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Travel PT is the fastest way to find out what kind of clinician you are. Most new grads jump in blind. Dr. Payne Harrison explains how to do it right. In this episode, we break down what a travel PT career actually looks like, from contract math to holding your clinical standards in clinics that don't share them.  What we cover: Staff first or travel first. A year as a staff PT buys you mentorship and a slower caseload ramp. New grads can still make travel work if finances or goals demand it, but the lack of onboarding hits hard.How to evaluate a contract. Target $2,000+ per week, then factor in housing costs, state income tax, and reimbursements for licensure and moving.What to ask before you sign. Patient volume, onboarding, documentation systems, and protected documentation time. Compare 401(k) match timelines too, since some agencies match 4% immediately and others make you wait 6 to 12 months.You are never locked in. Switch agencies between 13-week contracts.Keeping your standards on the road. Active care, strength and conditioning, and education over modalities and passive treatment. Plus how to adapt from young athletes to older post-op patients, and how to track progress with baseline tests like the 30-second sit-to-stand and plank holds when the clinic has no high-tech equipment.If you're weighing travel PT or already on the road, this is the playbook. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Payne Harrison

Isokinetics isn't the dusty lab equipment you remember from school. It's a clinical weapon most PTs never learn to use. In this episode, John Allan Furgeson, DPT sits down with Dr. Daniel Bodkin to break down why isokinetic testing and treatment deserve a real spot in your return-to-sport protocol, not a footnote. What we cover: Why functional tests alone miss what isokinetics catches. Hop tests and force plates can't isolate a muscle group or expose a concentric-eccentric deficit. Isokinetics can.How a full testing battery, not a single test, cuts re-tear rates in returning athletes.If you don't have this equipment in-house, build a relationship with a clinic that has it and get access to data your competitors can't offer.Treatment applications beyond testing. Multi-angle isometrics, slow eccentrics, high-speed training, and the crossover effect for training the uninvolved limb.The business case. Advanced equipment isn't just clinical capability, it's a referral magnet. Free tests for local physicians and teams build trust and convert to patients, including the hard cases other facilities gave up on.If you're serious about return-to-sport outcomes and building a practice that stands out, this is required listening. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Daniel Bodkin

Most clinicians wait too long to introduce sprinting mechanics in rehab, then wonder why the jump to full speed feels like zero to a hundred. John Allan Furgeson, DPT, sits down with Dr. Azita Nejaddehghan to break down how to scale acceleration and deceleration work down to technical, low-load pieces early in the rehab process instead of saving them for the final phase. Sprinting phases can be trained at submax-effort while isolating movement patterns and muscles before getting back to max-effort sprints.  What they cover: Why deceleration training and eccentric strength work are not the same thing, and how to train deceleration early using yielding and overcoming isometricsHow to isolate sprint phases like late swing to prove to an athlete their body can tolerate the pattern before testing max effortMatching objective testing with visual observation to find the real rate-limiting deficit, strength, confidence, or something else entirelyWhy an experienced athlete's subjective feedback on compensation is an underused diagnostic toolThe control-to-chaos continuum: moving return-to-sport from anticipatory to reactive, individual to team, closed to openWhy every clinician should get on the field and sprint and cut themselves before programming it for someone elseRehab doesn't fail at max effort. It fails months earlier, when nobody trained the pattern at all. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Azita Nejaddehghan

Rigid periodization plans die the moment a season starts. This coach provides us his tips and tricks for building this into his athlete's program.  John Allan Furgeson, DPT sits down with Coach Matt Schuler, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at McDaniel College, to break down what a provider-led, athlete-first training model actually looks like in practice. Not a philosophy. An operational framework: a long conjugate sequential model that develops multiple qualities at once, shifting focus week to week based on what the team needs, not what a template says. What's cover: Why rigid long-term plans fail athletes in-seasonThe long conjugate sequential model behind his offseason programmingHow Reps in Reserve lets a freshman and a senior train the same program at different intensitiesWhy he trains entire teams together instead of individualizing everythingOlympic lifts vs. loaded jumps, and how training age decides the answerHis advice for young coaches who want to actually last in this fieldGreat programming isn't a plan you protect. It's a system flexible enough to survive the season when things start to stray from the norm. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Coach Matt Schuler

Private equity doesn't have to be the villain of healthcare, but it changes the math. When non-providers start running provider spaces, the metrics shift from patient outcomes to productivity targets, and staff feel that pressure first. In this episode, John Allan, DPT sits down with Dr. Josh Funk, CEO of Rehab 2 Perform, to break down what a provider-led alternative actually looks like in practice. Not a mission statement. An operational framework: an 80/20 rule where 80% of capacity goes to production and 20% is protected on purpose for staff wellness, collaboration, and continuing education. What they cover: Why private equity ownership shifts incentives away from patient careThe 80/20 rule behind a provider-led business modelThe metrics that matter more than revenue: net promoter score, staff retention, patient outcomesBalancing consumer and clinician branding during expansionWhy every clinician needs basic business literacy, and what it unlocksThe importance of asking questionsGrowth means nothing if it costs the people delivering the care. This episode highlights how to build it differently. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Josh Funk

Most clinicians think about return to sport as the finish line. What gets missed is everything that happens before that — the off-season decisions, the testing philosophy, and the role clarity that actually determines whether an athlete comes back stronger. In this episode, John Allan, DPT sits down with Dr. Alex Hubelbank, DPT, ATC, CSCS, to break down what elite-level rehab and performance really looks like inside professional sports. What they cover: How the line between PT, athletic training, and strength & conditioning is based on role, not skill — and where that breaks downWhy staying off the court matters: using GPP and unrelated movement skills, like hand-fighting or dance, to build capacity without repetitive loadHow to structure a 4-5 month off-season into phases, from lowest-hanging fruit to sport-specific prepWhy testing every 4-6 weeks beats chasing constant data, and the question to ask before every test: am I testing for me, or for their care plan?Reading context — sleep, nutrition, life stress — before deciding whether a testing day is even worth runningBuilding trust and credibility with professional athletes when the stakes, and the scrutiny, are highestIf you've ever wondered what separates a good off-season from a great one, this episode reframes how elite performance is actually built, one deliberate decision at a time. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Alex Hubelbank

Most clinicians focus on what they do to a patient. What they miss is everything happening before that ever starts. In this episode, John Allan, DPT sits down with Dr. Katie Dabrowski, co-owner of Old Bull Athletics and neuroscience faculty at Nova Southeastern University, to break down the controllable factors that shape a patient's nervous system, and why performance-focused rehab beats the standard model. What they cover: How the clinical environment itself raises or lowers threat before a single exercise happensWhy "convincing" a patient they're wrong about their pain backfires, and what to do insteadThe two-question filter for every intervention: is it changing physiology, and is it changing psychology?Why ice and prolonged passive treatment fail to prepare athletes for the demands of return to sportHow to choose objective tests that actually mean something instead of chasing data for its own sakeReading a patient's confidence and fear without asking them to spell it out for youHow to shape a patient's perception of rehab before they ever walk through the doorIf you've ever wondered why two patients with the same injury heal at completely different rates, this episode reframes what actually drives outcomes, and why it starts long before the first rep. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Katie Dabrowski

Most clinicians treat a concussion and move on. What they miss is what happens next. In this episode, John Allan, DPT sits down with Dr. Olivia Abdoo, DPT, SCS, CPSS, CSCS to break down one of the most underrecognized findings in sports medicine: athletes who sustain a concussion are 58% more likely to suffer a lower extremity injury. That number demands a framework shift. What they cover: Why neurological healing extends well beyond the standard 7-day return to sport protocolHow concussion disrupts muscle activation, force output, movement patterns, and dual task performanceThe integrated systems framework and what it means for lower body injury riskWhy sport-specific activity is the best neurocognitive rehabilitation availableHow to match rehab to the athlete's energy system profile rather than generic aerobic protocolsInterval training as the most effective tool for assessing and rehabilitating the autonomic nervous systemThe 10 to 14 day window of vulnerability and how to navigate return to play within itDomains of concussion presentation: vestibular, ocular, autonomic, cervical, cognitive, and affectiveIf you work with athletes in any capacity, this episode reframes what concussion recovery actually requires and why the lower body is part of the conversation from day one. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Olivia Abdoo

Combat sports don't fit neatly into a rehab template. The demands are different, the risk tolerance is different, and the athlete in front of you is wired differently than anyone else you'll treat. In this episode, John Allan, DPT sits down with Dr. Hector Wang to break down what it actually takes to rehab a combat athlete, from understanding the complexity of the sport to building a legitimate return to competition framework. What they cover: Why combat sports are commonly misunderstood by clinicians and what that costs the athletePain neuroscience and how it shapes risk tolerance in combat athletesImportance of fatigue resistance in all athletes, but specifically combat fightersHow fight camp shifts the demands of rehab and whether current training is making things worseUsing the StARRT framework to guide difficult conversationsIf you work with combat athletes or want to understand the most demanding return-to-sport population in the room, this episode is required listening. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Hector Wang

Most athletes train hard. Few train smart enough to actually get faster, more powerful, and more explosive. In this episode, John Allan, DPT is joined by Dr. Josh Sproul to break down the science behind building real athleticism, from the stretch shortening cycle to French Contrast Training and accentuated eccentric loading. If you've been prioritizing concentric work and wondering why your vertical isn't moving, this episode is the answer. What we cover: Why movement competency has to come before power developmentHow to prime the nervous system for explosive outputWhy the eccentric phase is the most undertrained part of athleticismWhat it actually means to be comfortable being uncomfortable as an athleteCan you overtrain plyometrics, and what does the research say about the sweet spotWhether you're a clinician programming return-to-sport protocols, a coach building athletic development blocks, or an athlete trying to unlock a new ceiling, this episode gives you the framework and the science to do it right. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy EZVERT

Most athletes think the recovery clock starts the day they go into surgery. They’re wrong. In reality, your surgery is only as good as your prehab. If you rush into the operating room with a swollen knee and a "quiet" quad, you aren't fast-tracking your recovery—you’re setting yourself up for a slower, more painful, and higher-risk rehab. In this episode of Strength in Knowledge, John Allan, DPT, sits down with Dr. Zach Atwood to dismantle the "get it over with" mentality. We dive deep into the clinical and physiological reasons why earning your surgery date is the most important decision an athlete can make. We break down: The Ready Check: The non-negotiable objective benchmarks (ROM and Strength) you need before the knife.The Quad Inhibition Puzzle: Why surgery on a weak leg leads to long-term atrophy that’s nearly impossible to reverse.The First 72 Hours: A blueprint for the early post-op phase—what matters, what’s a distraction, and how to manage the "predictable" symptoms.Patient Buy-In: How to navigate the psychological battle of "slowing down to speed up."Whether you’re an athlete currently staring at a surgical calendar, a parent trying to make the best decision for your child, or a clinician looking to sharpen your pre-op protocol, this episode provides the objective framework you need to bridge the gap between injury and Day 1 of recovery. Social Media: Rehab2Perform R2P Academy Dr. Zach Atwood

If you’re treating an adolescent athlete with low back pain, you aren’t looking for a needle in a haystack—you’re looking at a 50% statistical probability. In the youth sporting world, a 'spondy' isn't a rare occurrence; it is the leading cause of structural back pain, yet it remains one of the most mismanaged and missed diagnoses in sports medicine. The "nonspecific" low back pain becomes very specific when lumbar bone stress injuries (BSI) enter the conversation. We have to stop treating these athletes for 'strains' and start addressing the clinical reality of bone stress. If you aren't screening for a BSI from day one, you're missing the most prevalent injury in the game. In this episode of Strength in Knowledge, John Allan, DPT, sits down with Drs. Joey Scambia and Rayce Houser of Rehab Renaissance to dismantle the myths surrounding lumbar bone stress injuries. We dive into the shocking prevalence of spondys in youth sports and the proper progressions through the phases of rehab. We break down: The 50% Rule: Why a coin-flip mentality is necessary when screening adolescent back pain.The Loading Paradox: Why soft landings actually increase internal bone stress, and how to use short-coupled plyometrics as a safer entry point.KPIs: What to look for before introducing high-velocity movement patterns.Navigating the Setback: How to handle the tough conversations when symptoms predictably return and how to adjust the minimal effective dose.Whether you’re a coach seeing a volume spike in your players, a parent navigating a confusing diagnosis, or a clinician tired of non-specific rehab, this episode provides the objective framework to bridge the gap between a stress reaction and a return to performance. Social Media: Rehab 2 Perform R2P Academy Rehab Renaissance

Have you ever wondered if manual therapy is useful in the later stages of rehab?  In this episode Dr. Zach Baker and Dr. Corrie Jones talk about times and situations where manual therapy really can be helpful during those bridge phases in leaning towards performance and return to sport.  There are definitely appropriate times and places where this can be something the keeps your athletes on-track and helps ensure progression through the phases.  Listen in to hear what years of experience and understanding from elite athlete rehab has taught these therapists!

We all hear a lot about making sure we are using "evidence-based" or "evidence-informed" practice, but what exactly is that?  How can we ensure we are clearly taking the research and applying it correctly and effectively in the real world?  How do we know when to generalize and when not to?  What things within the context of the patient or therapist should be considered when we are choosing the best treatment strategies for our patients?  These are the things D.r Zach Baker and Dr. Corrie Jones chat through in this podcast episode!

In this episode of Strength in Knowledge, Dr. Zach Baker, DPT, sits down with Dr. Corrie Jones, DPT, to tackle one of the most common—and most misunderstood—questions in rehab and performance: What’s the best exercise for your patient or client? Together, they break down the clinical decision-making process behind exercise selection, and why the answer often isn’t as simple as it seems. From evaluating patient needs to applying thoughtful progressions, regressions, and lateralizations, Zach and Corrie explore how context, creativity, and clinical reasoning all shape effective programming. If you're a physical therapist, strength coach, or personal trainer looking to sharpen your practice, this episode delivers the kind of practical insight you can apply tomorrow.