Don’t wait for an injury to keep you from crossing your finish line! Incorporating regular prehab maintenance care into your training schedule is one of the most effective ways to proactively avoid injury, maximize your potential, and achieve your peak performance.

Many endurance athletes wait until their bodies are at the point of breaking down before proactively seeking professional help. We tell ourselves, “I don’t need physical therapy. I’m not injured.” We mistakenly think we’re “healthy” until the point when we can no longer train for our sport.

Optimal function is everything an individual needs and wants to do on a daily basis. Oftentimes, endurance athletes are not functioning at an optimal level due to the repetitive movements and daily stresses of training. You know that nagging soreness in your hamstrings, or the periodic pain in your knees, or the tightness in your hips? Your body is telling you that something is imbalanced—and it’s those initial aches and pains that can become something bigger that hampers your performance and possibly prevents you from crossing the finish line.

The good news is, you can reverse the repetitive stress of training. Incorporating prehabilitation – or “prehab” – into your training regimen is one of the most effective ways to minimize limitations, which in turn allows you to train consistently at maximum effort and feel more prepared for your race. A few simple tweaks can mean a modest—if not significant—PR. Who doesn’t love that?

How does prehab work?
We start by using state-of-the-art Optojump Gait Analysis technology to evaluate the cause and effect of your movement patterns and imbalances throughout the kinetic chain. Based on your unique findings, we develop a customized maintenance program that draws from all of the tools in our Functional Toolbox:

  • 3D Exercises to Build Strength, Mobility, Flexibility, Balance and Endurance
  • Manual Soft Tissue Work to Restore Tissue Health and Movement, including Active Release Techniques and Soft Tissue Treatment
  • Home Exercise Programs to Optimize Recovery

How often should I come in?
The frequency differs for everyone based on your current movement patterns and performance goals. Most people come in once a week for prehab work, although everyone can benefit from monthly or bi-monthly appointments to check in with your physical therapist, review your home exercise program, and utilize all of the tools in our Functional Toolbox.