PT Handbook: 3 Pillars of Injury Prevention

Welcome! The PT Handbook is a physical therapy newsletter discussing all things physical therapy/sports medicine. This newsletter is an extension of our philosophy at Art of PT Sports Physical Therapy LLC where our patient population includes combat athletes and gym lovers. We are a PT private practice that prides itself on providing true one on one service.

This handbook will provide practical PT tips and dive into hot topics surrounding the sports rehab world. If you have questions about the field of physical therapy or need to schedule an appointment (virtual/in person), contact us with the link below!

Dr. Gerry Robles PT, DPT

Founder, Art of PT Sports Physical Therapy LLC

www.artofpt.com

PT Handbook Conversation: 3 Ways To Prevent Injury

No time to waste, lets get right into it:

1. Load Management- Load is described as any stressor to the body, it’s essentially “stress management”. These can be physiological, mechanical and psychological stressors applied to the human biological system. Oftentimes, we think of loads as physical loads applied to the body. These physical loads, often manipulated in training programs through adjusting the many variables we know, (exercise selection, exercise order, sets, reps, tempo, rest period, volume etc.) are what comes to mind when we think of “managing training loads.” In other words, we gradually progress the patient in order to not “over stress” the body leading to injury/pain. It’s all about smart progressions. So be smart with manipulating the aforementioned variables and be smart about training when under too much mental stress. If you feel like “poop” (my fav scientific term) due to job or relationship stress, maybe train light and wait until things blow over : )

2. Emphasize Recovery- Recovery encompasses the variables we can mostly control however are often put aside due to our “modern” lives. Instead, we get people relying on various hacks/quick fixes. The human body needs to recover from states of “distress” or stress negatively affecting us . A fighter needs to recover from one sparring session to the next, a powerlifter needs to not burn out from squatting heavy every day. The 4 main aspects of recovery I emphasize to my athletes are (sorry they aren’t super sexy), SLEEP, NUTRITION, HYDRATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. Do your best to control these, but also don’t beat yourself up if it’s not perfect. No one is perfect with these, so don’t try to be. Or you’ll stress yourself out ;)

3. Construct an Effective Warm up- There’s enough research to say an effective and specific warm up helps reduce the rate of injury. The easiest way I explain a warm up to my patients is you need to be raising your tissue/body temperature , raising your heart rate and preparing your body for the specific movements you will be performing. Constructing a specific and effective warm up will help your nervous system become familiar with the movements and also prepare you mentally. Don’t overlook the mental part of this, it will get you “in the zone” so to speak. So take your warm up seriously. Consult your local physical therapist to construct a specific warm up for you.

See you soon,

Dr. Gerry Robles PT, DPT

Founder, Art of PT Sports Physical Therapy LLC

www.artofpt.com