How do you “Armor” up for your Key Race? Rehab with Armor PT!

October 24th, 2022 by JoAnn Cranson

By:  Kathy Braginton

As I limped my way to my car for the 2nd time in 2022, having just completed a 5k, I knew I needed to seek the advice of a professional.  A 5k should not hurt as much as this and require a 4-day recovery period.  With my goal race being in August and the race season still early, I turned to Armor Physical Therapy where Scott Miller, PT and his team of sports performance rehabilitation specialists went to work on my injury. 

One of the initial benefits of Armor is the ability to book an appointment without needing a referral from your primary care physician.  I was allowed 10 visits over a 21-day period which allowed time for an initial assessment, manual therapy, and rehabilitation as we sought approval for continual therapy.  With each sports performance rehabilitation treatment I have sought with Armor over the years, initial diagnosis has been a lack of glute activation. My injury this time around was no exception.  My hamstring and low back muscles were doing all the work and the nerves between the glute and hamstring were angry.

The therapists at Armor quickly went to work to create a program that was customized to my specific condition, needs and goals.  The program included manual therapy, stretching and strengthening exercises, and a home exercise program. 

 With each visit, therapists used manual therapy for a hands-on treatment to remediate body functions.  The manual therapy (aka massage) was the best portion of each treatment.

Stretching and strengthening exercises to improve flexibility, boost joint range of motion, strengthen muscles, and most importantly get my glutes firing again.  Here is a sampling of a few of the strengthening exercises.

Exercise 1 – “The warm-up”  – Total gym, banded squats

Exercise 2 – “The balancing act” – Rocker board with kettlebell arm swings

Exercise 3 – “The sobriety test” – alternating step-ups with a liquid-filled PVC

Exercise 4 – “Burn booty burn” – single-leg stability ball airplanes.  Front view

Exercise 4 – “Burn booty burn” – single-leg stability ball airplanes.  Back view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Note – Armor is not responsible for the content of my exercise descriptions! 😉

Dry Needling

Armor offers a wide variety of additional services in their sports performance rehabilitation: Dry Needling, Gait/running evaluations, custom foot orthotics, and AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, just to name a few.  For a full list of Armor’s treatment options, visit https://armorpt.com.  As a part of my customized plan, I utilized the Dry Needling and the Orthotics. With dry needling, the needles are used to stimulate an area of muscles that have become stiff.  The special needles can reach areas that other manual therapies cannot.  After each treatment, I found I had improved flexibility and range of motion.  As a side note, the dry needling and orthotics are not covered under insurance but can be paid for through an HSA account.  I found the benefits of both services to be well worth any additional costs.

With my diligence in attending weekly in office sessions, as well as, continuing home exercises, Scott and his team at Armor Physical Therapy, had me running pain-free by my goal race in August.

 



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