Nicholas Karayannis

Education: Dr. Nicholas Karayannis is a lead Physical Therapist within the Division of Pain Medicine and a Postdoctoral Fellow within the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Laboratory at Stanford. Before receiving his PhD degree in Physiotherapy from The University of Queensland (Australia) in 2013, he trained as a fellow in orthopaedic manual therapy in the USA and Canada (North American Institute of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy). He graduated with a Master’s in Physical Therapy degree in 2000 from Ohio University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the same institution. Nicholas is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists, board certified as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, a Certified Yoga Teacher, a Certified Tai Chi for Rehabilitation Instructor, and Leader in the Stanford Chronic Pain Self-Management Program. He has also undergone teacher training in the University of Massachusetts Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.

Specialties: Dr. Karayannis has practiced within the outpatient orthopaedic physical therapy setting for over 16 years. Nicholas’s primary role at the Stanford Pain Management Center is to collaborate with the interdisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists and nurses to formulate and implement comprehensive treatment plans for our patients, and provide patients with education to improve their knowledge of chronic pain - how it occurs, and what therapeutic movement can do to help manage their pain. He has first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals, received external research funding and presented both nationally and internationally. He views clinical research as essential to better understand pain in order to provide more effective pain management, and clinical practice essential to guide the pursuit of relevant research questions. Nicholas’s current research interests are in understanding how mind-body therapies can enhance the motor, sensory and information processing associated with control of posture and movement in people with chronic low back pain. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Association for the Study of Pain, American Pain Society and American Physical Therapy Association.

Personal Facts: Nicholas enjoys travelling abroad, hiking/backpacking, Nordic skiing, and gardening with his wife Ann, playing squash and Aussie Rules football, cycling, swimming, fly-fishing, yoga and Tai Chi. He also enjoys reading fiction, watching independent films, listening to Bebop jazz, meditating, cooking/eating international cuisine, riding his vintage motorcycle, and playing with their beloved Siamese cat, Mai. He was born and raised in Ohio within a Greek-immigrant family, and lived in the Pacific Northwest, New England, the Mountain West, South Africa and Australia before locating to the Bay area in 2012.