Day 31 - Feb 26th - Testimonial for Physio One

On the Physio One business card there is a subtitle that reads “A revolution in rehab & multisport performance”.  I wish to write a testimonial as to my experience that verifies this claim.

I will be 62 this month and have long since passed the age when I can ignore my body and do anything that I want. About a month ago, on January 26^th, 2013 I was skiing the speed of my age and took a rare fall coming completely out of my bindings and tearing muscle and ligaments in my  left calf.  I could hardly walk after that. 

On Monday January 28^th at 10am, Katherine Coppock, of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce invited me in to the chamber offices to receive the 2013 Triathlete of the Year Sponsorship. As I hobbled in I am sure they thought they had made a mistake.  I assured her that I was once a runner and had just had a ski fall. 

I immediately wanted to start running and start training, but even a week later could still barely walk with my left foot straight forward. 

Part of the CDA Chamber sponsorship was involvement with Tyler Blackwelder and Physio One. I didn’t get to meet them until Friday Feb 15^th of 2013. 

Tyler said that although his bread and butter is physical therapy he is taking a progressive approach and envisions a one place shop where you can be directed to other businesses or facilities for specialized needs as you become a better endurance athlete, or a faster athlete, or move from standard fitness to performance fitness.  For example he is creating a team approach to work with me. One of the things is to consider my range of movement and injuries. He said one thing that would be helpful was running on the AlterG treadmill while I was injured.  I didn’t know at the time how special that was.  Here is a blurb about AlterG. 

AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill usage http://www.alterg.com/.  You have to watch the opening video on this site. This machine isn’t just for Ironman contenders but ordinary people wanting to improve. I am excited to try it. The AlterG uses NASA patented Differential Air Pressure technology which comfortably supports you and 'unweights' your body by as much as 80% (adjustable in 1% increments). This helps the athlete by significantly and precisely reducing ground reaction forces, minimizing discomfort and encouraging movement, allows for an increase in training volume with less impact.  Elite athletes, professional sports teams, and top facilities across the world utilize the AlterG as an essential component of their training and recovery programs and, here at Physio One, we want the same for our patients and clients.

Ten days later on February 25^th I ran outside in the snow for the first time. You can read about it in my blog on “Day 30… Snow Run”.  I commented how “my left leg on the back side of the knee still hurts from the ski fall a month ago now.” Well it really hurt. I didn’t tell all that blog how I felt that I shouldn’t run for sometime and in counseling with others they told me to listen to my body.  However one day later I went to Physio One again and wanted to try running. 

Here is what I did:

10 minutes at a 10:00 min per mile pace warmup

10 minutes at a 6:40 min per mile pace

2 minutes at a 6.0 min per mile pace

10 minutes at a 8.0 min per mile pace

3 minutes at a 13 min per mile pace warmdown

Using the AlterG I set my body weight at 75% then later during the workout to 70%. Now tell me that I could have done that outside. The pain at that speed would have further injured my calf and set me back another week or two. 

The comparison wasn’t that evident the first or second time I ran on the AlterG, but now one day after an outside run that hurt me, it felt dramatic.

This morning, my left calf didn’t hurt or feel any worse from wear or tear. My quads did from the speed workout that I haven’t been able to do for the last month but that was a good feeling.

Furthermore, today, the very minute I finish this testimonial I am going back for another workout on the Alter G. I can’t recommend Physio One with anymore clarity than two days side by side with vastly different results. 

If for any reason you’d like an increase in training volume with less impact I recommend going to Physio One and signed up for a block of AlterG runs. It is well worth it.