Read the conversation below
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Dr. Tim Machan. Super excited to have Tim Machan with us today. He has such a wide breadth of expertise. Little known fact, was the very first employee at True Sports Physical Therapy. He impressed me so much then, very early on. And then to watch where he's gone throughout his career has been fascinating, and exciting, and super cool. He is also the only employee, other than myself, at True Sports Physical Therapy to have worn a yarmulke to work.
Dr. Tim Machan: Oh.
Dr. Tim Machan: Oh, yeah, for Halloween.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: For Halloween. [laughter] For Halloween. Yes. Great costume. So Tim, you just asked a really good question about what our goal is with this podcast, and we'll get to that in a heartbeat. But first, I want you to introduce yourself to the audience of Sports Physical Therapists. And that's exactly who we're talking to. So tell us about how you got to where you are and all the interesting turns that took you to where you are.
Dr. Tim Machan: Sure. Yeah, it has been a unique journey to say the least. So I think what turned me on to sports, and I guess physical therapy in general, was my background as an athlete. I was never the greatest, but I loved sports. And I grew up being very passionate about playing sports, watching sports, being around sports. I had the opportunity to play football at the Division 3 level. And I actually started college as a physics major. I don't know if you remember this story?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Go ahead, share it.
Dr. Tim Machan: [laughter] So I started as a physics major 'cause I liked physics in high school. And it was like, what do you major in in college? Well, whatever you like. So that's what I started as. And I made it to the third semester where I had to take quantum physics. One, that class was really hard. And then I had this existential crisis of, "What am I gonna do with a physics degree?" Ultimately, the pathway for that in my future wasn't something that interested me that much. And so I kind of pivoted and came across physical therapy and the idea of sports physical therapy. And that's where, obviously, everything really took off. So, coming out of school...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: And this is Wash U?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yes. Yes. So I was at Division 3 school, Washington University in St. Louis. Coming out of undergrad, I got into Wash U's PT Program. So, started there and I kinda hit a skid. And I hit this moment of there weren't a lot of sports opportunities. I won't say what I promised, but what I envisioned when I made the choice, didn't really seem that attainable with what was being offered in clinicals, in job prospects, and stuff like that. And then, all of a sudden, I heard about residencies and that became my focus. It was like, "Alright, this is it. This is how I'm gonna go on to the next step." And so I was fortunate to do the sports residency at the University of Cincinnati where I worked with some great physical therapists, Bob Mangene and Joe Roush. I learned a ton from them. I got to spend a year working with the football team and the baseball team, great opportunity. And then I hit the peak of my career, [laughter] which is when I got introduced to Yoni. And I always try to remember this story, how we got connected. So I was at my fraternity's alumni weekend...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Love it.
Dr. Tim Machan: And met a guy whose dad was on the Board at one of the high schools, and he knew you and that's how we got connected. And the the rest is history.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: It's pretty good. Yeah, the rest was history. It's pretty good. I forgot about that, the alumni piece. I remember that the AD at the Gilman School was like, "I heard about this guy, he did a residency." And I'm like, "What's a residency?" And she's like, "I think it's something that's gonna make him a great hire." And so, you did. You came in and interviewed. I think we talked on the phone first, and then you came in and interviewed. And I quote the story of that interview all the time, because I was blown away at your ability. Your abilities one year out. I remember coming out of school and not knowing what the hell I was doing for the first years. And I hope none of my patients are listening, but it takes you a really long time to get decent at this thing, I think.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: But you really jumpstarted. I just felt like you were light years ahead of where I was, certainly at that point in your career, only being a year out, right? And I felt like, "Holy cow. Like, residency must be unbelievable." And so, that really opened my eyes to residency. So we'll come back to residency. I wanna hear more about your fascinating journey, because one of the highlights that are gonna come out of this are the things that you can do with this doctorate degree. And you are like Forrest Gump in the physical therapy world. You're just everywhere, everywhere fascinating. So, okay. You come into True Sports, you sit through that interview process, you impress me enough, you get your first gig. Right?
Dr. Tim Machan: Right.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: And then you're with me for a few years. Anything that stands out of the outpatient sports model that you wanna share? Things you liked? Things you didn't love, necessarily?
Dr. Tim Machan: So, yeah. And thinking back on that, I think one of the coolest opportunities is particularly working for a practice. And I don't know, maybe you're too big for this kind of thing now, you're so... [chuckle]
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Not. Not. Not too big.
Dr. Tim Machan: But you were looking for any opportunity to grow the business. And so, I was able to reach out through a connection with a local FCS University, Morgan State, and just start working in their training room. We set up an arrangement, and that was an amazing opportunity to continue to do some of the training room stuff that I had learned. But also, I kept that normal clinic lifestyle, and I could bring some of those athletes into True Sports and get some more individualized care in that setting. So, I really liked that aspect of it. I certainly liked the model that we... I'm taking credit for it. [laughter]
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: We, we. It was we. It was two dudes and a church.
Dr. Tim Machan: It was. I still think about answering my phone. [chuckle] The Google voice number calls, and I'm taking phone calls. You're not even paying for my health insurance much less my cellphone, [laughter] the work line.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Thank you, Tim. Thank you.
Dr. Tim Machan: So yeah, I think the opportunities that that afforded us to work individually with people and build the connection that way. And I think that's one of the things that's, I'll say, different about the university setting or a team setting than the outpatient setting is you just don't have as much contact, you don't have as much of that time that you spend with people. So having the setup that we did where it was that one-on-one care, you really connected with the patient. And I think, I'm a big believer that motivation is what leads to success. If you can get the person to buy in that you have a plan for them, you're listening to them and you're gonna help them, your outcome is gonna be successful. What specifically you do, I mean, the evidence is saying it probably doesn't matter that much.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah, it's amazing.
Dr. Tim Machan: But if you connect with the person, then you're gonna get the outcome that you're looking for. And so, that's one of the things that I really liked about particularly the way True Sports was set up, kind of a unique part of the outpatient world.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. So after True Sports, then you hockey sticks straight up. So tell us where you went and how long you were there, and really just what you loved about each place 'cause they're so unique.
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah, so it was really cool. I found an opportunity to work for EXOS as a contractor with Special Forces, and it's a program called THOR3, which stands for tactical human optimization, rapid reconditioning rehabilitation. Not sure if those are the right Rs, but...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Those are the R3.
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah, the three Rs. And it's basically... It's trying... It's implementing the Division One sports or the professional sports model for Special Forces soldiers. It's across all the branches of the military, THOR is army specific. And so I went down to Fort Bragg in North Carolina and worked as a contractor with psychological operations, which was just a fascinating program to be a part of. We had a big performance gym, strength coaches, PT, dietician, kind of all working that multi-disciplinary model, working together, and it bridged the gap between a training room team environment and outpatient, kind of a structured schedule. But I'm always there and I'm not hampered by the limits of insurance or cost.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Everything. That's so cool. So what did you learn from those other disciplines that you wouldn't have gotten elsewhere, and that you took with you?
Dr. Tim Machan: Hands down, this was one of the pillars of my professional development. Me and a guy named Jesse Miller, is a strength coach that I worked with at THOR3 at Fort Bragg, and I learned so much about weight training in a way that I never understood. I had a background as an athlete. I trained through high school and through college and did all of those movements, but it wasn't until I'd sit down with Jesse at lunch and we'd talk about, what is the goal of this movement, what are you trying to do? And then actually he ended up coaching me on some of those things, and that's where everything clicked and really came together about, what is producing force through your hips, how does a hinge progress into something like a kettlebell swing, into a hang clean? Like, how... The spectrum and how as rehab specialists, it's not... It depends on your setting, but it's not necessarily our job to be the strength coach. But I've always felt and been fortunate in most of the jobs where I've had good strength coaches to work with, I need to get the athlete ready to be with the strength coach, so I've gotta understand what that end of the spectrum looks like really well, or I'm not gonna adequately prepare them to do that, to hinge through their hips, to bend, to do all of those things that they need to be able to do.
Dr. Tim Machan: So that part was talking about multi-disciplinary development, hands-down, one of the best things that I got out of there. But then I also think working with the dietician and the mindset that that profession brings in terms of, what else can you be considering? Vitamin D, when you're dealing with some of those stress injuries, those bone injuries, what about these other considerations? And not necessarily in our scope, but being able to communicate with other professions where it is, and saying, "What do you think about this?" I think both of those were really, really beneficial.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: That's super cool. And I can imagine that it preps you for... It's certainly the way we have it in Maryland, and now we're starting to get up towards Pennsylvania, and we see it there too, although maybe to a lesser extent, but it's that direct access that creates us becoming almost like the quarterback of the whole thing. 'Cause David musculoskeletal injury, they come in, they see Tim Machan. Well, maybe you're thinking about a referral to a dietitian, maybe you're thinking about a referral to a strength coach, so I'm sure that that's super valuable. A couple of questions that come out of that. Number one, how did you get that job? So, people are listening. They're like, "Oh my God, that sounds unbelievable. I wanna work at THOR3. How do I become the next Tim Machan?"
Dr. Tim Machan: [chuckle] So, this is kind of the next step in the long line of, you know, I feel like I've been more lucky than good in my career, and fortunate in just like the serendipitous situation that led you and me together. This situation was also fairly lucky, I was looking... Not anything against True Sports, but I was looking to leave Baltimore. Where my life was headed, I was gonna move somewhere else, and I was looking for that next opportunity, and I had these big visions, everything I had learned from you, and I was continuing to build my practice. I was ready for something big. And I was just looking for jobs at well-known places, and EXOS is one of those companies that I had heard about.
Dr. Tim Machan: And they were posting not for any of their sports jobs, but for this military position. And I was like, "Well, I'll give them my resume and they'll think I'm so brilliant that they'll make up a job for me," which wasn't the case. But I took the interview for Fort Bragg and was really impressed by that program. So, I don't believe EXOS is a contractor for that program anymore. It's called POTFF, Preservation of the Force and Family. It's a congressional program. But there are other contracting companies. So, if you are interested in the military side, I believe KBR is the big one right now. But looking up those military contracting jobs, and it's more than just the special forces. They're expanding rapidly in what they're trying to provide in military medicine, because those hospitals are just so overflowing with patients. They've started to kinda privatize it and bring in contractors to get more access.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Super cool. Okay. So that's really great information. You go from THOR3 to...
Dr. Tim Machan: So just kind of a shift at THOR3. So I left Fort Bragg and I went to Fort Campbell. Moved from psychological operations to 5th Group, which is Green Berets special force... Like the door kickers, and... Are really just another cool population to work with. Slightly different demands for their job, similar resources. We did have an athletic trainer there as well as a sports psych, so the program got a little bit bigger. Yeah, I was there, that's just outside of Nashville, there for a short period. And then had an opportunity to go back to Cincinnati. So from having been there previously, I kept contact with Aaron Himmler, who's a good friend, and he's the head athletic trainer for football now and doing great things up there with the Bearcats. And he reached out and said, "We're looking to kind of re-develop the PT role in the training room, we wanna expand it a little bit. We wanna bring the residency program back." It had actually kind of fallen apart after I left...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Well, Tim, that's what happens.[laughter]
Dr. Tim Machan: And so yeah, kind of on a short notice, left Fort Campbell and drove up to Baltimore... Or not to Baltimore, to Cincinnati.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: I wish, I wish to Baltimore. So these guys that you were around, psychological warfare, who are they?
Dr. Tim Machan: So, psychological operations. And so they're doing... Boy, gotta probably be careful on this 'cause I did need to have secret clearance for the job. But anything that you could read on the internet would certainly be fine. So they're doing more of the work within the communities, trying to build... They're trying to build a message and do those types of things.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: These guys are sitting at desks?
Dr. Tim Machan: A little bit of a mix. So yeah, there are deployments, they do go out down range, and there are positions that are more kind of data-driven, computer-based. If any of them were to ever listen to this, they'd probably...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Kill you.
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah, [laughter] just for how I'm butchering the explanation.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay. But it sounds like a different type of athlete than Green Beret is.
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah, yes and no. Like there are certainly positions within psychological operations where they're part of a team. They're deploying with those individuals. They've gotta do the exact same thing. So, there were some of those.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Gotcha. It's just... Yeah, okay. That's great. What a cool way to practice physical therapy. The interaction, the stories that were shared that most sticks out in your mind from your time with the Green Berets is what? I have to imagine that a couple guys are sitting on a table and sharing something where you're like, "I'm glad you're on my side."[chuckle]
Dr. Tim Machan: So I had one really interesting case. I don't know that this is exactly like that much of a story. But there was a guy who had previously been in a vehicle that was hit by an IED. And this is like, years before I was working with him. And he had developed kind of late onset... This hip pain. And got some imaging, it's one of the cool things... You talked about direct access. One of the really cool things about the military is the ability to order imaging. And I learned a ton just out of necessity. Like, I had to do Con Ed stuff to learn how to order imaging to be able to do that safely and appropriately. But he had had an X-ray that showed just this gnarly heterotopic ossification. He's got this like claw in his glute. And it was just like a really interesting, totally different case. I'd never seen anything like it. And he's got just this massive bone growth in the muscle. And the management was essentially like, "Just keep going."
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Machan: I think that...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: It's great.
Dr. Tim Machan: There are options like surgically removed, it's mixed in terms of the outcomes for that and a totally different pathology that I never had experience with other than maybe in a textbook or studying for something one off. But to actually see it and help manage it, was a really interesting story.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah, and it sounds like such an awesome use of your skillset. Like what are we? We're problem solvers, we're teachers, and what a cool way to just think about something you never thought you would see and work your way through it. That's super interesting. So now you go back, and so you went to Cincy and then you go straight from Cincy to the Rutgers?
Dr. Tim Machan: To Rutgers.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt:The Rutgers University. And just tell me about your path there.
Dr. Tim Machan: So Cincinnati was great and I absolutely loved to be back there and working with that staff. They're a phenomenal, brilliant group. And I had the opportunity to restart that residency program, which was really important to me. It was something... I think residency for the right people is super valuable, and I wanted to be part of that process, 'cause of how important it was for me. So I really liked the residency. And then I had the opportunity to work with all of the athletes at the University of Cincinnati, so I learned a ton about the spectrum. Fortunately, I had a good background with lacrosse athletes from our time together.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Oh, yeah.
Dr. Tim Machan: I had a good background of football. But all of a sudden, starting to work with some of these other athletes in different pathologies, I just kinda continued to develop, I continued to grow, continued to learn. And I really thought I was gonna be in Cincinnati for a while, and I kinda joked about this. I've stopped making plans.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Machan: And I was kinda... Whatever is gonna be best, will show itself. And so, I was really enjoying my time in Cincinnati.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Don't get all religious on us. Religious on us, Tim. Jesus. Okay?
Dr. Tim Machan: And then, I had a phone call from a friend of mine, and he's like, "Hey. " He had been working at Rutgers. He's like, "Hey, I need to leave, I need to step away from athletics for some family reasons. Do you know anybody who would be a good fit for my job?" [chuckle] And so...
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Ta-da!
Dr. Tim Machan: It just happened, my fiancee was at Rutgers doing fellowship for orthopedic surgery. And we were trying to figure out what our next move was. So this is February of 2021, and she finishes fellowship that summer, we're getting married that summer, and we've gotta figure out what is the next move. And so I was like, "Oh, kind of explain it to me. Let me see if I know who would be a good fit." And then I talked it over with my now wife, Emily. And all of a sudden, it seemed like a good opportunity. She was developing a network out here, she was developing connections, so she was able to find a job out here in the Northeast, in the New York Metro area. I was able to stay in high level college athletics, and most importantly, we were able to live together and bring that part of our life back into union. Yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Beautiful, that is... I hope she's listening.
Dr. Tim Machan: So I am an ordained minister, if you need anybody who needs someone for a wedding.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: And how can we get in touch with you for those needs? So that's really awesome. And so you come on, and what? You're head of PT for the athletic team?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay.
Dr. Tim Machan: For football.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Football.
Dr. Tim Machan: So it was a move from all sports to specifically football. And a change also in that it was very much more of like a staff position. Whereas, in Cincinnati, I wasn't really tied to any one team. Now it was you're in practices, you're traveling, you're doing all of those things again, that I had done as a resident, but hadn't really done since that time.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: I love it. And from what I saw in the Morgan State athletic training room, it's great for you, it's so perfect for you. And now you have a new role there, right?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah. So things have gone well and we've started branching and growing some of the sports science initiatives that we're doing, and collaborating amongst sports medicine and strength and conditioning and nutrition, and we've grown the department. I've been able to take on a role doing a little bit more of that collaboration side of things.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: That's super awesome. And so, it's great to talk to people that are at this level of sports PT and athletics. I think the awesome stuff is, like stuff that I always dreamt about, which was, you're working with unbelievable athletes. Just to see the size and speed and skill of these humans, it still amazes me when I come into contact with it, certainly. So I'm sure that's a positive. You get the thrill of competition, right? I think sometimes that goes away, or it's hard to find that, and I think you become a piece of that squad and that team, and so you can celebrate the victories and feel the losses etcetera and camaraderie. What are the biggest struggles? What's the downside of this?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah. No, you highlighted a lot of the fun things. I would say, one of the struggles that you run into that seems counter-intuitive is time, because it seems like, "Okay, we've got unfettered access to these individuals, we can do whatever it is that we need." But they've also gotta go to practice, they've gotta go to meetings, they've gotta do their tutoring, they've gotta go to their classes. And so what seems like this never-ending day, gets in the way of your time to actually spend with them in the training room.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Machan: So I would say that's one of the challenges that you don't really think about.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah. Do you get time with the athlete? Or do you feel like you're juggling multiple? What's that look like when you're providing care?
Dr. Tim Machan: I would say it's much more juggling multiple, it's much more. And it forces you to be really good at planning ahead of time.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Are you still doing that? You're such a pro. Do you still find yourself spelling that stuff out before you walk in to the athletic field?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay. It's really crazy. It's crazy because we recently were in-house with UMBC, and so I walk in and we're scheduling. You schedule on the 30 when you're in the athletic training room, if you're in private practice, for us, it's 45 minutes. But like you said, they come in when they can come in. I had to plan so hard, and we're talking about 12 years of experience or whatever, and still I'm prepping like a new grad the day before, because if you wanna give good care, you gotta be prepared. You felt like that also?
Dr. Tim Machan: Yeah, yeah, I absolutely still do. And it's interesting, you mentioned the new grad field, I feel like as I've gone farther along, I've become more about the preparation. 'Cause I think, you don't wanna lose the forest for the trees kind of a thing. You're so excited about this one session and this great exercise that I'm gonna do with this person, but where does it fit into what you're trying to accomplish in that week?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah.
Dr. Tim Machan: And where does that week fit in to what you're trying to accomplish in that month? And then what's our big picture timeline? And that's one of the big things that's different in the college setting, is everything is about, "When can I have this guy ready?"
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Sure.
Dr. Tim Machan: Well, there's a lot more of, I don't know if pressure is the right word?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: It is.
Dr. Tim Machan: But there's a lot more of that thought process of, "I need to do this safely, but quickly." Whereas in our patient world, you don't feel that, 'cause you're like, "Well, you know what, we're gonna take our time and we're gonna do what's right by you." But if you think big picture and then work your way back, I think you need to have your plan for at least a week before you can start a session. Because if you just go into it off the cuff... What are you trying to hit for that day? Is your focus the neuroplastic side of things, movement training? Is your focus strength development? Is your focus power development? Is it speed, linear speed, multi-directional speed? All of those different things could be an entire session by themselves, and if you go in and you try and hit a little bit of each, do you really get anything out of them?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: No. Tim, you don't, and this is a conversation that I have with PTs all the time. What you just described is outstanding strength and conditioning principles. And I think a great sports PT has to be an awesome strength and conditioning professional. I don't care if you have the certs. I don't care if you went to school for it. You have to have this...
Dr. Tim Machan: You gotta work with Jesse Miller. He'll teach you.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: You gotta work with Jesse Miller; that's exactly what you gotta do. So just call Jesse Miller. I mean, he'll teach you everything you need to know. But to your point, I don't think you get that in graduate school. I think you gotta make sure that that is your business. And we have to as a profession, stop wasting people's sessions. It matters if they're playing for Rutgers, but when I'm training a high schooler, it is the same thing. They wanna know when they're getting back. Don't waste their session. Don't waste their money. Plan it out. What is the goal of today's session? It cannot be both speed and call it strength. It can't be, 'cause you're gonna sacrifice one for the other. So plan it out, and I think that's what I had to work so hard on when I walked into a very busy college setting. But I think you've really hit that on the head. Okay, I'm gonna wind this down with our first ever lightning round. Ready, Tim?
Dr. Tim Machan: Okay.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Here we go. What is the PT school that produces the absolute best physical therapists?
Dr. Tim Machan: I gotta go with my alma mater, Wash U in St. Louis.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Wash U, okay. Not Rutgers?
Dr. Tim Machan: No. So I have had two really good students from Rutgers.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Not Delaware?
Dr. Tim Machan: I don't think I've had any Delaware students.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Not the University of Maryland?
Dr. Tim Machan: Oh, is that the... [chuckle]
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: What?
Dr. Tim Machan: Maryland. That was you, right?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay. Your favorite Packer.
Dr. Tim Machan: Like current or ever?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Current. And by the way, there's a right answer to this.
Dr. Tim Machan: Well, I mean, I know we initially bonded over Aaron Rodgers when he was dating... What's her name?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Who was it?
Dr. Tim Machan: He's moving through them now, but Olivia Munn.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yes. Great call.
Dr. Tim Machan: From... Yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: I remember that well. How much did you like him on Rogan?
Dr. Tim Machan: So I don't watch Rogan. I don't. Yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay. But that makes you probably the only person. He's awesome on Rogan.
Dr. Tim Machan: I don't know.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: He's really good on Rogan. The correct answer is Adrian Amos is the best Packer and the face of Packer. Okay.
Dr. Tim Machan: Exactly. Is he really a True Sports grad?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: I can't. That's a HIPAA violation. The Rutgers 2022 football record will be?
Dr. Tim Machan: Good. We're excited about this here.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: [chuckle] The best football player to ever play at Rutgers?
Dr. Tim Machan: At Rutgers?
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah, at Rutgers. Who's the best Rutgers football player ever?
Dr. Tim Machan: Baltimore Raven Ray Rice.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay, that is an awesome answer. I actually think it's a tie between Ray Rice.
Dr. Tim Machan: Jeremy.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: And Mike Burton. And then he's a stud. You'll be seeing him on this podcast, but yeah, he's right there. I like that Ray Rice pull. You did awesome on this lightning round.
Dr. Tim Machan: Thank you.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: To kinda wrap this whole thing up, if there's one thing that you wanna share where you could educate on potential sports PTs getting into this elite sports realm, what is that piece of advice?
Dr. Tim Machan: You know, I think luck is where preparation meets opportunity, so do what you need to do to learn, to develop, to make yourself good, to make yourself better, to continue to grow. And when the right opportunity comes, take advantage of it. I think that has worked well for me. I would say I have a fairly nontraditional resume in the sense that I have moved quite a bit, but I've never really felt like I was rushing to or away from anything. It just, it was the right fit for me at the time, and it's worked out well for me.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Yeah, yeah. It's awesome to see where you are and what you're doing, and I just... I really love the ability. I've had a couple of Rutgers athletes come down that I've been able to work with and have just spoke volumes about what you're doing there. Even more so, the PTs that have come in contact with you, see you, when I ask them who their mentors are. You mentioned some heavy hitters in your life, in your professional life, they mentioned you, and that's really been awesome to see. So, I really appreciate your time. It has been awesome to learn about where you got that... Where you got, how you got there. Some of the advice that you would share. If people wanna find you on social media, is that your game?
Dr. Tim Machan: Ooh, boy. Technically, yeah, but I'm more of a follower, less of a doer. I think it's TimSportsDPT on Twitter.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: I love that you don't know that. I love that.
Dr. Tim Machan: And I think timsportspt on Instagram, but yeah.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: But maybe not.
Dr. Tim Machan: But the next time I come on there, I'll look that stuff up and make sure I know what I'm doing.
Dr. Yoni Rosenblatt: Okay. I absolutely love that. We are always looking for feedback. This show is designed for the sports PT. It's designed to make your career better. It's designed to help you move up in your career and also help you guys clinically with the athletes that are right in front of you. I know there are so many pearls in this conversation with Dr. Tim Machan. If you have ideas for future podcasts, if you wanna hear Tim Machan again, shoot us an email, pod@truesportspt.com. We wanna hear from you, what you loved, what you didn't, how we can get better. It would be just awesome to hear from the great sports PTs that are out there. Dr. Tim Machan, thank you so much.
Dr. Tim Machan: Yoni, it's been a pleasure.
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