Jackie came to us over a year ago. She, like many others who come are way are at their wits end with the pain they are dealing with. She was frustrated and willing to do anything to make the pain go away.
Here is her story…
Jackie was dealing with Tennis Elbow and lower back pain for a long time and was ready to do something about it, so she gave us a call.
“I had to reduce my pickle ball playing and found myself avoiding use of that arm and using my left arm instead on many tasks. I lived with chronic back pain and my elbow was sore nearly 24/7..” (She is a ninja on the court…)
It took quite some time, but she made it to the point where the elbow was no longer “a thing” and her back was really making strides in the right direction.
“I now have zero elbow pain. I am not hampered in any way in my physical exercise or limited in what I can do. My body in general is stronger and the exercise program has helped my physical endurance. I am back to running and although my back is sometimes cranky, it is way more infrequent and does not limit me in my daily life.”
We like to pride ourselves on being a different kind of PT so we asked her what she felt set us apart.
This is what she had to say…
“I love the app with the daily exercise program, as well as the accompanying videos to remind me how to do the exercises correctly. I love that there is a place on the app to give feedback, or ask questions and the response time to any questions I have is amazing! Any time that I have a concern with an exercise, or feel that it is uncomfortable in any way Loni is quick to adjust the exercise, or switch it to a different one.”
We change lives, period. Our programs are set to make people successful in every way possible. We don’t just get people back to baseline, because who wants to be baseline…
We asked her how life is different now that she is on this program.
“It has been life changing for me. I recently went skiing in the Austrian Alps and skied all day for a 6 days with no sore muscles or restrictions. I was the only one in my group to not be suffering from sore quads from the long alpine ski runs! It is amazing how strong I’ve become and how my body has responded to the exercise program.”
Keep reading, it gets better!
Given the availability of information in the media, most of us know that strength training can help people live longer, healthier, more active lives. This was a real result that we are so proud of!
“More importantly, I have been dealing with osteoporosis for many years, and have been taking medication up until 1 year ago. I recently had a bone scan and found that my bone mass had not only stabilized, but improved. My doctor was surprised to see this, and realized that it was my daily PT routine with Infinite Potential – the weight bearing exercise – that resulted in the improvement in my bone mass. As I said, it has been life changing!”
Jackie and I discussed that the medication she was on could have also contributed but she expressed that there is no doubt that strength exercise was the missing link that made the difference for her.
“If you are committed to getting stronger and feeling better, I strongly recommend you do this program. It has improved my lifestyle incredibly.”
Jackie has been such a pleasure to work with. She worked incredibly hard and overcame her aches and pains. She learned how to self manage at times and push her comfort zones, which can be challenging at times.
Thank you, Jackie, for trusting the process and continuing to work hard in every aspect of what we do together. I continue to look forward to seeing you make strides towards being as active as hell as you go throughout life!
It’s been quite a while since we did a client highlight so we are well overdue! This marks restart of a fabulous tradition where we highlight client success stories on the regular. People enter our office feeling frustrated and in pain, and over time they typically transition into feeling in control, empowered, and resilient. This series highlight those who are willing to share their stories with us our audience their own words.
Meet Andy
Andy was.. well, in his words, “I’m your typical middle aged white guy, just trying to live a pain-free life.”
Andy dealt with lower back soreness and pain. This led to trouble walking for long distances, and swinging a golf club. It also meant just simply bending to pick something up or rolling in bed, led to a shot of pain.
“My back effected all of my activities, from working out and hiking to simply standing and talking to people. Additionally, I didn’t sleep well…”
Andy ironically has a son who is a PT, which is where his at-home, self-help treatment started. His son reached out to me and told me that I need to see his dad because he felt he needed something more than what he could give him.
“The program pushed my limits. Initially we started slowly with stretching and then started to add weight training and intensity. I experienced some ups and downs with treatment, and some setbacks. But, with Loni’s help, we moved through those issues and now I am virtually symptom free.”
Andy was asked how the program was different than what he had experienced in the past for PT.
“The at home program was very helpful. The mobile app provided me with a structure and enough subtle pressure to keep me stretching and lifting as prescribed. We tweaked the program based on what worked and didn’t work.”
Andy was a great client because he not only trusted the process, but he also was honest about what he felt wasn’t working and what was. He was open to new options and pivoting his plan as long as it was in line with his goals.
“Life is so different without pain. I’m back to “normal” activities without having to think about my limitations, or feel sore afterwards. You notice pain. The good news is that I’m no longer noticing…I’m just doing.”
It is so great when someone finally turns a corner and notices that they, well, don’t notice “it” (their pain) anymore. If you have ever been in pain, you know what I mean.
“Loni was great to work with. She’s very smart, organized, prepared, engaging and fun. I looked forward to treatment sessions, and trusted that her work would lead to a good outcome…which it did!”
He even said I was fun! Look at that.
Andy was a one of a kind patient. He followed the plan, worked diligently on everything we discussed. He evolved both mentally and physically which I feel, was the true turning point to his recovery out of pain. The mental hurdles someone faces when dealing with pain are sometimes enormous and despite some work, he was a true testament this concept. Being his PT, he challenged me. He really made me think about how to approach his back pain and I thank him for being someone who made me a better PT, despite sometimes being a pain in the… 😉 (Just kidding, Andy.)
Thank you, Andy, for being a great client. I look forward to continuing to help you stay pain-free and strong for a lifetime.
Remember our Strength Coach, Pippa? She recently moved on to a new and exciting adventure to join the Curry College Nursing program! She begins her first semester in January 2022!
We do things a bit differently here at Infinite Potential PT. Some of you who are reading this have been here, some of you have not. We want to be sure that you all are either reminded or made aware of the way we roll here at IP. We also think that it’s about time to reintroduce ourselves.
What’s our method?
First, put out the fire. We use manual therapy, light exercise and self at home treatment to help get the pain down.
Second, we find the true cause. Work on improving the root cause of the issue so it can truly heal and improve. We are always continuing to evaluate and re-evaluate to make sure we are on the right path and are uncovering all of the issues.
Third, we create the long-term fix. Most people come in with the goal of never having their problem come back. This is fairly realistic if you are doing the right things along the way. Every patient’s plan progresses towards a long term strength training path to really keep their issue from ever coming back.
What sets us apart from the traditional PT model?
We specialize in working with active people! The majority of our population is active in the gym or in sports. Our clients are motivated individuals who are looking to help the pain that is negatively affecting their ability to do what they love.
We work people. What does not challenge you, does not change you. If you are coming to PT, your goals are likely to get better. If you aren’t pushed a bit, you won’t reach your goals. We use a combination of manual therapy and exercise to help people but love to transition as soon as possible to barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.
We work with people from sideline to starting line, from the bedside to the barbell. We know how to take you from feeling your worst to feeling ready to work at your best and beyond. In most traditional models, you are cut off once you can go about your daily life without limitation. That doesn’t work for most of our patients. Many times, pain only happens when you reach that 10th mile on a run, or with that big challenge at the gym. We know how to help you throughout the entire process and won’t stop until you are completely satisfied with how you feel.
Why do we get great results?
We use our knowledge and resources to follow people from the beginning of their pain experience to their path of prevention. Most clients begin as physical therapy clients and end as training clients. We help bridge the gap between rehab and training. The best path to pain prevention is strength training!
What would be your path?
In pain and limited, transitioning to…
Out of pain but still limited, transitioning to…
Stronger but still not 100%, transitioning to…
100% but baseline is BS so you then work with a strength coach to keep the gains rolling so your pain doesn’t come back.
It’s no mystery that we are fans of resistance training at IPPTW. And it’s not only because it keeps us strong.There’s a whole lot of other benefits to training with load, and I’m here to dive onto a few…
Improve flexibility
This one might be a little confusing. We don’t typically associate resistance training with flexibility. However, especially when focusing on full range of motion, resistance training will promote flexibility, and has proved in some cases to be superior to static stretching.
Increase bone density
We need to do load bearing resistance training to keep our bones strong, its physics! Especially as we age, it is important to combat bone wasting with lifting in ways that load our skeleton- squats, deadlifts, lunges, push ups, etc. , etc.
Improve BP and Sugars
Compared to other forms of exercise, resistance training proves to be superior for managing bood sugar levels long term. A combination of resistance training and endurance training has shown to lower blood pressure just as much as antihypertensive medications, and in theory, should have longer lasting effects
Sleep More!
Lifting helps us sleep better. In fact, compared to the non lifter, a person who regularly strength trains is less likely to have poor sleep quality. Sleep is so important for so many reasons, but more as it relates to physical therapy and what I do on a daily basis, it is important for managing pain. Sleep deprivation has been linked to higher levels of inflammation and pain, and therefore is a factor when I’m treating an injury.
Improve mental health
Resistance exercise training has been shown to greatly reduce depressive symptoms in adults regardless of health status, total volume of training, or significant improvements in strength. Getting stronger is great for both the physical and mental body.
Aging Well
In addition to balance training and functional exercise, resistance training is one of the most effective types of exercise to age gracefully. By working on making strong muscles, we can help combat and reverse the adverse effects of aging, while preventing future disability and injury! Simply put, strong=less fragile.
