KIMEcast

What actually makes someone better — experience, repetition, or feedback?

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony and Russ break down the power of feedback loops and why the speed and quality of feedback can dramatically change how we learn, coach, rehabilitate, and perform.

They explore how auditory, visual, and kinesthetic feedback influence movement; why external cues can be more effective than telling someone which muscles or bod...

What does great rehab actually look like—and have we let the pendulum swing too far?

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony sits down with longtime friend and colleague Dr. Jess Elis of Rehab Code for a wide-ranging conversation about clinical decision-making, professional sports, manual therapy, exercise, technology, and the importance of understanding what is actually happening beneath the surface of an injury.

Jess shares lessons...

How do elite athletes actually improve?

Former Major League pitcher Ryan Mattheus, founder of Optimum Athletes, joins Evan Hauger to explore what separates great coaching from great player development.

Drawing from his MLB career and years of developing high school, collegiate, and professional baseball players, Ryan explains why objective assessment, biomechanics, movement capacity, and individualized programming have transformed th...

Why do some clinicians consistently earn trust, build stronger patient relationships, and achieve better outcomes—while others with the same clinical knowledge struggle?

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla, DPT, and Evan Hauger, DPT, explore one of the most overlooked skills in rehabilitation: building patient buy-in.

Clinical expertise matters—but knowledge alone isn't enough. Great clinicians understand how to commu...

What if the goal wasn't simply living longer—but living stronger?

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla sits down with family physician Dr. Sam Robinson to explore what modern longevity medicine actually looks like—and why most people are focusing on the wrong things.

Rather than chasing the latest supplement or health trend, Dr. Robinson explains the three evidence-based pillars that have the greatest impact on your he...

Most rehabilitation programs focus on pain, range of motion, and checking boxes on a protocol. But is that enough to truly return someone to sport, performance, or the life they want to live?

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla and Russ Dunning explore some of the biggest missed opportunities in physical therapy and sports medicine. They discuss why fear and uncertainty are often the first barriers to recovery, how clinicians ca...

Most injuries aren't complicated.

Our thinking about them is.

In Episode 60 of KIMEcast, we break down the framework we use to evaluate injuries, guide rehabilitation, and return athletes safely back to performance. Rather than trying to solve every problem at once, we discuss how identifying the true limiting factor creates clarity and accelerates results.

The conversation explores KIME's Performance Continuum—a step-by-step mo...

What does it actually mean to be “healed” after an injury?

In Episode 59 of KIMEcast, the team breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions in sports medicine: pain-free does not mean ready to perform. From ankle sprains to ACL tears to throwing injuries, this episode explores why athletes continue to get hurt, how compensation patterns develop, and why true return-to-sport testing matters.

The conversation dives deep in...

Season 3 of KIMEcast launches from the brand-new KIME studio with a deep discussion on the future of sports medicine, rehabilitation, coaching, and human performance.

In this episode, Tony and Russ break down how AI is already changing healthcare, physical therapy, fitness, and business operations — and why generic clinicians and coaches are at serious risk of becoming obsolete. They explore the difference between protocol-dr...

In this episode of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla, DPT and Russ Dunning, MPT dive into the ever-popular world of recovery—separating hype from science on cold plunges, saunas, red-light therapy, shockwave treatments, orthotics, and more. They unpack recent research showing how post-workout cold exposure may actually blunt muscle growth and protein absorption, discuss when cold therapy is useful (hint: short-term recovery for competitio...

In Episode 55 of KIMEcast, Russ Dunning, MPT and Evan Hauger, DPT take you inside the real-life process of injury, recovery, and performance evolution. When Evan suffers a back injury playing pickleball, it sparks a powerful and honest discussion about how clinicians navigate their own rehab and what it teaches them.

They break down:

• The healing timeline from acute inflammation to tissue regeneration

• Supplements that actually help...

AI is changing everything—even sports medicine. In this episode, Tony Mikla, DPT and Russ Dunning, MPT dive into how artificial intelligence is influencing the future of physical therapy, performance training, and patient care.

From ChatGPT to custom-built AI agents, patients are showing up more informed (and sometimes misinformed) than ever. So what’s the real role of a PT in an AI-enhanced world? The KIME team breaks i...

Why do some D1 athletes come back slower and weaker after a season? In this episode, Dr. Tony Mikla and Russ Dunning break down the critical trade-offs between human performance metrics (like strength, speed, and power) and sport-specific performance (like IQ, conditioning, and durability).

They discuss:

• The “performance seesaw” between raw athleticism and game readiness

• How youth sports development often sacrifices lo...

In Episode 51 of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla, DPT, and Nikos Contos, DPT, welcome special guest Dr. Brian Gilmer, a leading orthopedic surgeon based in Reno, NV and Mammoth, CA. This insightful conversation dives deep into ACL reconstruction techniques, surgical decision-making, and modern rehabilitation strategies. Dr. Gilmer shares candid thoughts on meniscal root tears, the evolution of ACL repair protocols, and his experience with the...

In this episode of KIMecast, we sit down with Chris Rounds, Associate Director of Performance Enhancement for Arizona Men’s Basketball, to explore his philosophy behind athlete durability, return-to-play protocols, and building elite basketball players from the inside out. Chris shares insights from over two decades in elite collegiate programs—from his early days at Kentucky to leading performance in the Pac-12 and Big...

Tony Mikla and Russ Dunning use a return-to-sprint case to do more than coach movement—they deliver a powerful critique of both the performance industry and the healthcare system that supports (and often limits) it.

In this episode, they cover:

• Real-time coaching breakdowns for athletes returning to sprinting

• Why so much current rehab misses the mark on real-world performance

• What separates a great coach from a technician

• The ...

In this episode, Tony Mikla and Russ Dunning tackle one of the most important challenges in physical therapy and sports performance: the disconnect between academic research and what actually works in the clinic.

They break down:

• Why research can feel outdated or irrelevant by the time it reaches clinical practice

• The challenges of applying rigid protocols to highly variable human bodies

• How real-world testing, athlete feedback, an...

In Episode 47 of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla and Russ Duncan dive deep into the art and science of movement—exploring how understanding shapes and identifying limiting factors is the key to unlocking athletic performance, preventing injuries, and creating bulletproof programming.

From sprint mechanics and ballistic movement to orthopedic interventions and joint health, they break down:

• Why owning the shape is the foundation of per...

In this solo episode of KIMEcast, Tony Mikla sits down for a freestyle Q&A—answering the most important questions aspiring and early-career physical therapists should be asking.

From what separates standout new grads, to what clinical excellence actually looks like in practice, Tony shares the mindset, habits, and strategies that define success at the highest level of sports physical therapy.

He covers:

• Why curiosity and...