Favorite things…Part 2
As we continue on this “A Few of My Favorite PT Things,” today, I’ll focus on my favorite type of patient to treat. While I enjoy working everyone, the ones that bring me the most joy are working with 30-40-something year old women. Maybe it’s because I fall into that demographic as well, but I feel that I can relate to most of the problems they’re going through. I especially enjoy working with the women who were once upon a time pretty active or athletes in high school, but work, family, and all the other distractions of life have caught up to them.
I find these women usually also come to me with my favorite type of injury/diagnosis/problem which for lack of a better term is a “biomechanical mess” aka they’re starting to fall apart. I don’t say this with jest as I also have the same problems which started to act up once I started running two years ago and have had many patients share similar histories.
I am a perfect example of what can happen when you just decide to start a new activity and don’t take enough time to address an underlying muscle imbalance and mobility issue. I injured by left SI joint/low back when I was a junior in high school when I was hip-checked during a box-out drill at basketball practice. I struggled with low back/hip pain off and on for the remainder of high school playing basketball and volleyball and continued to have occasional low back through the years. I would usually do cardio at the gym, but no running. I thought it would be a good idea to take up running at the seasoned age of 32 and did okay when my runs were about 2-3 miles. I caught the runner’s high after my first 5K and impulsively signed up to run a 10K; what was I thinking. As I was increasing my mileage, I started to experience more left sided low back/SI pain, left lateral hip pain with increasing mileage, and occasional knee pain. You would think at this point I would stop, but like most runner’s, I just kept trying to band-aid over the pain with chiropractic care, dry needling, and some core and hip strengthening.
I want my patients to know that preventative care can have a big impact and physical therapy can be utilized even when you’re not experiencing pain. Physical therapists are the movement specialists of the healthcare field and we are trained to identify any problem areas or dysfunctions. Most of us wait until we can’t move because of pain, soreness, or stiffness and then throw up the white flag for help. I want you all to know there is another option to be able to enjoy your favorite activities, play with your kids, or try out a new interest without your body revolting.
If you are interested in learning more or about treatment options, don’t hesitate to call/text 701-318-4731 or email alison@pinnalcetherapywellness.com to learn how we can help. Don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the happenings at Pinnacle Therapy & Wellness.