Portland, OR Vancouver, WA
Two clinics · One method
12
Years of practice
49
In-depth articles
8
Doctors behind it
17
Doctor interviews
58,870
Words of our writing
Ask the clinic — our own AI
Twelve years of how we think.
Ask it anything.
Ask Move BetterAn answer grounded in how we actually think — not generic adviceExpert
Why does my knee hurt when I run?
Move Better
Most runners we see hurt in just one knee — but you run with both legs. If running were the problem, both would hurt. So the real question is why your knee, on that side: when the hip stops driving and the calf pushes instead of absorbing, the knee eats force it was never meant to. We'd watch you run — and skip — to see where your power's actually leaking.
Answers come from Move Better's own approach. This is guidance, not a diagnosis — nothing here replaces a look in person.
Our process
A clear path. From your first visit forward.
You don't need another vague care plan. Every patient walks the same three steps - and knows exactly where they are at all times.
01
The first visit
Two full hours, one-on-one with the doctor. Movement screen, pattern scoring, and a plan built around what your body actually does - not what a template says it should.
120 min
02
Six-visit plan
Adjustments, soft-tissue work, and pattern retraining. Same doctor each time. Same room. Visible progress that you can feel between visits.
~6 weeks
03
Re-exam & next steps
At visit six we re-score the patterns and decide together - maintain, taper, or refer out. If we're not the right fit, we'll point you to who is.
Decision point
Breathe◆Brace◆Hinge◆The Movement Paradigm◆Breathe◆Brace◆Hinge◆The Movement Paradigm◆
The Movement Paradigm
Three patterns. Almost every pain.
After 10+ years of clinical work, we found that nearly every chronic pain pattern traces back to one of three foundational movements being broken.
Find the broken one. Retrain it. The pain pattern goes with it.
01 — Breathe
Breathe
Reset the nervous system. Reduce neck strain. Restore shoulder mobility. The first thing we look at and often the first thing we fix.
02 — Brace
Brace
Build a stable spine. Decompress disc bulges. Protect against injury. The bridge between breath and movement under load.
03 — Hinge
Hinge
Move from the hips. Take load off the knees, neck, and low back. The single most underused movement in chronic pain.
Built for the skeptic
If you've already tried everything, you're our favorite patient.
Most of the people who walk in have seen three providers before us. They've been adjusted, stretched, dry-needled, and told to "just rest." We start by listening - then we score what we see, and we tell you the truth about whether we can help.
"I've experienced chronic pain for years and the treatment I have received has changed my quality of life."
- Alison Speyer · Google review, Portland clinic
"I started seeing Dr. Zach Cullen at Move Better a few weeks ago for chronic neck and back pain, and the experience has been completely different from any chiropractor or PT I've worked with before."
- Paul Searle · Google review, Portland clinic
"Weeks after visiting my primary care physician and following her treatment plan with zero improvement, I turned to Dr. Q for help and his treatment has been a complete game-changer."
- Joe · Google review, Portland clinic
"Dr. Zach and AJ were incredibly supportive, kind, gentle, and informative throughout my care."
- Britt Deely · Google review, Portland clinic
"What really sets Dr. Zach apart is his expertise and genuine care. He's incredibly knowledgeable and explains everything with total transparency."
- Dylan Loriaux · Google review, Portland clinic
"Zach helped me stitch my body back together after I had given up hope on my lower abdomen following two C-sections."
- Brittany Dikeman · Google review, Portland clinic
"Dr. Sophie is a pt genius! My hip kept popping out for over a year & nothing helped until 6 in depth appointments with her."
- Sakara Kitty · Google review, Portland clinic
"I've been in and out of physical therapy and chiropractic offices since my first sports injury at 15. I've seen at least 20 providers. Move Better is, hands down, the best provider I have ever seen."
- Aaron · Google review, Portland clinic
Two locations · One method
Come move with us.
Same care plan, same evaluation, same doctors. Pick the clinic that's closer to home.
