Expert Insights on Performance & Recovery
Meniscus Tear or Anatomical Gray Hairs?
Maybe you’ve had nagging shoulder, hip, or knee pain for a while that hasn’t completely gone away. Eventually, you decide to see a doctor and get some imaging to figure out what’s going on.
Then you get the MRI report. And you get a diagnosis.
The pain may have been relatively mild and manageable before the MRI. But now you know you have a “torn meniscus.” Suddenly, you’re worried that you need to protect your knee so you don’t make the tear worse. So you start avoiding activity.
Over time, your pain gets worse….. You assume the tear must be getting worse, so you decrease your activity even more.
And the cycle continues.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear While Skiing: What the Research Actually Shows
Every ski season, we hear some version of the same story: "I don't know what happened, I wasn't even going that fast." And that's usually true, because the most common way recreational skiers tear their ACL has almost nothing to do with speed, jumps, or getting caught in a yard sale.
Here's what the research actually shows, and what to do about it.
What We Measure at Your Physical Therapy Evaluation (And Why It Matters)
"What did I get?"
That's usually the first question we get after dynamometry testing, like we just read their tea leaves and are about to compare it to their zodiac sign.
At Tundra Performance and Physical Therapy, when you come in for a physical therapy evaluation, sometimes a huge piece of our patient’s assessment comes from a single test: isometric dynamometer testing. Also seen in our return to play, running, and performance assessments.
Let's pull back the curtain a little bit and dive into what is dynamometry testing and why do the numbers matter?
Training = Healthcare
Last December, I received a text from my friend Ashton, while he was attending the First Principles of Movement Summit at the EXOS training center in AZ telling me that there’s a course that I would love and I cannot miss it if I get a chance to take it.
The course Training = Healthcare.
Clinically, objectively, and philosophically, the course was a banger. These were my favorite takeaways from the course that we at Tundra Performance and Physical Therapy share and embody at our clinic.
What Is a Deload in Training? A Complete Guide
As I approach the home stretch of my half-marathon training, and as many others are either deep into training or beginning their racing season, I thought it would be a good time to discuss deloading: what it is, when it may be beneficial, and who actually needs it.
Being in PT Shouldn’t Stop You From Training – It Should Take You Further
One of the first questions active patients ask is:
"Should I stop training until this gets better?"
Maybe it's a runner with knee pain asking if they should stop running, or a lifter wondering whether shoulder pain means they should stop pressing overhead.
There are situations where complete rest is appropriate, such as certain acute injuries or concussions, but they're less common than many people think.
For many orthopedic injuries, the goal shouldn’t be to stop training altogether. It should be to keep that athlete moving as much as possible while being considerate to safety and the needs of recovery.