EP170: "The Worst Clinical Approach To Treating Athletes"

[00:00:05] Are you a motivated healthcare or fitness professional? Are you looking to work with more athletes, become a sports specialist, or even get a job in a sports setting so you can finally enjoy the career that you've always dreamed of? If so, you're in the right place. My name is Chris Garcia, physical therapist, business owner, entrepreneur, and residency training sports specialist. I've been fortunate to work in professional sports and travel around the world working with elite athletes throughout my career, and I've learned a lot of lessons along the way. I created this podcast to share my experiences and give you everything you need to know to help you to get a job.

[00:00:35] If you've become a sports expert, welcome to the SportsPT Academy.

[00:00:43] If you want to work with more athletes and you want to know what is the best, no, the worst clinical approach to treat an athlete, that's what I'm going to be covering in today's episode. My name is Dr. Chris Garcia. I help sports physical therapists and cash-based physical therapists improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. In today's episode, we're going to be covering the worst clinical approach. But before I go into today's episode, what is new? What is new? What is new? What is new?

[00:01:07] What is new? What is new? What is new? What is new? What is new? What is new? What is new when I pick out the show with you and be honored? Look, what is new? The bestą version is new?

[00:01:36] If you're hanging from a bar, imagine bringing your feet all the way around and above the bar and doing like backward circles.

[00:01:42] She did that absolutely amazing.

[00:01:45] And I was just surprised to watch her do that.

[00:01:47] So I'm very proud of my daughter.

[00:01:49] One of the things I've been sharing with her is that I told her she's the best daughter or the best person in the world.

[00:01:53] And she's been really appreciating that.

[00:01:55] It's just a confidence booster.

[00:01:56] So it's been fun to see her do that.

[00:01:59] My sons are doing fantastic.

[00:02:01] Jacob is all in on basketball at the moment.

[00:02:04] And my oldest son, Zach, is 100% into flag football.

[00:02:11] I would have never thought in a million years that my eight-year-old son would be all in.

[00:02:16] I thought he'd be more jujitsu, maybe soccer.

[00:02:19] And right now he's loving flag football.

[00:02:22] So other than that, last week I went on a date night with my wife, which is fantastic.

[00:02:28] Those of you who've been following me for a while, I'm a big stickler on that.

[00:02:30] That's very, very good.

[00:02:31] The other thing that we just added in was weekly walks.

[00:02:35] So on Fridays, we go for a walk without the kids, without anything else.

[00:02:38] No cell phones, no nothing.

[00:02:39] And it's just, you ever try to walk with somebody and not talk about, like not be on your phone.

[00:02:44] And you genuinely just have to have conversations.

[00:02:45] So we're doing weekly walks.

[00:02:48] And I'm trying to push towards two date nights a month.

[00:02:52] So just trying to organize the kid's schedule.

[00:02:54] But anyways, what is going on with this episode today?

[00:02:57] Why are we talking about the worst clinical approach?

[00:03:00] For those who've been following for the last few months, I'm really geared towards cash-based physical therapists.

[00:03:06] It's my passion.

[00:03:07] I love, I think that's, it's an avenue that our profession is pushing us towards.

[00:03:13] It's not even that they're advocating for it.

[00:03:16] I just think that it becomes out of necessity that you need to be able to see more cash patients.

[00:03:20] Now, not everybody can do that well.

[00:03:22] Not everybody's going to want to do that.

[00:03:24] And that's not a problem.

[00:03:25] As we go into this next season of the podcast, I'm really going to focus on sports physical therapy, but also integrate.

[00:03:32] For those of you who love the cash pay setting and you want to work with more athletes, maybe in a cash pay type of a scenario, this will be a nice blend.

[00:03:39] And so we're going to talk about the worst clinical approach.

[00:03:42] And the reason for that is coming off of, I'm currently in the middle of teaching my elevation course, my cash PT clinical elevation course.

[00:03:49] And as I've done this and I've reached out to more and more clinicians and cash pay physical therapists all over the world,

[00:03:54] I'm starting to see that, you know, there's not a lot of structure.

[00:03:57] There's not a lot of a systematic approach.

[00:04:00] And I think that in an insurance based model, that was helpful because the insurance told you exactly what to do in a cash pay setting.

[00:04:08] It's completely the opposite.

[00:04:09] And so you have this huge dichotomy and the type of service that you provide.

[00:04:14] And with my history of working in pro sports, for those who don't know, I worked in pro sports for about 10 years.

[00:04:19] I worked with the United States Olympic Committee.

[00:04:21] I was the first physical therapist hired on at the Chula Vista location.

[00:04:24] And it really gave me a good glimpse into how to manage people's health, their fitness, their training, their weight room activities,

[00:04:33] and then be part of a bigger team of dietitians, of acupuncturists, massage therapists, strength coaches, technical coaches, and just the whole gamut.

[00:04:43] And that gave me a different perspective.

[00:04:45] And as I built it into my cash business, but I've also worked with pro athletes outside of pro sports now.

[00:04:52] And now I'm realizing, gosh, they're all the same thing.

[00:04:56] And if there's one thing I can teach you and share with you, whether you're a third year, you've been out for 10 years, or you're a new grad,

[00:05:04] you've got to get out of this mindset of the insurance based model or the PT style model to really have an understanding of how you can help your patient.

[00:05:11] Now it's more than movement.

[00:05:15] It's more than just move, like move like you mean it, move to improve.

[00:05:20] I mean, all those things are fantastic.

[00:05:21] But if you really want to have an impact beyond the short term, I think that clinicians are really good pain managers.

[00:05:29] I think that we can do that in our sleep.

[00:05:31] And I think we get bored of that.

[00:05:32] And that's why I think this next step is for our profession.

[00:05:35] And if you want to work with athletes, this is where you're going to have to separate yourself from everyone else,

[00:05:39] because everyone else is going to be on the pain train, right?

[00:05:42] Just pain free, pain free in two visits, pain free in 1.5 visits, pain free in one visit, pain free in a virtual visit, pain free when you show up.

[00:05:50] I mean, it's just going to keep going down and down.

[00:05:52] And so when you work with athletes, you have to understand what their current stressors are.

[00:05:57] And I'm going to showcase that today.

[00:05:58] I'm going to give you that.

[00:05:59] Then you also have to understand, okay, so if that's what they're looking for, you create the model after that.

[00:06:04] Not you create your own model and then hope that athletes come.

[00:06:09] If you understand their stressors, you understand their schedule, you understand their structure, you seamlessly build that in.

[00:06:15] And that's what makes it easy.

[00:06:16] And that's one of the biggest successes I've had in my own cash pay practice.

[00:06:20] For those who don't know, I have three cash pay locations in San Diego.

[00:06:24] I was the first cash pay physical therapist in San Diego.

[00:06:27] And I built that a little over 10 years ago.

[00:06:30] We just celebrated our 10 years, so it's been fantastic.

[00:06:33] But I want to be able to share this because I think that if you don't dial this down, you as a sports physical therapist or even a cash pay physical therapist, you'll suffer.

[00:06:43] And I really think that if you can get an edge on your peers, you can really be that go-to clinical expert in your town.

[00:06:50] And that's what I hope for you.

[00:06:51] So let me share what the life is of a pro athlete and higher level athletes so you can put yourself inside that framework.

[00:06:59] So pro athletes, let me describe what the setup was at the Olympic Training Center.

[00:07:05] And you can kind of adapt this within pro sports as well.

[00:07:08] These athletes lived in a dorm.

[00:07:10] And they were there 365 days a year.

[00:07:13] And they practiced Monday through Saturday.

[00:07:16] And every one of those days differed.

[00:07:18] You know, it might be Mondays and Tuesdays were practice.

[00:07:22] Thursdays and Fridays were practice.

[00:07:23] And Saturday was competition.

[00:07:25] And now that might be local or international.

[00:07:29] And travel played a little bit of an issue on there.

[00:07:31] But maybe Wednesdays and Sundays were your rest or your active recovery days.

[00:07:35] And then you would have a gym session three to four times a week on the same days as practice.

[00:07:40] So as a physical therapist, if you understand, okay, what's my total workload for the week?

[00:07:44] How many days are in the gym?

[00:07:45] How many days are they out in practice?

[00:07:49] And then you can find yourself in, okay, my total volume of exercise is they have got four one-hour blocks of being in the gym.

[00:07:56] That's four hours of stress.

[00:07:58] Great.

[00:07:58] And then they have four hours of technical training, being out in the practice field and everything else.

[00:08:03] And it actually was an hour and a half, including warm-ups.

[00:08:05] So if you've had six hours on the actual training and then four hours in the gym,

[00:08:12] that's total 10 hours total stress.

[00:08:15] Now, you're not used to that because you're working with the layperson, right?

[00:08:18] The general population, gym pop.

[00:08:20] These individuals aren't putting in, usually, 10 hours of work.

[00:08:25] They might be in the gym maybe five hours a week, 7.5 at the most, 1.5 hours in the gym times five days a week.

[00:08:34] That's most people.

[00:08:36] And now when you have these people who are dedicated their whole life to this, you have to understand, well, how much work are they totally doing?

[00:08:43] And most physical therapists in PT school or as new grads or working in an insurance-based mill, you're a volume-based provider,

[00:08:50] meaning you love giving volume of work because you're so used to not being able to see them so frequently or they're low on their visits.

[00:08:58] So, for instance, if they only have six visits approved for the year, of course, you're going to space them out.

[00:09:02] You want to be able to help them.

[00:09:03] So you might not see them for two to three weeks.

[00:09:06] What that means is you're a volume producer, so you're going to give them a home exercise program that has 27 exercises five days a week

[00:09:14] because you want them to maximize this on their own.

[00:09:16] When you have a pro athlete who has 10 hours of work in a week and they're diligent, they know everything to do,

[00:09:23] they just need your guidance, you're doing significantly less.

[00:09:26] So if that's the case, you need to know that you only need to insert a small volume of exercises included within their strength program

[00:09:34] or within their actual training.

[00:09:36] So you as a clinician, this is a frustrating part for a lot of clinicians and sports PTs because inside this model,

[00:09:43] you're typically doing a lot of manual work, a lot of soft tissue,

[00:09:46] because if you've inserted all your rehab exercises into their total 10 hours of work,

[00:09:51] you're left over thinking, well, great, what's my purpose?

[00:09:54] Your purpose is to then create the plan and then take care of any lingering tissue issues.

[00:10:00] So if that's the case, you have to understand a lot of athletes are looking for guidance

[00:10:05] and they're looking for things to insert in their total work.

[00:10:08] Now let's take that to the NBA.

[00:10:10] The NBA is going to practice three hours.

[00:10:13] They might have an hour of treatment afterwards,

[00:10:15] an hour of a warm-up session, maybe some stretch right beforehand.

[00:10:20] So you have about five total hours to work with them five days a week,

[00:10:24] but they have a heavy, hectic travel schedule.

[00:10:26] Knowing all these things, you have to understand that they're traveling and they're stressing their bodies on a regular basis.

[00:10:33] And the worst thing that you want to do is add more and more stress.

[00:10:36] And that's what creates repetitive chronic issues.

[00:10:39] And believe it or not, physical therapists contribute to the problem.

[00:10:43] And that's because you don't understand the athlete and you don't understand their model

[00:10:47] and you don't understand their practice schedules.

[00:10:49] Now, if that were the case, you would actually do less,

[00:10:51] but only because you don't know any better, you're adding more and more stress to their life.

[00:10:56] And that's probably the worst thing you can do.

[00:10:59] So if you know an athlete's schedule, let's break this down.

[00:11:02] What they want is simplicity, a small amount of work included in their total weekly volume,

[00:11:10] work with their strength and conditioning coaches to adapt their programs based on their current limitations,

[00:11:16] work with their technical coach to modify practices based on how much warm-up they need,

[00:11:22] how much stretch, how much cool down.

[00:11:24] That helps an athlete create a well-rounded program.

[00:11:27] Now, let's talk about what a physical therapist typically does.

[00:11:30] If you've never worked with a pro athlete, you've never worked high level,

[00:11:34] you have no understanding,

[00:11:36] let me tell you what a new grad or PT student would do.

[00:11:39] And maybe even you.

[00:11:41] You have that same pro athlete,

[00:11:43] you don't know any better,

[00:11:44] so you prescribe seven to ten home exercise programs in a day.

[00:11:51] So I want you to do balance, I want you to do toe raises,

[00:11:53] I want you to do arch lifts, all these other things.

[00:11:56] And then you say, great.

[00:11:57] And you don't even consider how long that program takes them.

[00:12:00] It might take them an hour.

[00:12:02] So that might last a little while because the athlete's motivated,

[00:12:04] they're listening to you, you're the professional.

[00:12:06] And then when you're adding a homework of one hour in addition to the total training volume,

[00:12:12] they then question, gosh, this is a lot.

[00:12:14] I'm tired.

[00:12:15] I'd rather take a nap.

[00:12:15] I'd rather go do these other things.

[00:12:17] I'd rather see you in the clinic.

[00:12:19] And so that physical therapist doesn't do any better.

[00:12:21] And they're kind of on this old school mindset of,

[00:12:25] well, you've got to move better.

[00:12:26] And I'm not going to do manual therapy because that's not effective.

[00:12:30] It hasn't shown to be effective.

[00:12:31] And you being independent with your home program is the most important.

[00:12:34] When the reality is these people are very advanced.

[00:12:36] They know how to manage their bodies.

[00:12:38] They just need you to point them that direction.

[00:12:40] And by you not doing manual therapy,

[00:12:42] it puts a limitation on whether they would go with you.

[00:12:45] I used to manage this volunteer program at the United States Olympic Committee.

[00:12:48] We would have physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists,

[00:12:51] athletic trainers from all over the world and come to the location.

[00:12:54] And these volunteers were so excited to work with pro athletes,

[00:12:58] but they had never done it before.

[00:13:00] So they would apply this.

[00:13:01] And the reason why I'm sharing this is because literally it's a result of everything that I've seen in the past.

[00:13:06] And I don't want you to do the same mistake.

[00:13:08] So they'd come in hot-headed thinking they were going to be the reason

[00:13:11] why these athletes were going to go to the Olympics.

[00:13:14] These athletes had trained four years,

[00:13:16] but these two weeks that these volunteers were here,

[00:13:17] they were going to be the reason.

[00:13:19] So they would come in and they would over-prescribe exercises

[00:13:23] and they'd be anti-manual therapy because in an insurance-based model,

[00:13:26] that's what works because you don't have a lot of sessions.

[00:13:28] You have to maximize your time.

[00:13:30] Now in a pro athlete setting, you have all the time in the world.

[00:13:35] So why would you try and over-correct and over-prescribe

[00:13:40] if you had the opportunity to work with them every day?

[00:13:42] So all you have to do now is 15, 30, 45 minutes of manual work,

[00:13:48] make any small changes.

[00:13:49] They have their program built into their strength program,

[00:13:52] built into their daily practice schedule.

[00:13:54] Now it's a matter of making small adjustments

[00:13:56] and now forecasting that into their quarterly program.

[00:14:00] So if you know they have four tournaments,

[00:14:03] they have a couple things coming up,

[00:14:04] you can adjust all your programs.

[00:14:05] So that is an ideal scenario.

[00:14:08] Now let's talk about what a non-ideal scenario is

[00:14:10] and what the worst possible clinical approach would be.

[00:14:13] Anti-manual therapy.

[00:14:15] That athlete would never come back to see you.

[00:14:17] Over-prescribing exercises.

[00:14:19] Being 100% movement-based.

[00:14:22] Not talking to the coach and getting a good idea

[00:14:25] of what their practice schedule was.

[00:14:27] Not talking to their strength conditioning coaches

[00:14:29] and understanding what the total volume looks like.

[00:14:32] And that's what most physical therapists do

[00:14:34] inside an insurance-based model.

[00:14:36] Why?

[00:14:36] Because they don't have time.

[00:14:38] They're not going to talk to a strength coach.

[00:14:40] They're not going to email a coach.

[00:14:42] They're not going to be hands-on.

[00:14:44] And they're 100% going to give a lot of exercises.

[00:14:47] So if you think that having more exercises and proper movement

[00:14:54] is the thing that the athlete needs,

[00:14:57] you're far from the truth.

[00:15:00] Because an athlete does need a little bit of fine-tuning.

[00:15:03] LeBron James, some of these best athletes,

[00:15:06] 100% need better movement.

[00:15:08] But that's going to take you a long time.

[00:15:10] And within their entire year,

[00:15:12] you have to understand, great.

[00:15:13] If you have three months,

[00:15:14] which one movement or one thing are you working on?

[00:15:16] Great.

[00:15:17] If it's his ankle mobility, great.

[00:15:19] Try three months at that, great.

[00:15:20] What's the next one?

[00:15:21] Hip mobility.

[00:15:21] When you start to provide all of this stimulus

[00:15:24] and stress them with a lot of hours

[00:15:26] of home exercise programs,

[00:15:27] they're going to be non-compliant.

[00:15:29] And what you have to understand is

[00:15:30] it's a long road to work with athletes.

[00:15:32] You have six months, you have nine months,

[00:15:34] you have a year.

[00:15:35] And if you see my cash pay model,

[00:15:37] this is the ideal scenario.

[00:15:39] So if you're thinking that you're going to come over

[00:15:40] from an insurance-based model,

[00:15:42] apply the same principles and be successful

[00:15:44] because you took a CEU course on Therac's,

[00:15:48] corrective exercises,

[00:15:49] a random manual technique,

[00:15:50] an adjustment, whatever it is,

[00:15:52] it's the whole package.

[00:15:53] It's not one clinical skill.

[00:15:55] It's not one thing.

[00:15:56] So the next time that you try and work with an athlete

[00:15:59] and you say,

[00:15:59] well, it's going to be one-on-one personalized care

[00:16:02] with a doctor of physical therapy,

[00:16:04] none of that fits with,

[00:16:06] how does that fit in my program?

[00:16:08] They want a sports PT

[00:16:09] who understands how that PT

[00:16:12] understands their entire week,

[00:16:15] their entire month,

[00:16:16] and their entire quarter

[00:16:17] to help them figure out,

[00:16:19] if I have a tournament in two months

[00:16:20] and my posterior tibialis has been aggravated,

[00:16:24] the insurance-based PT would be like,

[00:16:26] well, let's throw 10 exercises.

[00:16:28] Let's throw a little bit of modalities out of that.

[00:16:30] No manual therapy.

[00:16:31] Let's maybe put some needles in there.

[00:16:34] And that would be the approach to get them pain-free.

[00:16:36] But what he's really concerned about,

[00:16:37] what he or she,

[00:16:38] this athlete is really concerned about,

[00:16:40] is in eight weeks or two months,

[00:16:42] is their body going to be ready?

[00:16:44] And so you have to work backwards to understand,

[00:16:45] okay, great.

[00:16:46] If that was the thing,

[00:16:47] if that was the issue,

[00:16:48] they can't jump without pain.

[00:16:49] So you want to give them at least two to three weeks

[00:16:52] before their competition

[00:16:53] to be able to get into an actual playing setting.

[00:16:55] So if they're a basketball player,

[00:16:57] how soon can they actually be full throttle in the game

[00:17:00] without any restrictions?

[00:17:01] Are you going to apply tape?

[00:17:02] Are they wearing orthotics?

[00:17:03] Well, that would need to happen about two to three,

[00:17:05] maybe four weeks before their actual competition

[00:17:07] so they can get in rhythm,

[00:17:08] get their nervous system developed.

[00:17:10] If that were the case,

[00:17:11] if you're one month out

[00:17:12] and you need to be them in the game,

[00:17:14] well, you need four weeks of plyos to build onto this.

[00:17:17] It can build tolerance.

[00:17:18] So now you're at the four week mark.

[00:17:19] So what do you need to do now

[00:17:20] so you're ready for plyos in four weeks

[00:17:22] so they can actually compete

[00:17:23] and be ready to play in eight weeks?

[00:17:25] That's the way you need to consider this,

[00:17:27] not the opposite of,

[00:17:28] well, let's load you with exercises,

[00:17:30] get you pain-free now,

[00:17:32] and then we'll worry about everything else after.

[00:17:34] And ultimately, it's really taking,

[00:17:35] instead of a micro approach

[00:17:37] where you're just looking at today

[00:17:38] and next week,

[00:17:39] you're looking at over the next eight,

[00:17:41] 10, and 12 weeks,

[00:17:42] how do I accomplish the goal?

[00:17:44] You have to figure out what the target is.

[00:17:45] What's the flag?

[00:17:46] What's the thing they're accomplishing

[00:17:47] and work your way backwards.

[00:17:48] So when you're working as a physical therapist,

[00:17:51] you might not have these opportunities

[00:17:54] and you might say,

[00:17:55] well, how do I even get involved

[00:17:57] in these type of things?

[00:17:57] The reality is no CEU course is gonna,

[00:18:01] they're gonna teach you

[00:18:02] actual small pieces of a framework.

[00:18:04] And if you're stuck and you're like,

[00:18:06] I have learned skills,

[00:18:07] I just don't know how to put it all together.

[00:18:09] That's where most physical therapists are stuck.

[00:18:12] And that's why it's the worst clinical approach to do

[00:18:15] is day by day,

[00:18:16] a couple of exercises,

[00:18:18] load them,

[00:18:18] get them more with movement,

[00:18:20] make them more independent

[00:18:21] so you don't have to see them.

[00:18:23] That's the worst clinical approach ever

[00:18:25] because these athletes will forever be in pain

[00:18:28] as long as they're in a high level environment.

[00:18:30] How can you assume that pain is created

[00:18:35] by repeated stressors?

[00:18:37] And these athletes are in stress all the time.

[00:18:41] They're either jumping, twisting their ankles,

[00:18:44] hurting their backs in the gym.

[00:18:46] They're constantly under stress.

[00:18:47] How can you assume that you would get them pain-free

[00:18:50] in such a short time?

[00:18:51] Not even possible.

[00:18:52] So if that's the case,

[00:18:54] then you have to understand

[00:18:54] you will forever have a job

[00:18:56] to keep them in less pain

[00:18:58] throughout their entire season

[00:19:00] or even better, prevent pain.

[00:19:02] And that's the mindset shift

[00:19:04] of a sports physical therapist

[00:19:05] or a cash pay physical therapist

[00:19:07] where now you're saying,

[00:19:08] okay, great.

[00:19:09] I understand that you will forever be in pain.

[00:19:12] My job is to keep you away

[00:19:13] from having to sit out

[00:19:14] or take a break because of your pain.

[00:19:16] You just switched.

[00:19:17] So the clinical approach of

[00:19:19] I'm the pain master,

[00:19:20] I can get you pain-free in two weeks.

[00:19:23] The reality is how do you prevent it?

[00:19:25] That's the art.

[00:19:25] That is the true master.

[00:19:28] And so if you're saying,

[00:19:29] hey, I'm going to take a personalized

[00:19:31] one-on-one doctor physical therapy approach,

[00:19:33] I'm going to load you with exercises,

[00:19:34] know my new therapy,

[00:19:35] make you independent.

[00:19:36] Worst possible clinical approach you can have.

[00:19:38] Why?

[00:19:38] Because that athlete doesn't want that.

[00:19:40] What the athlete wants

[00:19:41] is somebody right by their side

[00:19:43] and they understand

[00:19:43] I'm going to be forever and be in pain.

[00:19:45] I just need somebody

[00:19:46] who's looking out for me,

[00:19:47] looking at my numbers,

[00:19:48] looking at my metrics,

[00:19:49] looking at my force testing,

[00:19:51] predicting when I'm going to be in injury.

[00:19:53] That to them is an insurance policy.

[00:19:55] And that is what you need to be able to serve.

[00:19:57] So for you,

[00:19:58] if you're stuck and you're like,

[00:19:59] I don't even know what to do,

[00:20:01] how do I take this framework?

[00:20:03] I created something called

[00:20:04] my Sports PT Kickstarter.

[00:20:07] It's an eight-week online mentorship course

[00:20:09] to help people just like yourself

[00:20:12] just find yourself in this framework.

[00:20:14] I was tired of seeing the same CEUs, right?

[00:20:17] The same balance exercise,

[00:20:19] the same fancy, you know,

[00:20:21] with a stretch band

[00:20:22] or whatever it is,

[00:20:23] or the mobility

[00:20:24] and you need to learn

[00:20:25] a little bit of programming.

[00:20:27] Ultimately,

[00:20:27] I wanted a physical therapist

[00:20:28] who wanted a bigger approach

[00:20:31] to working with athletes,

[00:20:33] who wanted the framework,

[00:20:34] the skeleton,

[00:20:35] show me how to map this out.

[00:20:37] How do I work with somebody for three months?

[00:20:38] How do I get more pro athletes?

[00:20:40] And if you're tired

[00:20:41] of the same clinical skills

[00:20:43] and the same adjustments

[00:20:44] and the taping

[00:20:45] and all those things,

[00:20:46] the problem is

[00:20:46] you're learning pieces of it

[00:20:48] and not how to put it together.

[00:20:49] So I created my eight-week

[00:20:50] online mentorship course

[00:20:51] to create something

[00:20:52] that puts all of those things together

[00:20:54] for somebody who is a new grad,

[00:20:57] 10 years out,

[00:20:58] weren't going to work with it.

[00:20:59] They're tired of insurance.

[00:21:00] They're tired of the ortho patients,

[00:21:01] non-motivated people,

[00:21:02] and you just want more athletes

[00:21:04] on your schedule.

[00:21:05] Whether you're cash pay or not,

[00:21:06] it really doesn't matter.

[00:21:07] Ultimately,

[00:21:08] you have to get yourself

[00:21:09] in front of athletes

[00:21:10] and once they're there,

[00:21:12] you have one opportunity

[00:21:13] and you have to be able

[00:21:14] to explain that right off the top.

[00:21:16] And once you get that,

[00:21:17] that's when your schedule

[00:21:18] gets filled with athletes.

[00:21:19] Not just because you take

[00:21:20] a certain CU course

[00:21:22] or a golf certification

[00:21:24] or all those things.

[00:21:24] They don't just appear.

[00:21:26] When they do appear,

[00:21:27] you have to be ready.

[00:21:28] And so if you're interested in that

[00:21:29] and you're like,

[00:21:30] well, I'm ready to come in,

[00:21:31] I want to be with more athletes,

[00:21:33] then my Sports PT Kickstarter

[00:21:34] is going to be fantastic for you.

[00:21:36] You can go to

[00:21:37] drchrisgarcia.com

[00:21:39] forward slash Kickstarter

[00:21:40] and you can register there.

[00:21:42] Ultimately,

[00:21:43] I hope this episode

[00:21:44] helps you put yourself

[00:21:46] in a better position

[00:21:47] so you can see

[00:21:48] working with athletes

[00:21:49] is different

[00:21:49] and your clinical approach

[00:21:51] that you were doing before

[00:21:52] might have been

[00:21:52] the worst possible

[00:21:53] or even better.

[00:21:54] Now you see yourself

[00:21:55] kind of more in the middle.

[00:21:56] So I'm excited

[00:21:57] to continue to help you grow

[00:21:58] inside your clinical practice.

[00:21:59] And if I don't see you

[00:22:01] at the Kickstarter,

[00:22:01] I'll see you

[00:22:02] on the next episode.

[00:22:03] Take care.

[00:22:04] Thanks for tuning in

[00:22:04] to the Sports PT Academy podcast.

[00:22:06] It means the absolute world to me.

[00:22:08] If you enjoy my content,

[00:22:09] subscribe to the podcast

[00:22:10] so you know exactly

[00:22:11] when new episodes come out.

[00:22:12] Next,

[00:22:13] help me help others

[00:22:14] by giving me a five-star review

[00:22:15] on Apple Podcasts.

[00:22:17] I personally read all the reviews

[00:22:18] and I appreciate your support.

[00:22:19] This gives me an opportunity

[00:22:21] to provide healthcare professionals

[00:22:22] and fitness professionals

[00:22:23] just like you

[00:22:24] with great information

[00:22:25] to become sports experts.

[00:22:27] If you have any questions,

[00:22:28] reach out to my team

[00:22:29] at drchris

[00:22:29] at drchrisgarcia.com

[00:22:31] and tell us exactly

[00:22:32] what you're looking for.

[00:22:33] Do you want more?

[00:22:34] Head over to my website,

[00:22:36] drchrisgarcia.com

[00:22:37] and sign up for my VIP email list

[00:22:39] to stay in touch

[00:22:40] with my latest updates

[00:22:41] on courses

[00:22:42] and mentorship programs.

[00:22:43] If you know someone

[00:22:44] who would benefit

[00:22:44] from my content,

[00:22:45] please share this episode

[00:22:47] with them.

[00:22:47] Until next time,

[00:22:48] have an incredible day.