**Trigger warning- incisions, sutures, skin infection** People always ask me what my job looks like on a regular day. Here’s the thing about being an athletic trainer/physical therapist in sports medicine: everyday is different. A lot of my job is physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine, but some days it’s more emotional support or communication. Some days it’s all manual therapy and other days I watch a LOT of pro wrestling. There’s a lot that goes into being a healthcare provider in general- and to be well-rounded, you need to treat the personal/patient as a whole a$$ person, not just the injury you’re taking care of… and THAT is why I love my job. I’m lucky to be working with amazing people who make me laugh and cry and become invested in each others’ lives. Each of these photos tells a story 💚 #physicaltherapy#athletictraining#sportsmedicine#physiotherapy#athletes#injury#surgery#injuryprevention#aclrecovery#bestjobever
Cupping, or myofascial decompression (MFD), is a great modality to help with mobility of the deeper layers of soft tissue and muscle. I love to use it for recovery- to aide in flushing lactic acid and lymph reabsorption 1-3 days after workouts.
The layers of soft tissue that make you feel "stiff" and sore are 3-4 layers deep (skin, subcutaneous fat, FASCIA, MUSCLE), so some massage and stretching techniques can't physically get to the targeted tissues.
Have you tried it yet?
#cupping#physicaltherapy#manualtherapy#physiotherapy#sportsrehab#sportsmedicine#sportstherapy#mfd#myofascialrelease
Cheers to the freakin (long) weekend. This was the longest week ever, and to be honest- I'm not sure how I survived without losing my $h!t or falling apart by today. #memorialday#drinktothat#cheers
Dry needling with electrical stimulation to help with radiating nerve pain has been a miracle! As you can see, this patient is having pain in his glute, down the back of his thigh and into his lateral leg/shin - just follow the path of the needles! He did really well and only needed 3 sessions to get rid of all of his symptoms (along with traditional PT and manual therapy). Have you tried it yet?? #physicaltherapy#physicaltherapist#athletictraining#sportsphysiotherapy#dryneedling#sportsmedicine
I call this one... the double or nothing! Two knee braces, two ACL reconstructions, one strong woman. First day "jumping" with the agility ladder. We've started filming some of her rehab so we can look back at her mechanics, fix what is needed, and get better with every rep. She did an awesome job self-correcting a right knee valgus moment during her first jump landing and improved with the next jump.
My goal with every patient... keep working hard, and the results will come. 💪🏽
🙌🏽👏🏼
#aclrehab#athletictraining#sportstherapy#physicaltherapy#aclrecovery#aclsurgery#sportsmedicine#physiotherapy#acl#agility#plyometrics#weighttraining
Perineural dry needling and electrical stimulation. I’ve had awesome outcomes with down-regulating nerve pain, burning, tingling, and hypersensitivity with dry needling and electrical stimulation. So, I thought I’d try this technique to see if we can up-regulate a nerve that’s been compromised/damaged for about 10 years due to a disc herniation at L5. Let’s just say, there was a whole lot of tingling going on during and after treatment! I’m pretty pleased with the outcome so far! #physicaltherapy#physicaltherapist#athletictraining#dryneedling#electricalstimulation#sciaticnerve#physiotherapy
Ah, the good ol' @alterginc . This right here is pure magic. Well, it's science, but it's incredible and works like magic. Do you have a patient who has weight bearing restrictions? Or pain with weight bearing? Or fatigues easily? Or has bad OA? Or someone so deconditioned that their calves, ankles, or feet fatigue first during cardio or running? This gravity-eliminating machine can help progress someone with any of these issues for walking, jogging, even shuffling, or back pedaling. With most patients, you can have them walk or jog at as little as 20% body weight, and it will VIDEO their gait pattern! It has sensors in the treadmill that can spit out data regarding stride length, cadence, time spent on each leg, etc.
Have you ever tried one of these?
#physicaltherapy#athletictraining#sportstherapy#sportsmedicine#physiotherapy#acl#achillesrupture#kneesurgery#aclrehab#anklesurgery#hipsurgery#spinesurgery#cardio
First time broad jumping post-ACL repair. As a PT or AT, what are you looking for during jump landing? Knee valgus moment?
Stiff knee landing? Weight shifting away from surgical side?
Controlling/sticking the landing? Did she nail these broad jumps? Let me know your thoughts! #physicaltherapy#athletictraining#physio#sportstherapy#rehab#acl#aclrecovery#aclrehab
Here’s the scoop on Blood Flow Restriction (aka BFR). In Physical Therapy, it’s used early post-injury or post-surgery to help prevent or slow down the muscle atrophy that happens due to lack of activity and inability to use heavy weights for exercise. It’s essentially a tourniquet to reduce the amount of blood flowing into the area- making your muscles more efficient at getting the oxygen it needs from the limited blood flow it IS getting. It also creates similar lactic acid production in the muscle as is normal with a heavy workout- which normally causes some muscle tissue injury/micro-tearing. Your body will respond to the stimulus of lactic acid and send in healing factors and growth factors (natural in your blood) to the area… and the result is muscle growth and hypertrophy. The result?? Muscle growth without having to lift heavy weights, do intense workouts, and overloading your joints. Have you tried it yet?
#physicaltherapy#athletictraining#rehabilitation#bloodflowrestriction#exercise#muscle
Hi! Welcome, my name is Tara and I'm a physical therapist/Athletic Trainer working in sports medicine. I'm based in Orlando, FL and I've been practicing here in town since 2008. I have worked in college sports, pro soccer, pro volleyball, performing arts, military, and currently in Sports Entertainment for the past 10 years. I love to travel, laugh, watch my Chicago Cubs, and spend time with my family. This page will be dedicated, however, to physical therapy and athletic training related topics... okay, and maybe a funny meme here and there 🤓
