Expert Insights on Performance & Recovery
Physical Therapy for Outdoor Athletes in Colorado
There is a particular kind of patient who is common here and rare almost everywhere else.
They ski forty days a season, ride bikes all summer, climb two nights a week, signed up for a 50K in June, and moved to Colorado specifically so they could do all of it. When something hurts, the question is never "how do I get comfortable again." It is "how do I not lose the season."
Generic rehab does not answer that question, because generic rehab is built around restoring normal daily function. For an outdoor athlete in Colorado, normal daily function is a floor, not a goal.
Here is how we think about this population.
Colorado Ski Prep Guide: How to Strengthen Your Legs for Skiing and Snowboarding
Ski and snowboard season is beckoning upon us. Last year's snowfall was disappointing but how can you not enter this season with a new found optimism and enthusiasm. Hopes and dreams for 12+ inches of powder, freshies in the afternoon, and a banging apres party after a hard day on the slopes. This is the year you get stuck behind Vail pass, no way of getting home, get hit with a fresh snowstorm and you're stuck riding the best powder you’ve seen in 10 years.
You need to be ready for all of it and now is the time to start prepping for it.
Return-to-Ski Testing: Are You Actually Ready to Go Back?
You feel better.
Your swelling is down.
You’re lifting again.
But are you actually ready to ski?
This question matters more than most people realize because “feels good” and “ready for the mountain” are two very different things.
Strength Standards for Colorado Skiing and Snowboarding
This past week I was listening to a podcast primarily focused on the rehabilitation around runners. They were diving into a recent article that discussed strength recommendations and standards for the everyday individual. They were discussing the applicability and relatability back to the running population and if these strength standards were appropriate and reasonable.
I loved the critical conversation surrounding strength expectations in a population not traditionally associated with strength training and the interpretability of the information not only for clinicians in regards to programming and performance but also for runners themselves.
It got me thinking…. how applicable was this information to other populations?
Skiing and Snowboarding Specific Physical Therapy in Denver
While we may still be experiencing glimpses of hiking season, you can almost feel the powder under your board. So for this week, we're talking about the most common skiing and snowboarding injuries and how physical therapy can help.
Rehab Like an Athlete in Denver
One of the constant themes I drone on and on about, not just for skiers and snowboarders, but rock climbers, runners, and mountain bikers alike, is don’t rehab like a body builder, you need to rehab like an athlete.