Each month we feature a patient who has made great strides in their health since coming to The Training Room. Matt Linder earned our patient spotlight for June. He has shared his success story with us.
How did you end up at The Training Room?
- I ended up in the training room after a referral from Dr. Franks at Rothman. I had gone 8 weeks with no treatment for a medial collateral ligament injury. He told me that the training room was the best and to go there if I could.
How did this injury impact your activity level?
- Initially, the injury prevented me from daily activities such as getting into and out of the car, walking for any extended period of time, walking with a typical gait, all running or jogging, and any sort of pivoting. I was able to exercise almost never.
What sports/recreation do you enjoy?
- Just about anything outdoors. Football, baseball, soccer, boat fishing, golf, hiking, snowboarding, running.
How much running have you gotten back to doing since your injury?
- I run about twice a week. I’m not a die-hard runner, but it is good cardio exercise and a fairly efficient calorie burner for a busy lifestyle.
What kept you motivated to work hard at your rehab?
- To be honest, all of the physical therapists at The Training Room, as I worked with each several times, had a very friendly style, but also instilled a sense of importance to follow the instructions. Their style made you want to make progress, so as to not let down the trainers. As a behavior analyst, I make many recommendations that people ignore, and we do not see therapeutic change. With another proven science in Physical therapy, it must be difficult when patients do not follow the exercise regimen, resulting in little progress. These components, combined with my desire to resume natural functioning, and the knowledge that these professionals knew what was better for me, contributed massively to my motivation.
What was the best thing you learned from the PT process?
- No questions asked, it was my increased awareness and focus on my glutes firing. At 31, having played most sports, I fancied myself adept at moving quickly on my legs, only to find out how incorrect my running mechanics have been this whole time. With the glutes stabilizing, and the quads only propelling instead of complete overloading on them, I fatigue more slowly while running farther, with less residual soreness.
Below are two activities I was able to do after or at the very end of my physical therapy.
- The first is a fishing charter in Key West. The water was rough resulting in the canceling of fishing trips for the following 3 days, but I was able to stabilize and compensate for the perpetual movement of the boat.
- The second is from a grueling hike in Yosemite three weeks ago. Even before the injury, the hike would have aggravated my patella femoral syndrome, but I was pain-free that day.
Thank you to Matt for Sharing his story. Every patient is different, but you can expect the same level of commitment from our staff that Matt experienced in his recovery. Contact The Training Room today to schedule an evaluation!
