Lauren Draeger has experience with helping patients across the lifespan from 1 month to 102 years old with a wide variety of injuries and conditions. After recently moving to Santa Clarita in early 2020, she joined the Next Level family to assist patients in living life with less pain. Lauren is passionate about getting to know her patients as a whole and learning what drives them, in order to help them return to their hobbies and activities. Lauren specializes in orthopedics and pediatrics, and enjoys helping young athletes improve their performance to get them competing at the next level.
Lauren graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Missouri. She was a member of the Mizzou Cheerleading team, and was actively involved in athletics throughout her undergraduate career. Lauren assisted the athletic trainers for the Mizzou Tigers baseball, track & field, and football teams. She received the Oliver J. DeVictor Award for Outstanding Student Athletic Trainer Academic Award. Lauren is dedicated to continued learning and has taken continuing education courses in IASTM, running assessments & video analysis, pediatric gait assessment, and various other orthopedic conditions.
Lauren is dedicated to giving back to the community in which she lives. After losing a family member to leukemia, she has been involved in Relay for Life, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Michael Hoefflin Foundation.
Lauren enjoys spending her free time with her husband and 2 dogs. She likes running, hiking, wakesurfing, and SCUBA diving. Lauren grew up in Effingham, Illinois a small town in southern Illinois, and has lived in Colorado, Missouri, and Texas. She loves to travel and has most recently visited Italy.
Lauren occasionally does backflips for patients who reach their goals in therapy. She coached cheerleading camps of over 700 athletes during her free summers in college. She grew up living next to a llama farm. Lauren & her husband have dove to 100 feet under the sea.
