Most sports injuries don't come out of nowhere. A movement assessment can show you where yours is coming from.
This page is for athletes who haven't been hurt yet — and want to keep it that way. Dr. James Chen, a Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist, applies the same biomechanics expertise that returns athletes to full performance after ACL and rotator cuff injuries to identifying the movement patterns that cause those injuries in the first place. A free 30-minute movement screen is where it starts.
Most Sports Injuries Are Predictable — and Preventable With the Right Assessment
Most athletes only walk into a PT clinic after something goes wrong. A torn ACL, a shoulder that won't stop aching, a hamstring that keeps getting re-strained. The injury gets treated, they return to sport, and the cycle repeats. What rarely gets addressed is why the injury happened in the first place.
Faulty movement patterns, muscle imbalances, and poor load distribution don't announce themselves. They accumulate quietly until a tissue fails. By then, you're looking at weeks or months of rehab, time away from your sport, and a body that's been structurally compensating long enough to create new problems.
If you've already been hurt and are looking for treatment, the sports injury treatment page is the right place to start. This program is different. It's for athletes who are currently healthy and want a clear picture of where their movement is putting them at risk — before that risk becomes an injury.
What a Biomechanics-Based Injury Prevention Assessment Includes
The assessment isn't a generic fitness screen. It's a structured movement evaluation designed to identify the specific patterns that lead to common sports injuries — ACL tears, rotator cuff strains, IT band syndrome, plantar fasciitis, piriformis syndrome, and more. Dr. Chen reviews your training history, sport demands, and any previous injuries before a single movement is assessed.
Who This Program Is Designed For
This program works for any athlete who trains consistently and wants to stay that way. Runners logging high weekly mileage. Recreational athletes who play competitive sports on weekends. Strength athletes pushing load. Cyclists, swimmers, CrossFit athletes, youth athletes preparing for a season. The common thread isn't sport or skill level — it's the goal of staying healthy enough to keep doing what you're doing.
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You don't need a prior injury to benefit
In fact, the program is most effective when there's no injury to work around. A history of previous injuries does make the assessment more targeted — prior injuries leave movement compensations that often persist long after the tissue heals — but the program is just as valuable for athletes who have been fortunate enough to stay healthy and want to keep it that way.
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Consent and explanation
You will know which muscles we’re targeting, why, and what sensation to expect. You can stop at any point, for any reason. Patients new to needles often appreciate doing one site first and then deciding.
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Needling, twitch, and release
The needle insertion itself is typically not felt — the diameter is closer to a hair than a hypodermic. What patients feel is the twitch response: a brief, involuntary contraction in the muscle that signals the trigger point releasing. It is uncomfortable for a second or two and then gives way to a noticeable easing of tension.
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Integrated treatment
Needling is paired with manual therapy and corrective movement in the same hour. The needle releases the tissue; the rest of the session retrains it. Without that pairing, the relief is shorter-lived.
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What you may feel afterward
Most patients feel lighter and more mobile immediately. A subset feels mild post-session soreness for 24–48 hours — similar to the soreness after a hard workout. Hydration and gentle movement resolve it. We’ll tell you what to expect for your specific case before you leave.
How Prevention Training Differs From Rehab
Rehab starts with a diagnosis. There's a specific tissue involved, a specific deficit to address, and a return-to-sport timeline driving the plan. Prevention training starts earlier — before there's a tissue to protect. The questions are different. Instead of 'how do we restore what was lost,' the question is 'where is this athlete's movement creating risk, and what does it take to correct it.'
It's also not personal training
- Chronic muscle tightness or pain that has not responded to stretching, massage, or standard PT
- Trigger points causing referred pain — headaches, sciatica-like patterns, shoulder pain
- Athletes with recurrent soft-tissue dysfunction
- Patients prepared for a brief, manageable sensation in exchange for deeper release than other modalities reach
Wait or use a different approach Caution
- Active infection or open wound at the treatment site
- Blood-thinning medications — we’ll review case-by-case
- Pregnancy in certain regions — pelvic and low-back needling is restricted; other regions may still be appropriate
- Genuine needle phobia we cannot work through — cupping, IASTM, or manual work may be a better fit
Gym-based injury prevention programs tend to focus on general strength and conditioning. That has value. But it doesn't include a clinical movement assessment, and it doesn't account for sport-specific load patterns or the structural factors that make one athlete's hip more vulnerable than another's. Dr. Chen's Sports Clinical Specialist certification means this program is grounded in the same evidence base that informs post-surgical sports rehab — applied proactively.
The Physica Medica Approach: Evidence-Based, Movement-First
Every session at Physica Medica is one-on-one with Dr. Chen. No aides, no techs, no shared treatment space. That's not a premium feature — it's the reason the assessments are accurate and the corrective training actually works. You can't identify subtle movement dysfunction in a group setting or across a caseload of 10 patients seen in the same hour.
- Fells Point
- Canton
- Harbor East
- Butchers Hill
- Little Italy
- Federal Hill
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- Inner Harbor
Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Injury Prevention at Physica Medica
If your question isn't here, call us at 443-228-8029 or book the free movement screen and ask in person.
Will insurance pay for dry needling?
How is sports injury prevention different from physical therapy or personal training? It borrows from both but isn't either. The clinical movement assessment is PT-level work — a Doctor of Physical Therapy evaluating how your body moves and where it's vulnerable. The corrective training that follows is structured and progressive, like good personal training. But the framing is specifically about reducing injury risk, not treating an existing injury or building general fitness.
Who should not do dry needling?
Do I need to have had an injury before to benefit from this program? No. Athletes with prior injuries often have persistent movement compensations worth addressing, but the program is equally useful for athletes who are currently healthy. The goal is to find risk before it becomes injury — so no prior injury history is actually the ideal starting point.
How much does dry needling typically cost?
What sports or activity levels is this program appropriate for? Any sport, any level. The assessment adapts to your specific demands — a marathon runner and a recreational soccer player have different risk profiles, and the program reflects that. Youth athletes, competitive amateurs, and serious recreational athletes are all appropriate candidates. If you're training consistently and want to stay healthy, this is built for you.
Does dry needling hurt?
Honest answer: the needle going in is typically not felt. What patients feel is the twitch response — a brief, involuntary muscle contraction when the needle finds the trigger point. It is uncomfortable for a second or two and then releases. Most patients describe it as a deep ache that gives way to clear relief. We will check in with you before, during, and after.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on the case. Simple, recent trigger points often resolve in 2–4 sessions. Chronic patterns layered over years can take 6–10. We will give you a projected range after the evaluation — not an open-ended commitment, and not a packaged-up bundle you have to buy in advance.
Is dry needling safe, and is the therapist certified in Maryland?
Yes. Dry needling is within the scope of physical therapy practice in Maryland for properly trained practitioners. Dr. Maks holds Level 2 certification — the advanced credential that goes beyond standard Level 1 training. Single-use sterile filament needles, disposed of immediately after the session.