The 4 Things My PT Scolded Me For Not Doing
I just finished up 6 weeks of physical therapy and while I was there, I got scolded for a few things. Now, you know I was a college athlete for 5 years, so any time something started to feel weird, I’d just go into the training room and they’d put me back together. Not having access to trainers daily has been one of my biggest struggles post-collegiately. When I started in August, I knew that there were things I should have been doing to prevent this injury, but I got lazy and didn’t do them. And of course, my PT reminded me of the little things that I need to do to stay healthy.
1. Not doing strength work
I was doing very little strength work, and what I was doing wasn’t the best plan. I was doing minimal at-home workouts and they weren’t the best for reaching my goal. My PT reminded me that it’s okay to lift heavy weights and that it’s beneficial for runners, contrary to what some runners believe.
2. Not doing core more than once a week
When evaluating me, my PT found that my core was the root of my issue. If the core is weak, the rest of the muscles don’t work as well. Don’t forget, core isn’t just your abs! It includes your back and glutes as well.
3. Rushing through my pre-run work
Most days during my 9-5 life, I’m running out the door to get my runs in before the sun sets, before work, or a quick lunch run and I don’t always take the time to do my pre-run activation and drills. I found that taking 5 minutes to do some glute activation and some drills really helps (we had a long list of drills in college and sometimes there are so many that I get stressed out, so I’ve shortened them for my week-day runs).
4. Stopping my PT exercises once I was “healthy”
My BIGGEST mistake was probably stopping my exercises in the spring when I was healthy ( I didn’t see a PT for it until August). I wasn’t really healthy though, it was just getting better, and by stopping those things that were helping, it set me back even more.
All of this combined, I really set myself up for failure. I wasn’t doing real strength work, I wasn’t doing pre-hab or pre-run exercises, and I was neglecting my core. All things that I knew I should have been doing, but just got lazy. I did not do my piriformis any favors and it got worse and worse. But now, 2 months post-PT, I am healthy and already up to running (slow) 8 miles. I do a short pre-run exercise every day, I started a lifting program last week, and make sure I do my PT every day and incorporate core four times a week. There are still days that I slack, but I try to do it right the next time. I know it’s hard to remember to do all of the little things, but doing the little things add up in the end.