to compete at her highest level. This is what drove Leah to obtain her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Walsh, and Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy at The Ohio State University. Here, she conducted research on shoulder loading for softball pitchers and implications for injury/injury prevention. During her education at Ohio State, Leah acquired certifications in Dry Needling (DN-L1), Adaptive and Inclusive Training (AIT), and is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1). Her hunger to further enhance her knowledge and skills to be an elite-level sports physical therapist, quickly led Leah to enroll in the Sports and Orthopedic Manual Therapy Fellowship through the Institute for Athlete Regeneration.
Leah knows what it is like to be sidelined from her favorite sports, activities, and the gym. She remains an athlete and has always strived to train hard within her sport and lifting regimen. With this being said, she is passionate about helping other athletes achieve their peak performance through the process of rehabilitation and prevention. She utilizes a holistic approach to identify and treat to the root cause of one’s injury (whether acute or chronic) and ensure that it does not return. She thrives on turning a setback into a comeback in whatever one’s fitness journey may look like. Leah continues to participate in CrossFit, traditional bodybuilding, and endurance cycles for her current strength and performance training. You will catch her throwing out movie and Spongebob quotes at the clinic. Leah is big on family and enjoys spending time with her parents, brother, and family German Shepherd (Gonzo). In her free time, you can find Leah doing basically any activity that allows her to be outside. She thoroughly enjoys hiking and has developed an ongoing bucket list of hikes to complete across the nation (recommendations accepted). |
Campbell relocated from Texas to Charlotte in January 2022. Since starting CrossFit in 2017, she’s become a loyal advocate for the sport and keeps an eye out for partner competitions to compete in.
Her interest in long-term health motivated Campbell to join The Charlotte Athlete team where she strives to maintain an exceptional level of customer service and supports all of the physical therapists’ daily tasks. You can find Campbell at one of the CrossFit Mecklenburg morning classes with her husband.
In her free time, Campbell scours Youtube to hone her homemade barista skills, finds squirrel-filled parks to take her two dogs to, and constantly seeks ways to get outside by-way-of paddleboarding, biking, backpacking, and hiking. She graduated from Texas Tech University in 2020 with a B.S. in Agricultural Communications.
At The Charlotte Athlete, we are passionate about not only helping our community but growing in our profession. We travel both locally and nationally to collaborate with athletes in collegiate and professional organizations. We teach their clinicians advanced physical therapy concepts and skills. We believe the teaching is best practice to mastery.
