Dr. Rob Rowland: From Army Special Ops to Elite D1 Athletics - Bridging Rehab, Performance, and Education

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rob Rowland, a dual clinician-educator who blends his experience in Army Special Operations, Division I athletics, and academia to deliver one of the most practical and insightful conversations on modern sports rehab.

Dr. Rowland earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware, the top-ranked orthopedic program in the world. After years in private practice, he transitioned to Army Special Operations, where he built elite-level rehab systems for tactical athletes. Today, he teaches at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and serves as the team PT for the University of Maryland Terps and UMBC Retrievers working daily with high-performance athletes.

This episode is a deep dive into how to think, plan, and coach like an elite sports PT. Rob shares how he manages massive caseloads without compromising care, how he uses force plates, BFR, and electrical stimulation to drive outcomes, and why soft skills, not just science, separate good PTs from great ones.

In this episode, we cover how to plan and communicate effectively in a high-performance rehab setting, using force plates for objective assessment and when they actually matter, practical applications for BFR, stim, and isometrics in knee rehab, why the quadriceps should be your primary target in most knee injuries, coaching, cueing, and motivating athletes through the “grind” of recovery, what today’s PT education gets wrong and how to bridge the gap between classroom and clinic and why “soft skills” like communication, adaptability, and empathy drive long-term success.

Dr. Rowland’s clinical insight and teaching approach provide a masterclass for anyone serious about bridging rehab and performance. Whether you’re a student, new grad, or seasoned sports PT, this episode will help you refine your process, improve your athlete communication, and rethink how you deliver value in every session.

Watch now to learn how Dr. Rob Rowland is reshaping the way physical therapists approach performance rehab, from the clinic to the classroom.

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