The Resilient Athlete Project

Lower back pain is one of the most common things we treat as Physical Therapists. Basically everyone deals with back pain at some point and it can be very frustrating.

We've had a lot of success treating low back pain so today we'll talk about how to deal with it. We'll start with general recommendations and give you some background about low back pain. Then we'll get into a case study that will put everything in context and show you these ideas in action with a real patient.

There are a lot of myths out there about back pain so we hope this episode helps clear some things up and makes you a smarter and more resilient athlete.

Here are some resources mentioned in the episode. As always, please reach out with any questions.

Our blog: https://www.wagnerptp.com/blog/does-core-stability-help-with-back-pain

Bodylogicphysio. (2013 April 4). Peter O’Sullivan and core stability [video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YezBG_NdLgs

Charlie Dickson. (2021 February 19). Core stability: does it matter? Barbell Medicine. https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/core-stability-does-it-matter/

Greg Lehman-Movement Optimism. (2020 June 6). 10 issues with core stability and low back pain [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tolxdFQ35j8

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For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Disclaimer:

Please note that this podcast contains my opinions and those of my guests. While I strive to provide the most efficacious, evidence informed and effective information possible, this podcast is not medical advice and should not be used as such. Any application of this material is done at the listeners own risk and no patient/practic relationship is created. 

Please consult a medical provider if you are dealing with pain, injury or any other medical condition. 

Any patient information shared is done with full consent. 

Wagner PT & Performance, LLC is not responsible for any damages resulting from improper use of information on this podcast. 

This episode covers one of the frameworks we use to think about ACL rehab. This is definitely not the only way we approach ACL rehab, but it is a really useful way to conceptualize the whole process. It's based on a specific article from 2020 that you can find linked in the companion blog.

In this episode, we'll talk about how long ACL rehab takes, what the 10 stages are, what we are looking for in each stage and much more. Please share this with anyone in your life who has questions about ACL rehab or is going through it right now.

Some of this episode is a bit technical so we also created a companion blog to make all this information easier to digest.

Read the blog here

Please reach out with any questions by submitting a form on our contact page

Disclaimer:

Please note that this podcast contains my opinions and those of my guests. While I strive to provide the most efficacious, evidence informed and effective information possible, this podcast is not medical advice and should not be used as such. Any application of this material is done at the listeners own risk and no patient/practitioner relationship is created. Please consult a medical provider if you are dealing with pain, injury or any other medical condition. Any patient information shared is done with full consent. Wagner PT & Performance, LLC is not responsible for any damages resulting from improper use of information on this podcast. 

We're back with another episode to help you become a more resilient athlete!

On this episode, we discuss how to interpret imaging findings (x-ray, MRI, etc.) when arthritis and other "degenerative changes" are found. Spoiler alert: they don't matter as much as you think. 

We think this is really valuable information so please share with your friends and family and reach out on our website or social media if you have any questions

Enjoy!

Don't forget to subscribe and share!

For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Concussions can be a confusing topic. At Wagner PT & Performance, we specialize in working with youth athletes recovering from a concussion so in this episode Dr. Wagner covers 3 important concussion misconceptions. It is vital that youth athletes, parents, coaches, etc. understand what a concussion is, why concussions need treatment and how to return to sports safely. 

Thanks for listening and please share this episode with anyone you know who is involved in youth sports. No athlete should go without the resources they need!

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For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

For this episode, my friend Lenny Macrina joins me to discuss arm care programs. Lenny has extensive experience working with athletes of all levels and covers incredibly valuable information in this episode. We discuss what arm care programs are, what should be included, how to measure progress, how things change for different sports and much more. 

If you play baseball, softball or any other sport that uses the shoulders and arms heavily (swimming, volleyball, etc.) you really won't want to miss the information in this episode. 

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For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Lenny's Full bio: 

Lenny Macrina has been a practicing physical therapist since 2003 and currently serves as the co-founder and the Director of Physical Therapy at Champion PT and Performance

He has worked side-by-side with renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, MD and prominent physical therapist Kevin Wilk.  Through these interactions, he has grown to be well-respected in the field of orthopedic and sports medicine rehabilitation.  His interests include research and rehabilitation of the shoulder, elbow and knee joints.  He has successfully treated many orthopedic and sports medicine related injuries that are both post-operative and non-operative in nature, in recreational athletes to the high-level professional athletes.

Lenny is a board certified sports physical therapist by the American Physical Therapy Association and a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.  In 2010, he was nominated by his peers to be included in the prestigious American Sports Medicine Fellowship Society which includes top fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists.  Along with maintaining a full clinic schedule, he actively participates in clinical research with the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL and has co-authored various current concept papers, book chapters, research papers and a home study course for the APTA’s Orthopedic section.   He is a peer reviewer for the esteemed JOSPT and has reviewed rehabilitation textbooks and research papers for that journal.

Lenny has participated in yearly spring training physicals and data collection for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization for the last 10 years.  Through this research, he has been involved in numerous published articles in journals including: AJSM, JOSPT, Journal of Sports Health, Journal of Athletic Training, CORR, Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine, and many others.  He has presented at various national conferences including APTA’s Combines Sections Meeting, ASMI’s “Injuries in Baseball Course”, and also has a weekend course titled Current Concepts in the rehabilitation of the glenohumeral joint for Physiotherapy Associates.  He has served as rehabilitation Consultant for DJO Global’s Recovery Sciences Division and has traveled all over the US to lecture on Rehabilitation topics for the shoulder and knee.

Lenny received his Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his Master’s degree in physical therapy from Boston University.  He continues to enhance his education by taking classes from UMass-Amherst’s MBA program and Coursera’s free online MOOC series on Management.

Lenny firmly believes that the patient comes first, no matter the circumstances.  Growing up in Winthrop, MA, he understands the intricacies of the local healthcare system and vows to do everything he can to serve with accountability and render the best care available.

This time of year, we get a lot of questions about in-season vs. off-season training because our youth athletes are back in school and schedules get crazy!

For this episode, Dr. Wagner goes over some of the most important things that need to be different in your training in-season vs. off-season. It's so important to train year round, but that means you need to know what you are doing! Be sure to listen to this episode so you can avoid mistakes with your strength and conditioning training no matter what time of year it is. 

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For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Alan Fredendall. Alan is a Physical Therapist, CrossFit athlete, owner of Health HQ in Fenton, MI and COO of the Institute of Clinical Excellence, a continuing education company for Physical Therapists. 

We discuss what heart rate variability is, why it matters, how you can use it to optimize your own training, performance and recovery and much more! Alan is extremely well-versed in the research and practical applications for HRV and this episode is full of excellent information. 

Don't miss out and remember to share with friends and family!

Don't forget to subscribe and share!

For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

In this episode, Dr. Wagner goes through some common misconceptions about low back pain, why they are problematic and how we can do better. 

Low back pain is very common and we see it all the time at Wagner PT & Performance. We believe it is so important for you as the patients and healthcare consumers out there to be getting good, evidence based information from experts who work hard to stay up to date with current trends and evidence. That is what we are striving to do with episodes like this. Thanks for listening and please share with anyone who needs this information!

We hope this episode is helpful and please reach out with any questions. 

Don't forget to subscribe and share!

For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

On this solo episode, I cover 3 of the most important reasons youth athletes need to be strength training. 

A good strength and conditioning program is such a huge part of success as a youth athlete. Not only do we know strength training is completely safe for youth athletes, but it can be argued that not strength training is dangerous because we are not doing all we can to reduce risk of injuries. 

I hope you enjoy the episode and please be sure to share it with the youth athletes and parents in your life. 

Don't forget to subscribe and share!

For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

For this episode, Matt West joins me for a deep dive into all things breathing. Matt is a trainer/coach who primarily works with athletes and runners and we are both fascinated by the role breathing and breath work plays in health and performance. 

We talk about why breathing matters, sympathetic vs. parasympathetic dominance, breath work strategies for posture, mechanics, aerobic efficiency, stress management and much more! 

We mention a few resources during this episode. They are linked below.

Breath work blog

Dr. Andrew Huberman breath work

James Nestor Book (Breath) 

Shift//Adapt website 

Matt was also on a previous episode of the podcast. You can listen to that HERE

Don't forget to subscribe and share!

For more information about Wagner PT & Performance, visit www.wagnerptp.com

Also follow us on social media by searching Wagner PT & Performance on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.