About Thera Performance Lab
We exist for the person who wastold to slow down and refused.
Tim Washburn · Founder & Owner
Why Thera Performance Lab exists.
As the founder of Thera Performance Lab, I combine decades of high-level athletic experience, coaching expertise, entrepreneurial drive, and a personal battle with sports-related injuries and chronic pain to deliver transformative sports physical therapy to Lake Orion and the surrounding Metro Detroit communities.
A lifelong athlete, I started playing, coaching and refereeing hockey as a child. While coaching hockey I began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, earning my blackbelt after more than 20 years of dedicated grappling. I have coached high-level hockey players and jiu jitsu practitioners for decades, helping them master their bodies and optimize performance. Today, I continue mentoring elite jiu jitsu athletes, drawing on hands-on knowledge of biomechanics, movement patterns, and the physical demands of combat sports.
With degrees in psychology and business management and a law degree from Wayne State University, I built a successful career as an attorney while pursuing entrepreneurial ventures in real estate, supplements, and medical offices. Married with four children and based in Davison, Michigan, I've always lived a family-oriented, active life centered on sports, dedication, and training.
My active lifestyle has come with a cost: a long history of sports injuries and chronic pain. I tried everything traditional medicine offered including; physical therapy, massage, medications, injections, and surgeries. But relief was temporary, incomplete, or came with setbacks that sidelined me from training and competition for extended periods of time. Consistently being told to 'do less' or 'stop' only fueled my drive to find better solutions for myself and fellow athletes.
My breakthrough came through finding cash-pay healthcare providers, folks who prioritized my care, not insurance billing. I found a consistent 'thrive, not survive' mindset in those individuals. Exposing myself to healthcare providers with a similar view changed my life forever. They didn't want me to stop doing what I loved, they wanted to help me get back to it as soon as possible.
Inspired by my own recovery, I founded Thera Performance Lab to bring this powerful blend of a performance-based mindset and skilled sports physical therapy to athletes, weekend warriors, and anyone pushing their bodies to the limit or simply looking for more. At Thera we have taken the proper mindset and combined it with high-level training and expertise to produce results. I'm honored to serve our community of athletes and active individuals, and excited to help you reclaim your edge and quality of life. Let us share with you the mindset and techniques that allow me to grapple at a high-level in my 50's.
Background
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Ice Hockey
- Athletic Performance Coaching
- Sports Recovery Strategy
- Entrepreneurial Leadership
Clinical Director
Dr. Mani
DPT · CSCS · TPI Medical Level 3 · Integrative Dry Needling Level 1
Dr. Mani earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Grand Valley State University. He subsequently completed a Master of Science in Exercise Science at Oakland University, where his research titled “The Impact of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis on Individuals’ Quality of Life” was published. This early scholarly work reflects his strong commitment to evidence-based practice and improving patient outcomes.
He went on to earn his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Western Michigan University. During his doctoral training, Dr. Mani served as an instructor for undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology courses at both Oakland University and Western Michigan University. Through these teaching roles, he further developed his expertise in human movement science, biomechanics, and clinical education.
Dr. Mani holds advanced certifications that enhance his clinical skillset, including Certified Integrative Dry Needling Level 1, Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Medical Level 3, and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). His TPI Medical Level 3 certification equips him with advanced skills in assessing and treating golf-related injuries, improving rotational mobility, and optimizing swing biomechanics for performance and injury prevention.
Dr. Mani’s dedication to physical therapy is rooted in personal experience. After his grandmother suffered a stroke, he played an integral role in her rehabilitation journey. Assisting her in taking her first steps during recovery remains one of his most meaningful professional milestones and continues to inspire his compassionate, patient-centered approach to care.
In clinical practice, Dr. Mani integrates evidence-based techniques with a strong foundation in movement science. He specializes in teaching high-quality movement patterns and translating them into improvements in mobility, stability, strength, power, and endurance. By utilizing a variety of assessment tools and performance-based strategies, he helps individuals of all activity levels achieve their goals.
Dr. Mani is committed to delivering individualized, evidence-based treatment focused on restoring function, optimizing performance, and enhancing overall quality of life.
Specialties
- Kinetic Chain Assessment
- Integrative Dry Needling
- TPI Golf Performance
- Strength & Conditioning
- Biomechanics & Movement Science
- Sports Physical Therapy
Why you cannot get this anywhere else
One method.One clinician. One technology.
Most physical therapy clinics operate within an insurance-based model that limits what they can do and how long they can spend with you. A standard PT visit is 45 minutes with an aide doing most of the work and a therapist checking in. The protocol is determined by your diagnosis code. Not your body.
Thera Performance Lab operates completely outside that model. Every session is one-on-one with Dr. Mani. A Doctor of Physical Therapy with advanced certifications in dry needling, soft tissue mobilization, and TPI golf performance. We are not constrained by insurance protocols or session limits. We build your treatment around what your body actually needs.
The RX2600 robotic precision therapy system is available at only a handful of clinics in the country. We are the only provider in the region using it as part of a complete kinetic chain treatment protocol. That combination of clinical expertise and technology does not exist anywhere else within driving distance.
1:1
Every session with Dr. Mani
No aides, no handoffs.
0
Insurance constraints
Cash-pay model means we treat your body, not a code.
1
RX2600 in the region
The only provider within driving distance.
Want to hear how we think about pain, recovery, and the kinetic chain in our own words? Listen to TPLCast — the Thera Performance Lab podcast.
Because You're Not Done Yet.
Stop managing pain. Start hunting the cause.
$99 · No Referral Needed