Javier Garcia, MS, LAT, ATC
Sports Medicine Specialist | Sports Medicine
1980 S. Ocean Drive Hallandale Beach Florida, 33009About
Javier Garcia is a sports medicine clinician and sports performance coach practicing in South Florida. Javier Garcia specializes in atheltic therapy and rehabilitation to help patients reduce pain, increase range of motion, restore mobility, and return to sport or life better prepared from injury. Javier's work is focused in athletic development. He helps patients enhance their overall atheltic ability by training speed, agility, strength, and power. His advanced exercise programing takes into account an athletes muscle imbalances and injury history to allow for improvements toward optimal movement and overall function. As a certified athletic trainer, Javier Garcia can treat multiple acute and chronic conditions with the use of therapeutic exercises, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, joint mobilization, heat, ice, manual therapy, laser or light therapy, dry needling, and more. Javier Garcia will create a treatment plan and strength and conditioning program based on the patients specific injury, condition, and baseline measures to target a specific body part or body system.
Javier Garcia, MS, LAT, ATC's Videos
Education and Training
Montclair State University BS - Clinical Exercise Science 2020
Montclair State University MS - Athletic Training 2022
Florida Int. University Doctorate of Athletic Training 2024
Provider Details
Javier Garcia, MS, LAT, ATC's Expert Contributions
Is it better to rest or exercise a frozen shoulder?
Proper exercise selection or prescription will always answer this question best. A quality treatment plan and a rehab program that follows progressive overload and takes pain tolerance into account will be most beneficial. READ MORE
Can massage fix hip pain?
A massage alone will not fix hip pain in most patients. Hip pain can be rather complex and multi-factorial. It depends on where you feel pain, when, and how much pain you have. Patients can sometimes present with hip pain secondary to other diagnoses, and imaging may be warranted. A full musculoskeletal assessment may uncover some issues contributing to the pain due to imbalances. Massage paired with proper corrective exercises and other treatment modalities, such as dry needling, is a possible treatment option, but this is case specific. Two people with similar pain may respond differently to the same treatment. READ MORE
Should I see a doctor for shoulder joint pain?
I would schedule an appointment with an ATC like myself, a physical therapist, or a chiropractor. An initial evaluation from a clinician should include some baseline measures of range of motion and strength to devise a treatment plan for you that incorporates a sequence of soft tissue treatments, corrective exercises, and rehabilitation. This evaluation may also determine whether or not you should be referred to a physician for imaging or further consultation. READ MORE
Can physical therapy help sports injury?
Physical therapy will most definitely improve your pain, range of motion, strength, and outcomes post-injury. It is highly dependent, of course, on the experience and knowledge of the clinician you decide to work with and the treatment options they administer to treat your injury READ MORE
Can you fix muscle tightness?
Muscle tightness is something that can be worked on almost daily by the patient with good recommendations from a trusted clinician. Soft tissue tightness can result from a lack of movement in certain planes of motion or overusing certain muscle groups. Tightness can affect posture and performance and cause pain in the long run. There are specific ranges that every joint should move within to decrease the possibility of pain and injury. I treat tightness in all my patients with instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, manual therapy, laser therapy, dry needling, and mobility exercise prescription. This is something that can be measured and tracked over time to see progress. READ MORE
What should I do to ease my pain from a hyper extended knee?
I would focus on reducing any swelling, if there still is any, using some muscle stimulator device like a Compex or Marc Pro. Once the swelling is down, the focus must be on training muscle endurance and strength for the musculature surrounding the injury, such as the hamstring, calf, and quad. Isometrics and proprioception training are highly beneficial. Avoid full extension of the knee during rehab exercises until the pain subsides, and treat pain with modalities such as dry needling, soft tissue massage, and red light/laser light therapy. Hope this helps! READ MORE
Areas of expertise and specialization
Faculty Titles & Positions
- Adjunct Professor Montclair State University 2018 - 2020
- Athletic Trainer Florida International University 2022 - Present
- Sports Performance Coach Athletix Rehab & Recovery 2023 - Present
Awards
- New York Jets Ethnic Minority Athletic Training Scholarship 2022 NFL & PFATS Foundation
Professional Memberships
- National Athletic Trainers Association
- National Academy of Sports Medicine
- American College of Sports Medicine
- National Strength & Conditioning Association
Treatments
- Dry needling, Active Release Technique, Soft Tissue Mobilization, Joint Mobilization
Internships
- 2022 Athletic Training Intern - New York Jets (NFL)
What do you attribute your success to?
- My education, my passion, my hard work, God. My natural ability to leave an impact in every room I have stepped in. Reaching out and personally contacting those who would eventually became my mentors. The support of my family and friends and the patients/athletes who trust me with their bodies on a daily basis. The fact that I didnt have access to what I know provide as a kid pushes me to be a difference maker for someone else!
Teaching and speaking
- Exercise Science Adjunct Professor 2018-2020Athletic Training Preceptor 2023
Favorite Place to Vacation
- Anywhere in the Caribbean
Hobbies / Sports
- Basketball, Creative Writing
Favorite professional publications
- British Journal of Sports MedicineJournal of Athletic Training
Javier Garcia, MS, LAT, ATC's Practice location
Miami, FL 33174Get Direction
Javier Garcia, MS, LAT, ATC's reviews
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Get to know Athletic Trainer and Performance Coach Dr. Javier Garcia, who serves athletes in Florida.
An exceptional sports medicine clinician and performance coach, Dr. Garcia specializes in corrective exercise, rehabilitation, dry needling, and assisting athletes in transitioning from injury to sports performance training. He serves as a Doctoral Athletic Trainer and as a Clinical Preceptor at Florida International University (FIU).
He joined FIU in 2022 to pursue a Doctorate in Athletic Training, meanwhile working as the athletic trainer for both the track & field and indoor volleyball programs during the 2022-2023 season. He also works as a Sports Performance Coach at Athletix Rehab & Recovery in Davie, FL where he assists in training collegiate, youth, NFL and NBA athletes during their offseason. Javier a once intern with the organization continues to work with the New York Jets during certain regular season games.
Focusing on athletic development, Dr. Garcia helps athletes enhance their overall athletic ability by training speed, agility, strength, and power. His advanced exercise programing takes into account an athlete’s muscle imbalances and injury history to allow for improvements toward optimal movement and overall function.
As a certified athletic trainer, Dr. Garcia can treat multiple acute and chronic conditions with the use of therapeutic exercises, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, joint mobilization, heat, ice, manual therapy, laser or light therapy, dry needling, and more. He will create a treatment/rehab plan and strength and conditioning program based on the individual’s specific injury, condition, and baseline measures to target a specific body part or body system.
A native of North Bergen, New Jersey, Dr. Garcia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science, and a Master of Science degree in Athletic Training, both from Montclair State University (MSU). He served as a graduate teaching assistant for a cardiac rehabilitation course at MSU while completing his educational track and was also selected to represent the student body and speak at the 2022 convocation ceremony for the College of Education and Human Services.
During his time as a graduate assistant at MSU, Dr. Garcia presented his Capstone Research project, “Effects of Concurrent Neuromuscular-Electrical-Stimulation Cueing on Postural Stability During a Non-dominant Single Leg Balance Protocol In Healthy Individuals”, at the 2022 MARC ACSM annual meeting.
Prior to arriving at FIU, Dr. Garcia completed a series of medical and sports performance internships, one of them with the NFL’s New York Jets, held positions as both a trainer and coach, and served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Exercise Science at his alma mater, MSU.
Continuously advancing his efforts, he is an active member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.
Athletic training is housed within the sports medicine discipline and is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries due to athletic activity. Sports medicine clinicians are health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and quality of life for patients both of the physically active and sedentary population. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities. Atheltic trainers are trained to recognize and refer out issues to physicians associated with orthopedic injuries, nutrition, and sports psychology. They mostly consult with athletes on injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, and are trained to respond to health emergencies on and off the field.
Dr. Garcia attributes his success to his education, his passion, hard work, God, and his natural ability to leave an impact in every room he has stepped in. He has made strides in his career because of his knack to build relationships with his patients and mentors. He credits his triumphs to the support his family and friends provide him unconditionally as well as the patients/athletes who trust him with their bodies on a daily basis. The fact that, as a kid, he didn’t have access to what he now provides is actually what pushes him to be a difference maker for someone else! Alrhough he will continue in his current roles he aspires to continue to impact athlete’s lives on a professional basketball organization.
Outside of work, Dr. Garcia enjoys playing basketball, training in the gym and on the beach, and writing spoken word. His favorite place to vacation is anywhere in the Caribbean, and his favorite professional publications are the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the Journal of Athletic Training.
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