Strength In Knowledge

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:

1. The Ready Check: The non-negotiable objective benchmarks (ROM and Strength) you need before the knife.
2. The Quad Inhibition Puzzle: Why surgery on a weak leg leads to long-term atrophy that’s nearly impossible to reverse.
3. 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.
4. 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:

1. The 50% Rule: Why a coin-flip mentality is necessary when screening adolescent back pain.
2. The Loading Paradox: Why soft landings actually increase internal bone stress, and how to use short-coupled plyometrics as a safer entry point.
3. KPIs: What to look for before introducing high-velocity movement patterns.
4. 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.

In this inspiring episode of Strength in Knowledge, Zach Baker, DPT, sits down with Dr. Corrie Jones—14-year PT veteran and Director of Clinical Excellence at Rehab 2 Perform—to explore the story behind her journey into physical therapy. From overcoming her own injuries to discovering a deep passion for helping others, Corrie shares how her experiences as a patient, student, and clinician shaped her core values and clinical philosophy.Whether you're a PT student, new grad, or just curious about the heart behind great care, Corrie's story offers powerful takeaways on purpose, resilience, and what it means to grow in this profession.

In this 10-minute episode, Zach Baker, DPT, and Asher Roberts, DPT, unpack a 2024 study by Hashida et al. that sheds light on an often-overlooked issue: athletes may still have lingering deficits even after being cleared to return to play. Learn how a simple, feasible dual-task test can reveal residual post-concussion impairments that standard assessments might miss—and how this can impact your return-to-play decisions in the clinic.Referenced Study:
Hashida et al. (2024). Feasible dual-task detects residual post-concussion deficits after return-to-play.
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2447666

In this episode of Strength in Knowledge, Zach Baker, DPT, sits down with Dr. Sean Pastuch—chiropractor, coach, and founder of Active Life—to explore the real story behind the business. Sean opens up about his journey from clinical care to becoming a mission-driven entrepreneur, and what he’s learned balancing career growth with family, values, and intentional living.Whether you're a clinician, coach, or aspiring business owner, this conversation offers candid insight into the mindset shifts and challenges that come with building something bigger than yourself.

In this quick-hitting episode, Zach Baker, DPT, and Tyler Betteridge, DPT, break down a groundbreaking 2025 study that challenges the long-held "rest is best" approach to concussion care. Learn how sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise can improve executive function in the early stages of sport-related concussion recovery—and what this means for your clinical practice. Quick, evidence-based, and directly applicable.

Referenced Study:
Rahimi et al. (2025). Sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise improves executive function during the early stage of sport-related concussion recovery.
PMID: 39936544 | DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2025.2453337

In this episode of Strength In Knowledge, we connect the dots between core stability and arm health in baseball pitchers. We dive into the recent study by DeZee and colleagues, which explores how lumbopelvic control during a simple step-down task relates to elbow-varus torque during pitching—an essential factor in UCL injury risk.The findings? A stable base may be just as critical as arm mechanics when it comes to protecting the elbow. We unpack what this means for movement assessments, injury prevention, and performance strategies in overhead athletes.

🧠💪 From hips to fingertips, tune in to learn how the kinetic chain truly operates—and why a single-leg step-down might belong in your pitching screen.

Association Between Lumbopelvic Stability During aSingle-Legged Step Down and Elbow-Varus Torque During Baseball Pitching
Zachary J. DeZee, BS; Adam J. Barrack, MS, CSCS; Kayla Bucci, BS;Ryan J. Zerega, MS; Rachel K. Straub, PhD, CSCS;Andrew R. Karduna, PhD; Lori A. Michener, PhD, PT, ATCPMCID: PMC11866787 /DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0697.23