About Mike Reinold

HI. I’M MIKE REINOLD.

Thanks for visiting my website! I’m a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and strength and conditioning coach specializing in helping people feel, move, and perform better.

I want to teach you how to do the same.

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I Want to Help You Become a Better Physical Therapist or Fitness Professional

With all the information out there these days, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I get it, I was in your shoes too.

Who do you turn to? Who can you trust to help guide you? And to me, social media is only making it worse. Who actually has experience and is not just trying to act like an expert online? I shake my head daily at some of the things I see.

I’ve got a ton of experience (which is just a nice way of saying I’m getting old…) working with injured people looking to restore the performance, as well as healthy people looking to optimize and enhance their performance.

I’ve been a physical therapist, athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and performance enhancement specialist for over 20 years. After working for many years with such prestigious organizations such as The Boston Red Sox, The American Sports Medicine Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital, I co-founded Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Boston, MA, where I help people get the most out of their bodies every day.

But I’m not just in the trenches working with people, I also conduct clinical research, have dozens of journal publications, and educate people all over the world.

I WANT TO HELP

This website is where I have been sharing my research, experience, and thoughts behind how I integrate rehabilitation, fitness, performance training, and sports medicine for over 10 years.

My goal is simple…

Share what I have I learned over the years, what I have tried, and what I have found to work in my hands. I hope this helps give you a shortcut in your career.

But I’m also going to share what I am currently learning today because I believe we should always be pushing ourselves to grow and become better. I continue to grow every day and want you to grow with me.

MY PROMISE TO YOU

I have a handful of principles I follow in my educational style. If these resonate with you, you’re going to be happy here and learn a ton:

Always Keep an Open Mind and Strive to Keep Growing

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve changed my thoughts based on new evidence or experience. This is how we keep growing. I often feel like people are too aggressively taking a stance, which causes them to defend their opinions rather than keep an open mind. As research comes out, they’ll cherry pick what they learn based on what confirms their beliefs. They often attempt to educate others by aggressively attacking anyone with a different opinion. I prefer to educate by teaching you what I do, not what I think you are doing wrong. I always say I’m pretty sure people will be laughing at us one day because we thought the earth was round! :)

Always Know the “Why”

This is a principle I have followed my entire career and led to most of my research projects. I’m never happy with doing something because “that’s how we’ve always done it” or because “that’s how someone taught it to me.” I always challenge myself to know the “why” behind everything we do.

Combine Current Evidence with Experience

My goal is always to make the complex more simple. As new evidence comes out, we need to add that to our existing experience. This is how I approach every new journal article I read. What can I take from this new study? How will it change what I do? What are the clinical implications? It’s hard to do this without a bunch of experience under your belt. That’s why I share it with you.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Good. Let’s get going. Click the button below to get started and check out my award-winning blog, my top-ranked podcast, and all my acclaimed online educational programs. Or keep reading below to learn more about me and my website.

How This Website Began

I remember when I was first getting started how daunting everything in our profession seemed. We all learn the basics in school but then get thrown out into the real world to fend for ourselves. It takes times to get comfortable.

I was super lucky to surround myself with great mentors that helped me along the way. But I hear from so many people that they don’t have a ton of people to learn from every day.

That is exactly why I started this website – to help others grow and stay current. To take new research as it comes out and discuss the clinical implications. To combine what limited evidence we have with experience. To make the complicated more simple.

My plan from day one was to share my journey with you by writing about what I am learning and how this is changing what I do every day.

Today, everyone wants to be an expert on social media, but I always advise our students and interns to not try to “fake it ’til you make it” and try to proclaim expertise online. It’s easy to spot a lack of authenticity. Rather, just humbly share your journey and what you are learning.

I’m not going to lie, though, I started this website for me.

To keep me sharp, to keep me growing, to push me to never stop learning. I always recommend others get into education for these reasons. Either through clinical research or simply just taking students and interns. Honestly, it helps you as much as the person learning from you.

I started my career off as a physical therapist in a high pace outpatient clinic. I spent my spare time in the evening conducting clinical research, and then my spare time on the weekends traveling around the world teaching. It was an amazing experience and something that really made me grow as a clinician during the first years of my career.

Then a funny thing happened.

I actually landed my dream job with the Boston Red Sox.

While this was exactly what I wanted to be doing every day, I literally worked every day (all day…) and stopped teaching.

I simply couldn’t. There was no time.

After a few seasons in professional baseball, I felt that I was getting stale. I started trying to figure out a way I could continue to educate because I missed it so much, and I missed how much it pushed me to keep growing.

I actually remember the day I decided to start this website. I don’t think I ever told anyone this story before…

We were in Yankee Stadium, and I walked out of the clubhouse into the dugout during the game. I sat down next to the other athletic trainers and I clearly remember asking them, “hey, do you think people would want to read a website if I review journal articles as they come out? Would that be helpful?”

That was it. What a ride it’s been.

I found an image of one of the early versions of the website (very web 1.0 haha):

Take a closer look and notice I had under 500 readers and 219 twitter followers hahaha! And people love cracking up at Lenny and me from some of our earlier work:

While my site has changed a lot and I personally got LASIK surgery, dropped a few pounds, and even started wearing modern slimmer clothing, I’m pretty proud of how the content has remained consistently impactful for people for over 10 years and 1000 blog posts.

I have consistently published ~2 articles a week for over 10 years. The website is visited by 2 million people around the world each year and has won numerous awards. We’ve expanded to have a ton of video content on Youtube, a top ranked physical therapy podcast, and now a dizzying amount of micro-content on my social media accounts like Instagram each and every day. And I have slowly developed a ton of great online courses for people to learn from me at any time, from all over the world.

But most importantly, I’m still having a blast! Because I am still learning and still growing. And now YOU are the one pushing me. So while I admit I started this website for me, I sure hope you’ve learned from it as well.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Get to Know Me a Little

Before we get into all the boring and stuffy professional biography stuff (it’s at the bottom of this page), I wanted to share some random things about me. We are all connected more and more each day through the internet and social media. I meet people all the time that I feel I “know” because of our interactions online. Many of you have been following my work for over a decade. I wanted to give you an opportunity to learn a little more about me. This should be fun…

Some Interesting Professional Tidbits…

I never bought my neurology and pediatrics textbooks in college

Shhhh…. Don’t tell Northeastern! I used the book money to buy James Andrews and Kevin Wilk’s textbook on Injuries in Baseball. I just went to the library a lot that semester, but spent time learning more about what I was passionate about. This book started it all for me, and led me to seek out Kevin and Dr. Andrews so I can keep learning from them.

I wrote a proposal for the first dual major PT/ATC program

I was a freshman at Northeastern University. It was approximately a 10 pages outline how I would pull off the dual major, still pay per credit to make the university money, and graduate with both degrees. They didn’t go for it, and I’m pretty sure they thought I was crazy. It was probably a good thing because that would have been hard! But it’s nice to see that some of these programs exist now. Luckily, I got my hours and took some classes at Tufts University and Sanford University to get my ATC certification.

I failed the Athletic trainer boards the first time

This one is for all the students. Yup, I failed. At the time there was a practical portion. I flip flopped Adson’s and Allen’s thoracic outlet tests and I didn’t imaginarily “wet” the sponges for the carbon ESTIM pads. Seriously. This was obviously a long time ago. I reminded the examiners that sponges were no longer something we could use because each patient needed their own set of ESTIM pads, we couldn’t reuse the sponges for sanitary reasons. They didn’t seem to care, and they still failed me haha. BTW, remember those nasty yellow sponges?

I’ve turned down jobs with several MLB teams

Both before and after the Red Sox. And other professional sports too. These were extremely hard decisions but they always work out if you make the decision for the right reasons. Sometimes saying no is the right long term move, but it’s hard in the moment. It was really hard to turn down Theo Epstein and move to Chicago to join the Cubs. Theo is brilliant and the best person I’ve ever had the opportunity to work under in any situation. But I’ve also been fortunate to have found some jobs that did “fit” for me with the Boston Red Sox and now the Chicago White Sox.

Some stuff about my personal life…

I have an amazing wife and two awesome daughters

They are super supportive of me. Every guy should have a daughter. I got two. See above reference to the “right reasons” for why I didn’t move to Chicago. A good friend of mine once gave me the best advice I could ever pass on. He said, “Mike, when it’s all said and done, no one’s going to remember what you did in your life more than your family.”

I’m a youth softball coach in my town

I coach my daughters’ softball teams. It’s an absolute blast and I really recommend you get involved in youth sports if you have kids. It’s an awesome experience to take a group of girls that know nothing, and spend several years slowly developing their skills. Oh, and the real secret is to just give them Double Bubble and eye black.

We had a dog for 16 years

We got an awesome dog when my wife and I living in Birmingham when I was working at ASMI. We wanted to name her something related to Boston, so named her Dunkin. Us Bostonians have a soft spot for Dunkin Donuts coffee. She actually loved the move back to Boston, and we’ll never forget the first time she saw snow. Instant love. She lived a long life, and is missed by the entire family!

Lenny Macrina and I were neighbors growing up

Funny that Lenny Macrina, my co-owner of Champion, and I have known each other our entire lives. Pretty crazy to think we were stick ball partners, then he was my PT student, and eventually my co-owner of an amazing business.

I’ve won a Little League, Pony League, Adult Recreational Softball League, and World Series Championship.

Sure, the last one probably puts it over the edge, but I’m proud of it all, especially the walk-off bunt in Little League when I was 10.

Some odd things about me…

I’m not a big fan of heights

My wife says I giggle like Beavis and Butthead when I’m on a roller coaster. I can do the medium roller coasters, but no way am I going on a ferris wheel.

I have really sensitive boney prominences

Don’t even think about touching my ASIS’s, I’ll literally punch you in the face. It’s a reflex. You’ve been warned.

I am getting more into local coffee roasters

I feel like everyone writes “coffee lover,” or “coffee addict” on their social media profiles. I’m actually not a big Starbucks fan, I don’t love the burnt taste. I’ve been dabbling in different local roasters and coffee origins. It’s crazy how much is out there when you only drink Starbucks or Dunkin. I really recommend you check out George Howell Coffee.

I think everyone should own three things

1) TempurPedic pillow, 2) Sonicare Toothbrush, and 3) Smart Wool socks. Just saying… You’ll thank me.

Some useless things I’m good at…

I started playing guitar in my 30’s

I remember wanting to learn something new that could stimulate my brain that wasn’t related to PT or strength training. I was trying to decide between learning guitar or how to speak Spanish. I love music, so picked guitar. Man, that was a bad first month but I remember the first time I played a song I liked and could recognize it, the beginning of Pearl Jam’s Corduroy. I was sold.

I’ve won some fantasy football Super Bowls

I don’t want to go as far as to say it’s a “dynasty” like the Patriots have with Bill Belichick, but I do wear his infamous hoodie in the winter. This just probably comes down to the fact I put the time in each week to research. I have many fantasy Super Bowls under my belt.

I’m pretty good at NHL 95 on the Sega Genesis

I’m not sure why but I can score 20 goals without trying, especially if playing as Keith Tkachuk. Remember the wrap around move? If you know it, you know what I’m talking about. We all have talents in this world, I guess that’s one of mine.

You can’t beat me in Fruit Ninja

Another odd skill that serves me no benefit in life. What’s your high score?

Some crazy things i’ve done…

I’ve been in the Pearl Jam vault

If you followed me online, you can probably tell I’m a big Pearl Jam fan. I’ve been extremely fortunate to get to hang out with them several times, including in Seattle. I once visited their warehouse with their studio, tour gear, and rehearsal space. It was awesome. I got to go into their recording vault and held the original recordings of every take of Alive (there were a lot of takes). I wanted to listen to them all.

I’ve wrestled in a WWE ring

We rehabbed a lot of WWE athletes in Birmingham and we actually installed an official ring in the biomechanics lab at ASMI when rehabbing Triple H. I’ll dispel the rumor that the rings are padded, it’s like a 1 cm pad on top of straight wood. But jumping off the ropes like Superfly Snuka was worth it. Oh yeah, I’ve also been on Wrestlemania before.

Biography

Mike Reinold, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS, C-PS is considered a world-renowned leader in the field of physical therapy, sports medicine, fitness, and sports performance. He is a noted author, lecturer, consultant, researcher, and clinician. As a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist, Dr. Reinold has used his expertise in a variety of settings to help people restore, optimize, and enhance their performance. He has most notably worked extensively with a variety of professional athletes from every major sport, with emphasis on the care of throwing injuries in baseball players.

Current Roles

Dr. Reinold is currently the co-founder and president of Champion Physical Therapy and Performance, a physical therapy and performance training facility just outside Boston in Waltham, MA.

He is also currently the Senior Medical Advisor for the Chicago White Sox and the Director of Baseball Performance at Northeastern University, where he has been instrumental in the restructuring and building of the high performance and medical teams.

Past Experience

Dr. Reinold has worked for many years throughout professional baseball after having worked for Boston Red Sox for many years as Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist and as a consultant to the Chicago Cubs. He was a member of the 2007 World Series Champion team and focused on keeping pitchers healthy and rehabilitating players back to peak performance. Dr. Reinold redesigned the medical model throughout the major and minor league systems, developing a comprehensive program to proactively attend to imbalance, deficiencies, and poor movement patterns before injuries developed. He continues to consult with many teams and players around Major League Baseball.

Prior to the Red Sox, Dr. Reinold was formerly the Facility Director of Champion Sports Medicine and the Coordinator of Rehabilitative Research & Clinical Education at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL under the direction of legendary orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. He was involved in the rehabilitation of 1000’s of athletes from all sports and levels of play. He helped develop many of the leading rehabilitation protocols and return to sports programs that are used around the world.

Dr. Reinold also coordinated the rehabilitative research and education for the Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine and the Sports Physical Therapy Department.

Education and Training

Dr. Reinold received his B.S. in physical therapy from Northeastern University and his Doctorate in physical therapy from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, both in Boston, MA. He previously sat to become a board certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. He is also a board certified Athletic Training through the NATA and Strength and Conditioning Coach through the NSCA. He graduated from the postprofessional sports physical therapy fellowship program of the American Sports Medicine Institute, in Birmingham, AL, under the direction of Kevin E. Wilk, PT, DPT, James R. Andrews, MD, and Glenn S. Fleisig, PhD.

Career Awards

Dr. Reinold has been awarded the 2019 ASMI Career Service Award by Dr. James Andrews, Dr. Glenn Fleisig, and Dr. Kevin Wilk for his contributions to the baseball sports medicine, and the 2004 New Horizons award by the Sport Physical Therapy Section of the APTA.

Research and Publications

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Reinold has made significant academic contributions in the form of laboratory research, biomechanical research, and clinical education, teaching thousands of individuals worldwide. He has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters in such prestigious publications such as AJSM, JOSPT, and the Journal of Sports Health. Mike serves on the advisory and review boards of several journals. He guest edited a special issue of JOSPT on articular cartilage and meniscal lesions of the knee and was also an associate editor of Sports Medicine and Performance Magazine.

His research has won numerous awards, include the 2019 Sports Health David T. Sisk Award for Best Original Research and the 2002 Excellence in Research Award by JOSPT.

In addition to his journal publications, Dr. Reinold has also authored several books including The Athlete’s Shoulder, Conditioning Programs for Baseball Pitchers, Preventative and Rehabilitative Exercises for the Upper Extremity, and Preventative and Rehabilitative Exercise for the Lower Extremity.

Featured Presentations and Consulting

Dr. Reinold is also actively speaking at various seminars and national meetings including past presentations at the annual APTA, NATA, and ACSM conferences and an invited lectures at Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Iowa State University, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainer Society, The Professional Baseball Team Physicians Society, and is a yearly presenter at the ASMI Injuries in Baseball Conference. He has served as a rehabilitation consultant and advisory board member for several companies such as Genzyme Biosurgery, TRX, AlterG, Empi, and Don Joy.

Featured Media

Dr. Reinold has been featured in several local and national publications such as Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, ESPN, Men’s Health Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Fast Company Magazine, Greatist, The Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Herald and has been recognized for his contributions to the field of sports medicine and performance as well as his programs for caring for overhead athletes. He was recently name one of the 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness.

Online Education

Dr. Reinold.com has an educational website at MikeReinold.com where he shares his new research and clinical experience in articles read by thousands daily and is being translated into languages such as Spanish, Japanese, and Hungarian. His website is visited by 2 million people per year and has won numerous awards for the content and quality, including the best overall physical therapy blog. In addition, he also has one of the top rated podcast for physical therapists. He has several critically acclaimed educational online programs teaching his approach to rehabilitation, sports medicine, fitness, and performance training.

Professional Societies

Dr. Reinold is active in his professional societies including the American Physical Therapy Association, American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy, National Athletic Trainers Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Sports Medicine Fellowship Society, ICCUS Society, Professional Baseball Athletic Trainer Society, Professional Baseball Physical Therapy Society, and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

There is no one I trust more to rehab an injury or enhance your performance, Mike is simply the best.

Having known Mike for many years, I have trusted him in the care of my patients and athletes. Mike and his team can help you return from injury and take your performance to the next level.

Mike Reinold, the “Injury Whisper,” is one the most influential people in health and fitness. The former Head Athletic Trainer and physical therapist for the Boston Red Sox now runs Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Boston. His specialty is helping professional athletes recover from injury and return to peak performance.

Winner of the Best Physical Therapy Blog Award for multiple years.