Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Training and Physical Therapy

There are two options:

1."STANDOUTS Private Group Training" runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Use our self schedule calendar and pay in advance to reserve your spot. We work with all types of athletes beginning from age 8 and up.

2. "Custom Team Training" allows you to work with our professional coaches to design the length of your training program and choose a custom schedule that fits your team's training needs.

You can also always give us a call at 703-329-0181 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm for assistance.

In order to provide the level of care that our clients seek us out for, we are an out-of-network provider with ALL health insurance companies. We accept cash, all major credit cards, and even Venmo, but we do NOT bill insurances.

Will will provide a superbill for clients at the end of their treatment, if requested. It is up to the client to speak with their insurance company to understand their coverage, if any. We know that is disappointing for some, but when you train with us you'll understand what sets us apart and why we are #nextgenPT. We look forward to working with you!

We can help you answer this question with our FREE 15-minute discovery call. We know that everyone's case is unique and we want to make sure you get the correct care even if that means referring you to another professional. Some conditions that may improve with physical therapy are: sports-related or other acute injuries, post-operative pain, joint pain, chronic pain, pain from aging (yes, really), and musculoskeletal disorder pain.

We are always happy to answer your questions by phone at 703-329-0181.

What we normally refer to as "Personal Training" sessions at SPARK are for 1-on-1 appointments with a trainer. That means just YOU and the trainer for 30 minutes or an hour. Click here to learn more about Personal Training at SPARK.

We also offer Buddy Sessions or Small Squad Sessions if you'd like to bring a spouse, family member, or friend, or small group (up to 6 people). Click here to learn more about Buddy & Small Squad Training.

All of our training sessions are taught by professionals with degrees and credentials. We NEVER have students coaching our classes. We focus on injury prevention as well as increasing strength and ability. We measure increase in ability like the pros. There's never any guessing about how much better your child has gotten. Click here to view our group training options.

The sports training program we use is called the F.A.S.T. Program, and it was developed by Dr. Carlos Berio (the owner of SPARK). Dr. Carlos' degrees, credentials and experience give him an edge in understanding the human body. In addition, he has played in and coached adult baseball leagues such as: NABA, MSBL, and Independent League. Dr. Carlos is sought out by university athletes and has worked with many kids who went on to play university sports over the years. SPARK has a university flag for every person they've worked with who went on to play for a university team. Check them out in our facility!

Both. And more.

We inhabit an area of health & wellness that is different from what most people have come to expect from physical therapy.

The easiest way to explain our services is by explaining our "Pain Performance Continuum". We take on injured clients on the physical therapy side of our business and get them back to a level of functioning that will allow them to join the performance side of our business to keep getting better and better!

We also work with non-injured clients of all ages on the performance side to help keep them from getting injured in the first place. On top of that, we offer our STANDOUTS Private Group Training and Custom Team Training. We aim to get, or keep, people moving at any age to to allow them to work on their health and reduce the possibility of injury.

You can call us at 703-329-0181, or use the CONTACT US form. If you use the form, please ask your question there and don't leave out any details. This will help get your question fully answered as soon as possible.

-Thank you from The SPARK Team.

Sports physical therapy isn't generic PT with a jersey on. A true sports physical therapist understands the demands of your specific sport — baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, golf, swimming, running, or BJJ — and builds your rehab around getting you back to that sport at full capacity, not just pain-free enough to get by.

At SPARK, we specialize in ground-reaction-force and rotational-power sports. We call it the Thrower's Coil: power starts in your feet, travels through your hips and spine, and ends in a throw, a swing, a cut, or a sprint. When one link in that chain breaks down, the shoulder, elbow, hip, or knee usually takes the blame. We call this Regional Interdependence — the shoulder is the victim, not the criminal. That's why every sports PT evaluation at SPARK includes a full-body movement screen (SFMA) and a check for GIRD (Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit), the most commonly missed finding in overhead athletes.

Because it's the only way we know how to give you real one-on-one time with a Doctor of Physical Therapy every single session. In a typical insurance-based clinic, the incentive is visit volume, not outcomes — clinics often triple-book patients and hand off big chunks of your session to aides. To get sixty real minutes with an actual doctor, you might need five or six visits over two to three weeks.

Because SPARK doesn't bill insurance for volume, every session is one-on-one, full-length, and delivered directly by a Doctor of Physical Therapy — not shared, not delegated, not rushed. When you calculate cost per minute of actual doctoral-level care, and the number of weeks it takes to really get better instead of just managed, cash-pay physical therapy is frequently the more efficient investment — in both time and money.

No PT Mill shortcuts. Here's what actually happens: a full history covering your sport, training history, and pain timeline; a whole-body movement screen, not just an exam of the painful joint; a direct, honest diagnosis in plain language from the Doctor of Physical Therapy who will actually treat you; and a specific plan of care with realistic timelines, so you know exactly what you're investing in. Every session after that is a full hour, one-on-one — the standard we hold at every visit, not just the first one.

Not sure if PT is even the right move yet? Start with the $59 PT Consultation — 30 minutes, one-on-one with Dr. Carlos, fully credited back if you move forward with care.

Most personal wellness options in Northern Virginia split you between two disconnected worlds: a physical therapy clinic that discharges you the moment pain subsides, or a personal training gym that has no idea how to modify a program around a healing injury or surgical history. SPARK closes that gap. It's what we call 1+1=3: licensed clinical physical therapy plus real, periodized strength and conditioning coaching under one roof, producing a level of resilience and long-term safety that neither service produces alone.

We build every plan around Movement Economics — think of your body like a bank account, where strength, flexibility, and coordination are deposits, and games, practices, and hard training sessions are withdrawals. Most injuries come from a chronically overdrawn account, not one bad rep. We also test against the Centenarian Decathlon: what does your body need to be capable of at 80 or 90, and how does your current capacity measure up today?

If you've been managed instead of fixed, it's worth a conversation. That includes: youth and competitive athletes (ages 10–18) in baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, and basketball who need sport-specific injury prevention or return-to-play rehab; adult motivated movers, ages 18–99 — runners, triathletes, golfers, BJJ practitioners, and active professionals tired of being told to "rest and see how it feels"; post-surgical patients who want more than a standard six-week discharge; and Special Olympics Virginia athletes, who get the same real, periodized strength and conditioning coaching as everyone else at SPARK — no modified sympathy programming.

We'll tell you honestly in your first consultation if out-of-network sports PT isn't the right fit for your situation.

Yes. SPARK Fieldhouse is located at 5712 General Washington Dr, Unit H, Alexandria, VA 22312, and we work with athletes and motivated movers throughout Alexandria, Old Town Alexandria, Arlington, McLean, Springfield, and the greater Northern Virginia and DC metro area — including athletes from McLean, Langley, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, and The Potomac School.