Habits and Mindset for Successful Physical Therapy
Welcome back to the Total Performance Newsletter! If you are a new subscriber and did not receive previous editions, let me know and I will send them over right away! This month, we will continue to take a look at some specific movement and injury-related issues that commonly arise and how to deal with them.
Before we dive into today's topic, I wanted to give a quick social media plug. Follow us on Instagram (@total_performance_pt) and Facebook (@Total Peformance Physical Therapy). I have been more active in those places and will be making regular posts on ways to further help you move better, feel better, and perform better!
Getting back to today's newsletter, we will focus on some habits and mindset tips that make for successful physical therapy.
When people think of physical therapy, they often think of stretches, exercises, and some manual therapy. Of course, this constitutes most of what PT is. However, if we are taking a comprehensive view of health, whether that includes recovering from an injury or just living an active lifestyle, there are other factors that are important to consider that are necessary for success. In this newsletter, we will focus on what I consider to be the 5 of the most important contributing factors to injury rehab and general health and wellness.
Consistency is Key
Long lasting change occurs when proper inputs are given repeatedly over a period of time. This goes for completing a home exercise program, eating a healthy diet, or maintaining a regular exercise program. The more positive inputs we give the body, the more positive results we get. The more positive results our body experiences, the more this will become the body's "default" state.
For example, lets say we do some squats and it improves hip mobility and helps our back feel better. Great! Now, the next day our back starts to stiffen up again. We do some more squats and things feel better again. This time, we get two days of relief from it. Even better! As we continue to do our squats, we get relief for longer and longer periods of time, and tasks that were once painful become less painful. Eventually, maybe we don't have to do squats every day to keep our hips mobile, but just 1-2x/week. This is a sign that our "default" is changing for the better. This is a simplified example, but the point is that doing the right things repeatedly over a long period of time is how are body makes true, long lasting changes.
No Magic Fixes
This one relates to the point above. There is never a magic exercise or some perfect manual therapy technique that instantly solves your problems forever. Trust me, I wish there was, and if you find it, please let me know-I will make sure you get the credit!
Now, don't get me wrong. Sometimes we do just one exercise, retest the painful motion, and all of a sudden the pain is gone. It seems like magic, but it's not. What that situation is telling is that that particular input is exactly what the body needed, and there are two ways we can use it.
The first way is that we know we have a tool to use if we have a flare up of similar symptoms. Maybe stretching your quad relieves your knee pain. Anytime that knee starts to bother you, do some quad stretching and get back to what you were doing. Even better, keep some quad stretching in your regular routine so that it limits the chances of a future flare up. Again-consistency is key to changing our body's "default."
The second way is that our body needs more of that stimulus. For instance, maybe we did a positional breathing exercise to relieve shoulder pain when you raise your arm overhead. Now, we know that the breathing exercise created space in a particular part of your body that improved your range of motion. So, the next thing we would do is a more active exercise that utilizes that newly found range of motion so that your body learns to use it properly with more functional tasks that are related to your particular goals. Again, consistency is key-giving your body positive inputs on a regular basis over a period of time leads to long lasting results.
Pain Is Information
Now this one might be the most interesting of the five factors discussed here. If you have worked with me before, you probably have heard me say "pain is not good or bad, it's just information." Here's what I mean.
If you do a movement and it hurts, that is our body telling us something. Maybe we don't have the range of motion to perform that movement. Maybe our body is compensating and that places more force on a joint or muscle. Maybe we lack strength and stability. Maybe our technique is wrong. Maybe we did too much, and our body can handle 5 reps but our body gets tired and cannot maintain technique once we do more reps. This is not an exhaustive list of what information we can gather, but you get the point. Now, what do we do with this information?
The key here is to take this information and find a solution. Technique or positioning might need some adjustments. Maybe we need an exercise to improve a range of motion so that the next movement/exercise feels better. Maybe instead of 2 sets of 10 reps, we do 3-4 sets of 5 reps, making sure all 5 reps are performed properly. In some cases, we need to pick a new exercise entirely. The specific solutions will be different for each scenario, and a qualified clinician will be able to help you with that.
Equally as important as knowing what to do is knowing what NOT to do. It's easier said than done, but if we experience pain, it is important to NOT panic, get frustrated, give up, and avoid a specific movement or activity all together. In the moment this can be difficult, but reminding yourself that pain is not good or bad, it's just information, and we can use this information to find a solution, will keep you on the right track.
Every Journey is Different
You have probably heard this one in several aspects of life, but it is equally as important when talking about injury rehab and general health/wellness. Regardless of where you are on your rehab/training continuum, it is important to not compare yourself to others. Not only is every person different, but every injury is different. Sometimes, even the same injury on the other side of the body can be different. I hope you never have to go through 2 ACL surgeries and rehabs, but sometimes these are even different from each other.
Of course, there are overlaps and similarities among rehabs. And yes, there is plenty to learn from others who have undergone a similar experience to yours. While I certainly encourage you to take in all the tips and lessons that you can, just remember that each journey may look a little different-as long as we get to the end goal successfully, that's all that matters.
Sleep, Stress, Nutrition
As stated above, exercises, stretches, and manual therapy constitute the bulk of physical therapy. But there is more to what helps the body heal and stay healthy-this is where sleep, stress, and nutrition come into play. Each of these deserves their own newsletter, so I will keep it brief here regarding the importance of each.
Sleep is the ultimate "recovery tool." Cold plunges, saunas, meditation, foam rollers, and all similar modalities have their place, but none are even in the same universe as sleep. I do not believe in magic pills to solve problems-the only thing that could change my mind would be if the benefits of sleep were put into a pill. We've all heard this before, but it's worth mentioning again-get your 7-9 hours on a consistent basis. This is especially important if you are recovering from an injury-your body needs the time and resources to repair damaged tissue, and sleep is when this happens best.
Our body doesn't know the difference between physical, emotional, mental, or psychological stress. It just knows that stress is stress. And it deals with stress by creating protective tension throughout our system, including our musculoskeletal system. We can get away with this (especially non-physical stress) for a while, but eventually, we're going to start to feel it. A big part of most rehab is regaining ranges of motion that were lost. To regain range of motion, we need to decrease tension in our system. If stress is high and unchecked, and our body is holding that protective tension, it will be that much more difficult to regain the ranges of motion that are essential to a particular rehab process. The countless ways to deal with stress are beyond the scope of this newsletter, but finding something that works is vital.
Whether we are rehabbing from an injury or recovering from a workout, our body needs fuel to recover and rebuild itself. Proper nutrition provides this fuel. There are plenty of nuances to nutrition, but here are the basics. Eat plenty of protein, ideally from animal sources and eggs. Include good fat sources from things like nuts, avocados, and real butter. Eat clean carbs like potatoes and rice. Unlimited fruits and vegetables. Plenty of water and salt for hydration. Stick with these basics and you'll give your body the fuel it needs.
Now, here is a caveat to these lifestyle factors. There are times in life when doing these things is just not in the cards. Maybe there is a work deadline coming up and getting enough sleep is just not going to happen. Maybe there are life events that are just going to be stressful and there is no way around it. Maybe you are traveling a lot and finding healthy food is too difficult. This is perfectly fine and a normal part of life-not everything is going to be ideal all time. But, having awareness of what you should be doing can help you make the best decisions possible in a less than ideal situation, and also helps you get back on track once things settle down. It's okay to stray away at times, just make sure you find your way back.
Wrap Up
To wrap up, I hope you found this information helpful, as these factors are just as important for successful rehab and general health/wellness as are the specific exercises and manual therapy techniques you utilize. Wherever you are on the rehab/training continuum, give some of these a thought and see where you can make some improvements. If you have questions or need some guidance, do not hesitate to reach out!
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where will we continue to look into some common issues that arise and practical solutions to deal with them! Also, if you have any topics that you want to see covered in a future newsletter, please let me know!
Brett
