Let us find it and help you fix it, before your opponent does. At Capital Area Physical Therapy and Wellness, we use the most recent evidence and work hard every day to develop, research, and implement the best strategies in your care.
By Andrew J Gaetano, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
As physical therapists at CAPT, we’re the professionals in identifying and correcting human movement patterns. We use this as one of our tools in identifying the source of someone’s pain or dysfunction. As an athlete, your goal is to use the most efficient and productive movement patterns possible in participating in your sport. Our bodies have fundamental movement patterns that we all need- regardless of your sport. It’s very common for athletes to develop asymmetries, deficiencies, or “cracks in the armor” that may lead to micro-tramua, injury, or hinder your athletic capability. We all need these fundamental movements before we train for sport specific tasks. In other words- you need to have a solid base before you put blocks on the top!
An orthopedic specialist physical therapist at CAPT can implement a “selective functional movement assessment” to identify if your foundation of movement is strong, the quality of your movement if high, and if the range of motion is adequate. We’re trained to work with athletes of all levels, pediatric to professional.
Lets take something as simple as a squat. We all do it- several times a day. It’s one of the first movements we learn as a child.
Seems easy, right? Stand up and try a deep squat, with your hands directly overhead. Your thighs should end up below your knees, knees not forward past toes. Your trunk should remain upright, with your arms still directly overhead.
Look like this?
If not, do you fall over backwards? Lean forward? Shift your knees forward, weight onto toes, or heels rise off the ground? If any of these happen, there’s a reason. We will be able to identify why, and help you correct it
This is what it may look like if there’s a crack in the armor
In addition to this, we’ll be able to identify impairments in your flexibility, mobility, core stability, and/or range of motion. Nobody’s perfect at any of these, but excessive side to side differences or deficiencies can contribute to problems. We’re all about identifying problems BEFORE they contribute to injury!
Malta NY
