Michael J. Zarro, PT, DPT

• 2009, B.S., Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park
• 2012, D.P.T., University of Maryland, Baltimore

Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Emergency Medical Responder

APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor

Certified in Dry Needling

Dr. Michael Zarro is an Assistant Professor of physical therapy and board-certified Sports Clinical Specialist with over a decade of experience in elite athletics and physical therapy education. His career reflects a combination of high-level clinical practice, academic excellence, and a sustained commitment to advancing the profession of sports physical therapy.

Dr. Zarro earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he now serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, with a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopedics. In the classroom, he teaches across the foundational and clinical curriculum — including human anatomy, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation — with a particular emphasis on sports rehabilitation and exercise prescription. He has contributed to nearly every year of the DPT program's curriculum and has mentored and supervised dozens of graduate students through clinical experiences and research projects.

Dr. Zarro's clinical expertise centers on the rehabilitation of collegiate athletes. He currently serves as Team Physical Therapist for both the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County— providing comprehensive musculoskeletal care, injury prevention programming, and return-to-sport rehabilitation for Division I athletes across multiple sports. He previously held the same role for the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds, where he developed and led the sports physical therapy program for the athletic department.

His advanced training is extensive and reflects a commitment to staying at the forefront of sports medicine and rehabilitation. Dr. Zarro holds certifications in dry needling, blood flow restriction training, dynamic neuromuscular stabilization, and spinal manipulation, and completed an International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sports Physical Therapy. He has trained under internationally recognized experts in tendinopathy, running rehabilitation, throwing athlete management, and post-concussion care — continually integrating the latest evidence into his clinical practice.

Dr. Zarro is a contributor to the academic literature, with peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Sports Health, and Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. His research spans ACL reconstruction outcomes and return-to-sport testing, roles of physical therapists in collegiate athletics, bone stress injuries, and tendinopathy management. He has presented his work at local and national conferences including the APTA Combined Sections Meeting and APTA of MD Annual Conference.

Beyond his clinical and academic roles, Dr. Zarro is an active leader in the sports physical therapy profession. He currently serves as Chair of the Professional and Collegiate Sports Special Interest Group within the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy and has previously served as Vice Chair and Education Chair of the same group. He is a longtime Maryland State Legislative Representative for the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy and has served in governance roles with the APTA of Maryland. He reviews book chapters and manuscripts for a variety of publishing groups and medical journals.

Dr. Zarro also gives back to the broader athletic and wellness community through volunteer work, including service to the local Baltimore community and United States Olympic Committee.

sports physical therapy, running injuries, post-concussion syndrome, ACL injuries, throwing injuries, hip/groin injuries, bone stress injuries, tendinopathy, dry needling, blood flow restriction training, load management, mechanotherapy, sports analytics, sports biomechanics

Zarro M, Dickman M, Hulett T, Rowland R, Larkins D, Taylor J, Nelson C. Hop to

It! The Relationship Between Hop Tests and The Anterior Cruciate Ligament -

Return to Sport Index After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in NCAA

Division 1 Collegiate Athletes. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2023 Oct 1;18(5):1076-1084.

doi: 10.26603/001c.86130. PMID: 37795334; PMCID: PMC10547069.

Zarro M. Bone Stress Injury of the Patella in a Division 1 Athlete with Anterior Knee

Pain. JOSPT Cases 2023 3:3, 185-186

Zarro M, Film, R. Bone Stress Injury and Sacralization of the Lumbar Spine in a

Division 1 Athlete with Low Back Pain. JOSPT Cases 2024 4:4, 173-175.

Zarro M, Reynolds S, Amena B, Rowland R, Yost K, & Packer J. Patellar Tendon

Retear in an NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Player. JOSPT Cases 2025 5(3), pp.

183–184