If you’ve ever been to physical therapy before, you probably have a picture in your head. A busy clinic. Multiple patients at once. A quick check-in with your therapist before being handed off to a bike, heat pack, or exercise sheet—while the clock runs out on your session. Finish Line Physical Therapy is intentionally different. We believe physical therapy should be personal, active, and empowering. You’re not just another appointment on a schedule—you’re an athlete, a runne

In tennis, we love speed. Players spend hours working on acceleration, explosive first steps, and quick recoveries. But there’s a missing piece: deceleration training . Every point requires just as much slowing down as speeding up. If you don’t train the ability to stop, you’re missing one of the biggest keys to performance and injury prevention. On average, players make four directional changes per point  — and more than 15 in long rallies. These aren’t long sprints; they’re

Have you ever used Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation ( R.I.C.E. ) to treat an injury before? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. R.I.C.E. was coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 1978 as a treatment for athletic injuries, as ice provides great pain relief; it has been a standard treatment for athletic injuries and sore muscles ever since. But it turns out this may not have been the best advice after all, as both ice and complete rest have been proven to delay healing, instead of help

A great serve relies on the coordination of your entire body to load, store, and release energy, not just arm strength. As a physical therapist for tennis athletes, I've seen many with shoulder pain from serving. While players often focus on shoulder strength for rehab, a powerful, pain-free serve also requires mobility in the ribcage and thoracic spine, crucial for efficiency and shoulder protection. Why Ribcage & Thoracic Spine Mobility Matter The ribcage and mid-back form

Many older adults begin to experience changes in their bodies — reduced mobility, gradual muscle loss, and the return of old injuries — making everyday activities feel like a marathon. This is where physical therapy can change the game . By restoring mobility, building strength, and optimizing movement patterns, physical therapy empowers older adults to handle daily tasks with confidence and independence. But longevity requires more than just mobility and strength. There are

What’s the Difference (and Why You Should Care) If you've ever hobbled into physical therapy with pain and a lot of questions, you’re not alone. One of the first things we help patients figure out is what exactly is injured  – and trust us, it’s not always the obvious answer. Three of the most common culprits? Sprains, strains, and tendinopathies. These are different types of injuries, even though they may feel similar. Understanding which one you're dealing with helps us (an

If you’ve ever watched Roger Federer glide through a forehand or Novak Djokovic unleash a backhand with perfect balance, you’ve probably noticed how relaxed they look. I see no wild over-swinging — just fluid motion and a ball effortlessly bouncing off the strings. Meanwhile, at the recreational level, each swing can be quite different. Players muscle the ball, swing as hard as they can, and still see it float out or smack the net. The secret to the “effortless” look isn’t ma

When most tennis players think about improving their tennis game, they focus on footwork, racquet speed, string tension, or endurance. While all of these are important, there’s one often-overlooked key to both performance and injury prevention: wrist stability . Your wrist is the physical bridge between your body and the racquet. It not only affects the power and accuracy of your shots but also plays a crucial role in long-term joint health. Why Wrist Stability Matters Wrist

If you’ve ever dreamt of stepping into a freezer and stepping out feeling brand new… well, that’s basically the idea behind cryotherapy . Used by pro athletes, weekend warriors, and anyone trying to bounce back from a tough workout, cryotherapy is the practice of exposing your body to very cold temperatures (we’re talking sub-zero degrees ) for a few minutes to help kickstart recovery. Sounds a little wild? Maybe. But it works. what actually happens in a cryo session? You st

Breathing has become a hot topic for running & the fitness industry over the last year or so. There are a million different opinions on how someone should breathe, if you should focus more on nasal breathing for easy runs or if you should exhale when your foot hits the ground or maybe tape your mouth shut when you sleep. With so many opinions out there, it’s hard to know what to focus on.

When tennis players talk about injuries, the usual suspects pop up: bad technique, overtraining, the courts, or just plain old bad luck. But there’s one factor that many miss... your strings and grip size. Your strings and your grip work together in ways that can seriously affect your arm health. Let’s break it down and we’ll talk about when it’s time to see a physical therapist too.