"The fish would be the last one to discover water"-Marshall McLuhan One of the biggest assets clinicians bring to patients is an unattached perspective. If you ever have the chance to be a patient, I'd recommend it. (I promise I don't wish anything bad to happen to you). When you move to the other chair in the room, you realize how disorienting it can be to manage a health problem. Disoriented and confused, you grasp for anything. You (yes, you!) find yourself down a social media rabbit hole...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
"I know that I know nothing."-Socrates Most patients do not need imaging. A simple plan focusing on exercises, pain guidelines, and sensible training progressions is enough to get them back to training without needing further information. It has become common for sports medicine physicians to discuss how asymptomatic findings are present in all types of athletes. BSIs in pain-free runners Rotator cuff tears in athletes Asymptomatic herniated discs in football players But there is a trend now...
2 months ago • 2 min read
"Well that's just like your opinion, man."-The Big Lebowski Early in my career, I treated a 12-year-old baseball pitcher with shoulder pain. The diagnosis? A stress reaction in the humerus and a rotator cuff tear. An injury typically seen in older adults was present in a young, growing child. In talking with the patient's mother, it became clear how crucial it was for their child to return to pitching ASAP. What should have been an honest moment of self-reflection instead focused on the...
3 months ago • 3 min read
"X gon' give it to ya (what?!)" -DMX Runners rarely need fancy exercises, just a few drills tailored to their abilities and executed with precision. There are four instructions I give patients to help them perform their programs with precisionr Perform the exercise in a smooth, precise manner. Getting patients to slow down is the number one correction I give in the clinic (something most don't really like 😊). Squats. Marches. Carries. Bridges. Slow. Down. Most athletes rush their exercises,...
3 months ago • 2 min read
"You may tire of me as our December sun is setting 'cause I'm not who I used to be."-Death Cab for Cutie In the last Runners Zone Podcast, Chris mentioned the idea of looking back at your old content to discuss what you got wrong. With that in mind, I wanted to examine my most-viewed YouTube video, and what I would change if I made it today. While I still believe this video holds value, it would have been better if it had included more context on the research on bone healing. Today, let's...
3 months ago • 3 min read
At the end of July, I'm helping with a local local high school running camp with my friend Jeremy Hammer, owner of KC Endurance. This four-day camp is designed to bring runners together and sharpen their skills in training, injuries, nutrition, and mental health. There are a few key things I think all young runners should understand, which I'll be sharing with the camp. Basic health screenings High school runners must pass a preseason physical before being allowed to practice and compete....
4 months ago • 3 min read
"What you see is all there is."Daniel Kahneman It’s easy to talk to patients about exercises and training. But many running-related injuries are health problems masquerading as strength or training problems. Rehab pros must know how to screen for factors at play outside of orthopedics. And there's new research to help with just that. Where do we start? There is a growing body of evidence that metabolic factors influence bone stress injuries (and really all injuries). PTs are often the first...
4 months ago • 1 min read
“It takes a while to hear a person’s story and for that person to tell it, and like most stories it bounces all over the place before you know what the plot really is.” Lori Gottlieb When I order a coffee, I want a coffee. Preferably, a single-origin pour-over from Kenya or Ethiopia. I don't want a conversation about politics, theology, or Andy Reid's unwillingness to move away from an RPO-style running game. I want coffee. Patients don't come to us looking for caffeine, but they do come with...
4 months ago • 3 min read
It can be hard to filter the massive amount of information that we (and our patients/athletes) contend with. In today's newsletter, you've got an exclusive video where I walk you through the differential diagnosis and management of a potential femoral shaft BSI. My goal is to give you a more realistic view of how rehab unfolds, rather than the spliced-up, in-your-face version you see on social. You can check out the case by clicking below 👇. I'd love your thoughts on one thing... I'm running...
4 months ago • 1 min read