Matt Heyliger, DPT is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve talked to when it comes to climbing-related injuries and rehab. We talked about climbing together in Ten Sleep, how he is currently helping me treat carpal tunnel syndrome, how to achieve long-term health and performance, his skiing injury and the eyeball story, top recommendations for climbers, lessons from living in Spain, and much more.

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Show Notes:  

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-heyliger

Nuggets:

0:06:01 – Camping iterations

0:08:29 – Daughters, and fairy house construction

0:10:06 – Spending a year in Spain, landing in Red Lodge Montana, and the bear den story

0:14:13 – Moose battles, and mountain biking

0:15:29 – The campsite, and our cold weather sends

0:18:53 – An introduction to Matt and his path to physical therapy

0:26:31 – How Matt diagnoses an injury (using my carpal tunnel as an example), and what Matt noticed about my shoulder mechanics

0:38:54 – The skill of injury assessment

0:40:15 – Tissue capacity vs. biomechanics, and ironing out issues early on in your climbing

0:45:35 – Why you should pick up heavy stuff

0:47:26 – Combining loading and optimal mechanics for long-term health and performance

0:49:41 – The path forward for me to fix my carpal tunnel

0:55:21 – Matt’s thoughts on manipulations and chiropractic work

0:59:46 – Imaging in diagnosing injuries, and when imaging can be overused

1:01:36 – Getting attached to a diagnosis

1:04:06 – A bit about pain science, and the importance of hope

1:06:48 – Language cues and mindset

1:10:16 – How chest opening and mobilizing the thoracic spine will likely help fix my carpal tunnel

1:12:12 – How to get my lower trapezius firing again, and the role of dry needling

1:16:59 – My rehab plan for Hueco

1:19:15 – Matt’s hopes for me in returning to Ten Sleep next year

1:22:22 – Why mobility comes before strength

1:25:26 – When to fit stretching into your schedule

1:28:36 – Antagonist training, finger loading, and having a rest day movement activity

1:32:23 – Yoga recommendations for climbers, and having a simple movement practice

1:38:27 – The eyeball story

1:58:16 – Spain

2:05:01 – Embracing the slower pace

2:08:46 – Work-life balance, and the emotional investment of doing work that you love

2:16:36 – Matt’s vision for his PT business

2:18:53 – Where to connect with Matt (mattheyliger.com)

2:19:56 – How to find a good PT

2:22:43 – Matt’s current climbing goal, and getting excited about performance climbing

2:29:35 – Wrap up