This is a very difficult question to answer. It depends on the severity of the injury / pain, if its preventing you from working, and how well you can manage your initial symptoms independently. On one hand, Lionel Messi and other professional athletes are going to start treatment day 1 after injury, and recovery will be quicker for it. On the other hand, the body has a pretty high capacity to heal itself, and sometimes if you give it a couple weeks of active rest, things will settle down.  If you have very high pain, or significant movement limitations, schedule right away. If you have a deadline like a tournament, meet, or vacation, schedule right away. If your pain is mild to moderate without significant movement limitations, give it 2-3 weeks of active rest and see how things feel.

In many cases, it's worse for both the patient and therapist. Too often, insurance necessitates sessions which are too short and have limited one-on-one time with a licensed provider, so the quality of care is reduced.  Patients are often scheduled with multiple therapists who have little time to communicate, which stalls progress towards the patient's goals. Insurance-based therapists often have to see 12-20 patients a day, with added documentation time, and endless hours fighting insurance companies to both approve treatments and obtain reimbursement.  Not every treatment at an insurance-based clinic will be negative; we've all worked at them and made a positive impact in some of our patients' lives.  However, without the constraints of insurance, we can consistently provide a much higher quality service with longer sessions, one-on-one with the same therapist, and spend the time we would spend fighting insurance companies, instead writing more comprehensive treatment programs, and directly interacting with our patients during and outside of appointment times. 

Starting in October 2026, we are open Tu/Th/F at the Ballcrank building in Weaverville. We are open M/W limited hours at Underground Fitness in Asheville. Current hours are variable - but check our availability here.

You should wear loose comfortable clothing that you can move in easily. Clothing that provides easy access to your injured body part is preferred (don't wear tight pants that don't roll up for a knee evaluation).

The initial evaluation for each case will vary somewhat, but this is typically what you can expect:

• A conversation with your about your injury history / training history, prior treatments, and your goals with physical therapy or performance training

• A combination of assessments including isolated strength and flexibility testing, orthopedic special tests designed to reach a diagnosis, and full body movement screens

• Performance assessments may include tests for agility, power, speed, and aerobic capacity.

• Sport specific movement screens when applicable (kicking or hitting a ball, running analysis, etc.)

• A discussion of findings from the assessment, and a clear plan to reach the goals we set together

• Some form of treatment which may include hands-on treatment (manual therapy, dry needling, etc.) or exercise based treatment

• Instructions for what you should do before your next session

Ian is a board certified specialist in sports physical therapy. This means we specialize to some extent in all orthopedic sports related injuries. Our biggest areas of expertise are:

• Soccer related injuries and performance training.  Professionally, Ian worked with the Seattle Sounders USL team S2, and their academy U15, U17, U19 teams, was the physio for a professional indoor soccer team in Denver.

• Gymnastics / acrobatic injuries and conditioning: Ian spent 3 years working with a competitive youth gymnastics team, and has put time and continuing education into understanding the unique demands and movements of this unique sport.

• Racket sports: Ian has experience working with dozens of college and recreational tennis and pickleball players, and taken continuing education on racket specific rehab.

• Adolescent athletes and associated injuries (growth plate injuries, avulsion fractures, tendinopathies).

• Chronic pain:  Ian has close friends and family with chronic pain and illnesses, has pursued continuing education in chronic pain management, and understands the day-to-day better than most therapists.

• Hypermobility disorders: Ian worked at a clinic that was a major referral source for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Between hEDS, hypermobile gymnasts, and again, lots of con-ed, we have developed a lot of experience with this unique population.

• We have also worked with hundreds of recreational and collegiate athletes in volleyball, running, powerlifting, weightlifting, basketball, wrestling, baseball, football, ultimate frisbee, table tennis, rowing, and hundreds of kids and adults just trying to stay active throughout their life.

We offer a variety of services which include:

• Movement based interventions: corrective exercises, strength and flexiblity exercises, neurodynamics

• Manual therapy: joint mobilization / manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, cupping

• Dry needling

• Sport specific movement re-training

• Running analysis and corrections

• Chronic pain management

• Hypermobility management

• Telehealth physical therapy

We use Jane App for online scheduling and billing. You can schedule directly here.

Sadly no, at this time they are in my back yard - but hopefully some day.