PREhab

I used to work at a gym that really focused on what they liked to call "Prehab". Meaning, work on things to prevent injuries so you never really have to get to the rehab stage.

A few months back when I was dealing with my ITB injury, I sought help from Jennifer Keefer at Village Physio. Jen is a friend of mine and it just so happens that she is a really great athlete (runner, biker). Her knowledge amazes me and after 1 or 2 treatments with Jen, I was all better! The ITB hasn't been an issue since. A week or so ago I was complaining about a slight hamstring issue that never really resulted in anything long term. During that time however I made an appointment to go see Jen. Even though my hamstring issue was gone by the time I saw her today, I knew she would have a lot of good insight into where I am at currently with my body. I wanted her to assess me to determine possible muscle imbalances, tightness, and weakness. I am now starting to really ramp up my time spent running. I want to make sure I am going into these next 3 months healthy and free of anything that could lead to chronic injury.

I always learn so much about my body when I go to Jen. Today I learned that my whole body is kind of rotated to the left. Obviously, that is not something you can see but it is something that needs to be dealt with. My right glute is still weak/tight. The right side of my back is very tight and I don't rotate as well to the right as I do to the left. I also have anterior rotated shoulders (as do most runners) with my right one being more significantly rotated than my left. To top it all off, My ribs were quite compressed!!!! We finished off the session with some IMS (intra muscular stimulation) which is sort of like acupuncture but different. I have found it to be highly effective at getting tight muscles to relax.

If you are fortunate enough to have extended benefits, and physio is covered or a portion of it is covered, I wouldn't wait until an injury occurs to go get an assessment. If you know the right physio, they may just help prevent an injury from occurring by correcting simple biomechanical imbalances.

For anyone who is interested:

Jen Keefer Profile:

Jen is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy (2000) and a Bachelor of Human Kinetics (1999). In 2004 she furthered her skills by becoming a Resident of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Therapist and completing her training as a certified practitioner of Intramuscular Stimulation using the Gunn Needling Technique.
Jen is passionate about sport, a passion that has taken her to the pro-elite level of competition in mountain biking and running, while still having fun recreationally by snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and playing soccer

See you in the trails!