Month: April 2015
Client Spotlight: Ken Dewhirst
Rausch Physical Therapy & Sports Performance client Ken Dewhirst is gearing up for the comeback of his life. But to be the best, he needs to feel his best first.
“I need to be faster, stronger to be number one.” – Ken Dewhirst
Ken Dewhirst wants you to know that he can get around just fine, thank you very much. At 83 years old, Ken’s here at physical therapy for one reason only: so he can be number one.
Laguna Niguel-resident Ken is currently ranked in the Top 20 in the USA Table Tennis (USATT) Ratings for Men 80+. Ken was rated number four in the country but was sidelined by injury last year. However, Ken has recently made moves to start his climb back to the top, and his first stop? Rausch PT.
“I’m here because I want to up my level and get better so I can be the best in my age group,” Ken said. “I need to be faster, stronger to be number one.”
Ken grew up playing tennis, excelling in high school but eventually gave it up to focus on his college education. He and Rosemarie, his wife of 57 years, spent their days working, raising their children, and traveling the world. But when Ken retired at the age of 60, he knew he had to find something new to keep his mind and body active.
After doing a little research, Ken came across table tennis. He decided to give it a shot… and ranked in his very first tournament. Ever since then, Ken has been working with famous coaches and beating opponents half his age, all the while moving up the ranks.
“His goal was to reach the middle of the rankings of all age groups,” biggest fan/critic Rosemarie said. “Well, he did that. So now we need a new goal.”
So what’s next on the list for this octogenarian? Dethrone the new kid on the block. At a spry 80 years old, George Braithwaite recently moved into the 80+ group, which has Ken chomping at the bit for a chance to prove himself. Ken says that while George plays at a higher level than him, he has to try.
“[George] is good. I’ll need to play a faster game against him.”
To get there, Ken knows he has to strengthen his knee to have any chance of beating the champ. He’s only visited Rausch Physical Therapy & Sports Performance a couple times so far, but he says he’s confident that his physical therapist Dustin is going to get him off the table so he can get back to the tables.
Visualizing Your Way to a Quicker Recovery
If you are an athlete, odds are you have at one time or another been sidelined by an injury. The frustration that comes with being unable to train and compete can lead to a loss in motivation and a longer recovery process. To combat this, athletes should learn to use visual relaxation and performance techniques and practice them diligently.
There are many forms of relaxation training that athletes can use to help accelerate rehabilitation after injury, including kinesthetic (progressive muscle relaxation), mindfulness (breathing techniques), auditory (listening to calming voices), hypno-relaxation (using hypnosis to induce relaxation, and visual methods (including imagery).
Visual relaxation methods to speed up recovery
- Remembered imagery. Remember a pleasant and relaxing time in your life. Re-experience it. Become fully absorbed, focusing on what you see, smell, hear and feel against your skin as you visualize that calming scene.
- Constructed imagery. Imagine a pleasant or relaxing scene in your mind. Step into the picture and experience the scene fully.
- Hypnotherapy using imagery. Make up a recording or listen to one by a professional hypnotherapist, that includes visualizing healing red blood cells surrounding the injured muscle, tendon, bone, etc. with nutrients, directed at rapid reduction of inflammation and total healing.
Injured athletes should experiment with all available relaxation methods to find the ones that are most comfortable and beneficial. A combination of methods can be used; it’s up to athletes to decide which ones are best suited for them. Once the athlete has become comfortable with a specific technique, it then must be practiced for maximum results.
Three steps to visualize sport performance while injured
If you’re injured, you can still visualize championship-level performance and begin to lay hypnotic tracks in your subconscious mind that will carry over once you’re physically able to perform. Here are some easy steps for visual performance training while you’re still injured:
- Watch videos of yourself performing, especially ones highlighting best previous performances. If a personal highlight reel isn’t available, watch training videos of other great athletes in action.
- Close your eyes and imagine your ideal performance. Really get a good sense of what you look like and feel like when you perform.
- Practice this imagery using the actual time sequence of your average performance. For example, if you’re a track athlete, “run a race” on a stationary bike. If the race is for 400 meters, “race” on a bike for 50 seconds and at the same time visualize your performance.
You may feel a little silly at first, but trust me, this works.
Staying motivated during rehabilitation
After being injured, athletes can lose a sense of identity and become depressed from not being able to compete. That’s why constant feedback and support from coaches and teammates is so crucial to helping an injured athlete stay motivated. Coaches should encourage injured players to make appearances at practices, and athletes need to be proactive about remaining involved in the team and its progress. Coaches can assign certain duties at practice, involve them in strategy sessions, or let them assist in keeping stats. If an athlete has an upper body injury, they can jump on an exercise bike at practice sites to both maintain endurance and still be a part of the team.
If you stay motivated, practice your visual relaxation and performance techniques, and keep up with your physical therapy treatment, you will be ready to physically compete again before you know it.
Jack N. Singer, Ph.D. is a licensed and certified Clinical/Sport Psychologist and Performance Success Coach, based in Mission Viejo, CA. For more information and a FREE 15 minute consultation for all Rausch PT clients and family, contact Jack at 949-481-5660. www.drjacksinger.com
April Event of the Month: Adventure Run
Come scavenge with the Rausch Physical Therapy & Sports Performance team! Laguna Hills Road Runner Sports Adventure Run is a fun, 60-minute scavenger run that draws hundreds of awesome friends of all ages and running levels. Make sure you stop by the Rehabulance, which will be featured as a remote checkpoint! But, to get your raffle tickets from us, you’re going to have to complete the FITNESS GAUNTLET (dun dun dunn…)
It’s totally FREE to run, all you gotta do is sign up! Click here to pre-register and get a complimentary beer ticket, or register before the run as early as 5:30 PM.
P.S. Don’t forget to wear your Rausch PT gear! Want a Rehabulance T-Shirt to rock? Stop by the clinic before April 23 and let the front desk know!
Event Details
| What Laguna Hills Road Runner Sports Adventure Run (Click here for more event info)When April 23, 2015 (Run starts at 6:30 PM) Theme Why
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Where Laguna Hills Road Runner Sports Store 24291 Avenida De La Carlota Laguna Hills, CA 92653 |
Are Breaking Pitches Age Dependent?
It’s said that Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers wasn’t initially a valid prospect as a Major League Baseball pitcher. That is until one spring training game in 2008, when he sent Boston Red Sox heavy hitter Sean Casey back to the dugout shaking his head, leading Vin Scully to exclaim, “Ohhh, what a curveball! Holy mackerel! He just broke off Public Enemy No. 1.” Most Dodgers fans will remember March 9, 2008 as the day of the breakout breaking pitch that started Kershaw’s legendary career.
Kershaw was just 19 years old when he showed the world he had mastered his 12-6 curveball in that storied spring training game. However, it’s been long proposed that allowing young pitchers to throw breaking pitches, such as curveballs and sliders, has created more injuries in youth baseball. So just how much truth is there to that old adage?
The best pitches for young baseball players
Research highlights the importance of factoring in the age and physical maturity of a player before teaching certain breaking pitches. Several recent studies claim that most throwing injuries that develop later on in a baseball player’s career can be traced back to throwing breaking pitches incorrectly or at too young of an age.
Due to the immaturity of a young pitcher’s body and the lack of strength throughout his/her shoulder and forearm, the best pitches for young ballplayers to learn are the fastball and change up. These two pitches create the least amount of strain and torque on the shoulder and elbow.
The worst pitches for young baseball players
While there is no definitive proof that throwing curveballs directly causes injury, this pitch does place increased strain on the shoulder when thrown incorrectly. With this in mind, coaches and parents should hold off on teaching their players how to throw a curve until s/he is at least 15 years old. What about the slider? While the angle of release makes the slider easier on the shoulder than the curveball, due to the increased torque on the elbow compared to other pitches it should still not be initiated until a pitcher is at least 16 years old. Other pitches, such as the sinker, knuckleball and screwball, also put significant strain on the shoulder and elbow and are therefore not advisable until a pitcher is much older.
Age (in Years) Recommendation For Learning Various Pitches
This chart explains the appropriate age to start teaching ballplayers certain pitches:
| Fastball: 8 ± 2 | Slider: 16 ± 2 |
| Change-up: 10 ± 3 | Forkball: 16 ± 2 |
| Curveball: 14 ± 2 | Screwball: 17 ± 2 |
| Knuckleball: 15 ± 3 |
Even once a ball player is determined mature enough to learn breaking pitches, there still needs to be proper instruction to safely execute these pitches and minimize a player’s injury potential. Breaking pitches are age dependent, and coaches and parents must adhere to this guideline or they’ll increase the risk of injury in their child or players.
[framedbox]References and Further Reading:
- “How Many Pitches Should I Allow My Child to Throw?” James R. Andrews, M.D. and Glenn Fleisig, Ph.D. American Sports Medicine Institute (1996)
- “Longitudinal study of elbow and shoulder pain in youth baseball pitchers.” Stephen Lyman, GLenn. S. Fleisig, John W. Waterbor, Ellen M. Funkhouser, Leavonne Pulley, James R. Andrews, E. David Osinski, and Jeffrey M. Roseman. American Sports Medicine Institute (2001)
- “Relationships between Throwing Mechanics and Shoulder Distraction in Professional Baseball Pitchers.” Sherry L. Werner, PhD, Thomas J. Gill, MD, Tricia A. Murray, Timothy D. Cook, MS and Richard J. Hawkins, MD. The American Journal of Sports Medicine (2001)[/framedbox]
Jonathan Meltzer graduated from the University of Redlands with a bachelor of arts in biology and a minor in physical education. Following graduation, Jonathan discovered his passion for physical therapy while working as a Physical Therapy Aide. After graduating top of his class from Loma Linda University in 2012 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, Jonathan began his career at Rausch Physical Therapy and Sports Performance. Jonathan’s goals are to identify limitations and treat his patients with the most recent and innovative techniques in order to maximize functional independence and obtain his patients’ individual goals.
How to Prevent Postural Pain in Cyclists
Remember the days when you could turn your neck to look behind you as you backed out of a parking space? Or when you could look down and actually see your feet without bending forward? Your inability to make simple movements now-a-days may be a symptom of “Pedal Pushers Postural Pain Syndrome.” It’s what happens when you ride a bike for eight hours per week while also working 55 hours in an office chair. You know the feeling—that lovely stiffness, neck pain, and burning between your shoulder blades that’s oh-so magical.[one_half]Let’s do some quick math to determine how much time the average cyclist spends sitting every day. As an example, let’s use Ted; Ted sells insurance by day and loves to ride his mountain bike in the evenings… and binge watch Real Housewives of Orange County. (No judgement, here.) So, Ted’s daily sitting time looks something like this:
- Drive to work = 1 hour
- Work = 8 hours
- Drive home = 1 hour
- Bike ride = 2 hours
- TV time = 2 hours
- Daily total = 14 hours! In just one day!
[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]If this sounds eerily familiar, (except maybe you prefer Keeping up with the Kardashians over Real Housewives) consider this: the human body was never designed to sit in a chair for extended periods of time. In fact, our bodies were designed to stand or squat, but not sit.
Sitting for a long time can lead to tight hip flexors, weak butt muscles, and a stiff spine. Ouch. However, I have great news! This stuff is easily fixable; you just have to be diligent and willing to make a few small changes that will significantly improve your quality of life.
Kevin’s Seven Tips for Phasing Out Pedal Pushers Postural Pain:
- Get UP! Walk, move, and stretch every 30 minutes throughout your work day.
- Take conference calls standing up. Get a wireless headset and pace your office while listening to your boss ramble. Just make sure to put it on mute and watch where you’re going!
- Do Yoga or Pilates during your lunch break. Many studios offer abbreviated lunch-time classes for just this reason. I cannot tell you how nice it is to walk on over to ABC Pilates at noon and stretch out my stress.
- Learn to love your foam roll. Stretch and foam roll every night. You can buy one for cheap and work out that tension while you’re on your fourth episode of the night.
- Get massages frequently. Tissue work helps to clean up the bogginess in your fascia (the connective tissue fibers that surround your muscles) and will have immediate pain relieving effects.
- Stretch your hip flexors and strengthen your butt.
- Get a great Bike Fit! A proper Bike Fit is a valuable service. These pros can make the necessary adjustments to your machine that will help with comfort, injuries and power output. You can google around for local bike shop that does Bike Fits, or if you’re in South Orange County check out Rausch PT’s tried and true favorites:
Yes, new bikes are pretty, but spend some time on the motor that pushes your bike along: YOU! The more dedicated you are to making these simple changes, the better you’ll feel and the faster, better and longer you’ll ride. To get you started, I’ve made a free cycling-specific exercise program to help with postural pain. Go to www.homeprograms.net, and the login information is:
Your Email Address: bikerider@bike.com
Your Clinic ID: 1006
So get on it and start taking care of your motor today. It totally deserves it.
All the best to your health,
As the president and founder of Rausch Physical Therapy & Sports Performance, Kevin Rausch, PT, MPT takes great pride in the care of every single patient he treats. Kevin specializes in sacroiliac joint dysfunctions, running and cycling injuries, and return-to-sport planning for athletes. Since the first day he opened his clinic in 2006, Kevin has strived to provide the best in care, service and technology so as to strengthen his patients’ total body health and get them back to doing what they love.