Health and Performance Made Ridiculously Simple
Note from Zac: There is a ton of BS out there when it comes to building speed, power, and all things performance. Is training in sand one of those instances? That’s where I enlisted someone who knows WAY more about sprinting and getting peeps fast—Hunter Charneski. Hunter is one of those guys who is always learning, always evolving, and the perfect guy to take an honest look at whether or not sand training can be a useful. The answer may surprise you.
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I was recently featured on my buddy Scott Gray’s podcast, a great clinician in the Florida area who I have a lot of respect for. Before we dive into the podcast, let me tell you a bit about why I like this guy so much. It’s not just because he is a part of the IFAST family. I’ve been going back to the basics as of late, reviewing concepts such as tissue pathology, anatomy, surgical procedures, and the like. If there is anyone who has the fundamentals down savagely well, it is Scott Gray. He put out an Ebook called “The Physical Examination Blueprint”, which you can download by subscribing to his newsletter. Here he details all the essentials on screening your patients. To me, the most important aspect of patient care is knowing who you can and cannot treat. Stratifying your patients based on who needs to be referred out, and who you can help is essential to providing the best care. Quite simply, there are few better resources out there that outline how to do this than Scott’s ebook. In it, he delves into what relevant questions to ask, tests to perform, and establishing a relevant diagnosis. Often underlooked, yet exceptionally important components of the clinical examination. Again, I cannot recommend Scott’s ebook and site enough. It’s a great resource for many things PT, including many of his eclectic and unique manual therapy techniques. Definitely check this guy out. Rehabbing a 5th Metatarsal Fracture to High Level Basketball In
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A Humdinger No Doubt Ankle sprains. Such a bugger to deal with. Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries seen in basketball. The cutting, jumping, contact, fatigue, and poor footwear certainly don’t help matters. Damn near almost every game someone tweaks an ankle. Treating ankle sprains in-game provides quite a different perspective. Rarely in the clinic do we work with someone immediately post-injury. Instead, we deal with the cumulative effects of delayed treatment: acquired impairments, altered movement strategies, and reduced fitness. The pressure is lower and the pace is slower. You shed that mindset with the game on the line. You must do all in your power to get that player back on the court tonight, expediting the return process to the nth degree. I had a problem. Figuring out the most efficient way to treat an ankle sprain was needed to help our team succeed. I searched the literature, therapeutic outskirts, and tinkered in order to devise an effective protocol. The result? We had 12 ankle sprains this past season. After performing the protocol, eight were able to return and finish out the game. Out of the remaining four, three returned to full play in two days. The last guy? He was released two days after his last game. It’s a tough business. The best part was we had no re-sprains. An impressive feat considering the 80% recurrence rate¹. Caveats aside, treating acute injuries with an aggressive mindset can be immensely effective. Here’s how.
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