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The Physical Therapy / Rehab Thread

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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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And to bring it wayyy back to PT and rehab - after over a year of working with my trainer, my knee is SO much better. I actually take note of when it hurts or is "congested" (aka a tiny bit swollen), because it's rare these days.

It took tiny baby steps, and a lot of faith, and backing off when I didn't want to, and trusting my trainer, and having a trainer worthy of that trust. It took a lot of creativity on the part of my trainer. Every time something hurt, he found an adaptation that required just a little less strength or a little less range of motion. Then I could keep going until the next little bit of strength and range of motion. We used boxes and straps and rubber bands and exercise balls and all manner of variations. These days, not only do squats, deadlifts, and lunges not hurt - my knee actually feels better after doing them. I can trust my right leg on eccentric movements, like hiking downhill with ledges. My right leg still lags behind my left in muscle development, and I still tend to shift left when standing up from a squatted position - but it's gotten a lot better, it's still improving, and amazingly, when I need to look at something on the ground, I actually squat now instead of leaning forward.

For quite a while, I thought I'd never be able to squat or lunge again. It's easy to get caught up in my current issues and forget that a year ago, I was just trying to regain basic function, and even that seemed impossible.

I would not have expected that 2.5 years after an injury, I'd still need to be rehabbing it. I would not have thought that after 2.5 years, it would still be capable of improving. I would not have expected my successful rehab plan to include heavy barbell work. I would not have thought that doing dumbbell presses (bench, incline, decline, standing) would actually improve my shoulder, either - the shoulder that my ortho said would eventually require surgery. Now, my big limitations are things like "My trainer isn't sure my shoulder will ever allow me to do Olympic lifts; I may have to stick to powerlifting." "I'm having trouble eating enough protein for my hypertrophy phase without having GI issues - need to track my meals and find out what's wrong."
 

neonorchid

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And to bring it wayyy back to PT and rehab - after over a year of working with my trainer, my knee is SO much better. I actually take note of when it hurts or is "congested" (aka a tiny bit swollen), because it's rare these days.

It took tiny baby steps, and a lot of faith, and backing off when I didn't want to, and trusting my trainer, and having a trainer worthy of that trust. It took a lot of creativity on the part of my trainer. Every time something hurt, he found an adaptation that required just a little less strength or a little less range of motion. Then I could keep going until the next little bit of strength and range of motion. We used boxes and straps and rubber bands and exercise balls and all manner of variations. These days, not only do squats, deadlifts, and lunges not hurt - my knee actually feels better after doing them. I can trust my right leg on eccentric movements, like hiking downhill with ledges. My right leg still lags behind my left in muscle development, and I still tend to shift left when standing up from a squatted position - but it's gotten a lot better, it's still improving, and amazingly, when I need to look at something on the ground, I actually squat now instead of leaning forward.

For quite a while, I thought I'd never be able to squat or lunge again. It's easy to get caught up in my current issues and forget that a year ago, I was just trying to regain basic function, and even that seemed impossible.

I would not have expected that 2.5 years after an injury, I'd still need to be rehabbing it. I would not have thought that after 2.5 years, it would still be capable of improving. I would not have expected my successful rehab plan to include heavy barbell work. I would not have thought that doing dumbbell presses (bench, incline, decline, standing) would actually improve my shoulder, either - the shoulder that my ortho said would eventually require surgery. Now, my big limitations are things like "My trainer isn't sure my shoulder will ever allow me to do Olympic lifts; I may have to stick to powerlifting." "I'm having trouble eating enough protein for my hypertrophy phase without having GI issues - need to track my meals and find out what's wrong."
OMG, yes to all of that!

LMK if you figure out the protein thing, been struggling with that one myself!

Btw, it occured to me you may be correct about us having different body types, but speaking unscientifically, I suspect we share a very similar genome. I hope that didn't sound too mentally challenged! LOL.
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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LMK if you figure out the protein thing, been struggling with that one myself!

Btw, it occured to me you may be correct about us having different body types, but speaking unscientifically, I suspect we share a very similar genome. I hope that didn't sound too mentally challenged! LOL.

Yeah, the protein thing - I'm supposed to bump it up to like 140-160g a day. "Bump" is not really the right word. But I need to figure out what's hurting me when I do that. Possibly need more fiber, possibly the whey or casein are hurting me ... Anyway, explain the genome piece? I don't think I follow. Metaphor?
 

neonorchid

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^ @Monique I almost wish you didn't ask me to explain, but you did and yes I was speaking metaphorically, and completely off the wall at that! I often think some people with zero known relations and connections to one another share something in their DNA make up which accounts for similar quirks, responses, and interest. Real or imaginary, IDK, I'll leave it at that;) :)
 

cantunamunch

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Yeah, the protein thing - I'm supposed to bump it up to like 140-160g a day. "Bump" is not really the right word. But I need to figure out what's hurting me when I do that. Possibly need more fiber, possibly the whey or casein are hurting me ...

Herself reacts to whey MUCH more strongly than to lactose or casein - in both a GI 25yarddashtoWC way and a joint pain way.

Basically, every builder powder on the market is right out. Feeesh - it's what's for breakfast and dinner.
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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Herself reacts to whey MUCH more strongly than to lactose or casein - in both a GI 25yarddashtoWC way and a joint pain way.

Basically, every builder powder on the market is right out. Feeesh - it's what's for breakfast and dinner.

Hah! Well, I do the math on meat and lentils, and it ain't gonna cut it. One whey protein smoothie (w milk) in the morning seemed fine. whey shake after workout (w milk) seemed fine. BCAAs during workout, fine. Then I added a Greek yogurt snack and caseine for dinner ... and I dunno, maybe some other stuff shifted. I think I need to stay on top of fiber, veggies, and some easy to digest carbs, not just protein. And somehow only gain muscle, not fat, with all this on top of lots of animal protein. I see why powerlifters and strongmen are rarely svelte. So .. I don't think whey is the problem, but there could be a tipping point. Gotta isolate the variables. I'm usually more of a rush to the WC gal, but this is having the opposite effect, and my tummy keeps me awake all night. Last night was fine with just the morning smoothie, "normal" eating.

I might try pea protein at some point....
 

cantunamunch

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I'll take your word for it *shrug* - we have absolutely zero problem getting 150g++ off chicken and fish. I make and drink my own yogurt but she can't touch that.

But, hey, weren't you supposed to start a cutting phase around, well, now?
 
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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I'll take your word for it *shrug* - we have absolutely zero problem getting 150g++ off chicken and fish.

But, hey, weren't you supposed to start a cutting phase around, well, now?

Fair. I need to sit down and actually measure myportions. It's likely I'm eating a lot more meat protein than I realize.

Eh, any reference to cutting was a semi joke. I'm no longer planning to compete this year, and I like what's happening with my body. My coach said one of the phases in the next 3 months, don't remember which, would encourage thermogenesis, so maybe it'll happen naturally.

But you're absolutely right. I need to write down all the protein stats and then actually measure what I'm eating. I don't know why I haven't done that. Kinda basic.
 

karlo

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I’ve been working on my injury for over a year and a half and, finally, one of the best things has been that, after my PT put a halt to strength training for a few months, my trainer for-years gave my time slot away, and had no other time slot I could do. And, it so happened that a new fitness studio opened in my town this month; I signed up with the owner, 10 sessions, once a week, not having even tried it. After the first session, I just knew; and made it twice a week. I even reduced my sessions with my general PT from once a week to once a month, retaining that for progress monitoring purposes. Every detail of an exercise or movement is exacting, resulting in muscles being exercised and stretched that I didn’t know were there; and I know she’s getting to the right places, because, unlike with my former trainer, there is high assymetry in strength, balance, capability between my injured and uninjured side.

My trainer, now, is a former professional dancer. I’ve always felt that skiing is like dancing. She gets it! I show her a PSIA skiing task, she sees the body movements. She would be Great at movement analysis, though she is not a skier. The studio is called Chaise Fitness.
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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I’ve been working on my injury for over a year and a half and, finally, one of the best things has been that, after my PT put a halt to strength training for a few months, my trainer for-years gave my time slot away, and had no other time slot I could do. And, it so happened that a new fitness studio opened in my town this month; I signed up with the owner, 10 sessions, once a week, not having even tried it. After the first session, I just knew; and made it twice a week. I even reduced my sessions with my general PT from once a week to once a month, retaining that for progress monitoring purposes. Every detail of an exercise or movement is exacting, resulting in muscles being exercised and stretched that I didn’t know were there; and I know she’s getting to the right places, because, unlike with my former trainer, there is high assymetry in strength, balance, capability between my injured and uninjured side.

My trainer, now, is a former professional dancer. I’ve always felt that skiing is like dancing. She gets it! I show her a PSIA skiing task, she sees the body movements. She would be Great at movement analysis, though she is not a skier. The studio is called Chaise Fitness.

I only "liked" this because there's no "love" option.
 

LuliTheYounger

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My trainer, now, is a former professional dancer. I’ve always felt that skiing is like dancing. She gets it! I show her a PSIA skiing task, she sees the body movements. She would be Great at movement analysis, though she is not a skier. The studio is called Chaise Fitness.

I took a couple years of dance in high school and left thinking that they should be the #1 problem solvers for most athletes; I come back to their instructions in every sport I've done. I've had so many other coaches spend months trying to figure out what's wrong with a motion before finally deciding it might be a core issue causing a limb issue - whereas every dance teacher I met would just come over in the first 5 seconds, whack my abs into place and then march away without even pausing the class. I was baffled the first couple of times, but it turned out that they were always right. :rolleyes:
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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Gotta eat like the Rock (or some variation thereof) if you want to get that kind of body:

https://www.businessinsider.com/dwayne-johnson-the-rock-food-diet-2017-5

Also note no dairy there. If you are having GI issues, I suggest getting rid of anything dairy or derived from it as a major source of calories/protein. Maybe have it occasionally as a cheat.

Well, he does have casein there. But I am NOT interested in the work required for his level of body fat ... and do you honestly think he doesn't use steroids, as ripped as he is at his age? I wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating crackers, but come on!

Aside from that, though, thanks! I do seem to be pretty well settled. Getting more protein than I realized, once I realized how small standardized portions are ...
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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I'm seriously happy that my career doesn't depend my looks - body fat, muscle, any of that. Have enough body issues as is!
 
Thread Starter
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Monique

Monique

bounceswoosh
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Checking in - how's everyone's PT?

My knees and shoulders are doing *so well* these days. I'd say I'm past PT, except I'm on what I suspect is the forever maintenance plan.

I realized last night that I can sleep comfortably on my side. My shoulder doesn't twinge when I roll onto my side, and it doesn't hurt when I wake up! I've been doing a lot of the various presses - bench, standing overhead, incline, decline ... I'm also doing a ton of shoulder mobility exercises - windmills with a PVC pipe. a seated squat position stretch where I pull my shoulders back so that the PVC pipe goes behind my head. Hanging from rings.

And my knees are doing great. My tempo squats (several seconds to go down and then back up again) were making my knees cranky, but I've found some solutions. One was realizing that my kneecap was getting pulled too tightly again - patellar mobilization (ie, wiggle that knee cap around, or push it to the side for a solid two minutes) is keeping that at bay. Another, doing PNF stretches for my hip flexors and the rectus femoris (center part of the quads). And also, wearing knee sleeves for squats. I've always hated them because they slide down, but it turns out that leggings ARE functional - they provide enough grip that the sleeves stay put.

I'm squatting low enough to graze a 12 inch box, so I'm pretty sure I'm hitting full depth without weird body mechanics. Awesome!

I skied a half day last Thursday, fully expecting that my knee would be cranky - but it wasn't. I'm not really skiing because of my other goals, but the fact that it didn't swell my knee is pretty amazing.
 

karlo

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how's everyone's PT?

Glad that you are progressing so well. My pelvic floor PT said I’ve learned all I need to learn and set me on my way. I still see my general PT once a month, mainly to update and review. My trainer, the ballerina, is helping a lot, more than any PT.

I think I have a breakthrough. I can repeatably get the left glutes burning. That must mean my form is correct and I’m using them. One cue that I think made a big difference is thinking in terms of moving the femur, whether that be an exercise or just taking a step when walking. The bend of knee and ankle simply makes room as the femur is moved.

When I feel the left burning and the right not so much, if at all, I know I’m doing something right. Looking forward to getting on snow to put myself to the test.

Edit: I also started doing curtsies and curtsy lunges. HUGE difference between left and right. That explains a lot about my skiing dysfunctions
 
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Aquila

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PT is totally my jam, at any point in time I normally have at least one or two things going on (the joys of being a hypermobile individual). The hardest part is sticking to a PT routine :(

Reminder to keep up the PT and strengthening over the summer/off-season :) I'm in the midst of ski season right now and trying to fix knee problems (patellofemoral syndrome/chronic patellar tendonitis/???) I really wish I'd addressed over the summer.

I'm trying to muster the motivation to start doing nightly ankle PT exercises again. I had a relatively bad ankle injury a year ago and I still have reduced flexion, but I ran out of PT motivation about 7 months in, around the time I was finally able to return to most sports/activities. I'm convinced that my improvement might be quicker if I keep doing my exercises every single day but somehow I've fallen totally off the wagon and it's been hard to climb back on. Agh!
 

karlo

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somehow I've fallen totally off the wagon and it's been hard to climb back on. Agh!

Could be worse; you could be in the Northern Hemisphere

My motivation also waxes and wanes, especially since I can do all my normal daily activities, walking, sitting, driving. Only when I feel a limitation do I perk up. That happens when I explore, on dryland, capabilities I need for skiing. That's hard too, since there are things we can do skiing that we can't do, readily, on land. But, once I find something, the desire to ski fires the engine.

Example, the need to hold forces with one leg. Simple right? Single leg squats, a PT would have me do it. But, then, it's not so simple in skiing. There's micro-balancing, and there are forces while the leg is angulated or the hip is rotated. Sometimes i find my own solution, like doing small pulse squats at different deepness of squat. Other times, I need to ask my PT or trainer for a solution, like doing variations of curtsies to simulate transition from little toe edge to big toe edge. Bottomline, I find it far more motivating when I am taking an active part in determining what needs to be worked on and finding, either on my own or with a PT, exercises that challenge my dysfunctions.
 

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