Physical Therapy and CrossFit: A Collaboration in Pursuit of Wellness for Everyone
Contributed by Trisha Magee & Kristian DeKruif
REALIFE Physical Therapy & Wellness is partnering with CrossFit Telos to provide a comprehensive approach to recovering from injury and unlocking a person’s full fitness potential. No matter your age, experience, ability, injury, or current fitness level, you are capable of more than you realize. Everyone is.
Are you struggling with an injury, old or new? Dealing with chronic disease? Desiring to pursue an improved fitness level, but aren’t sure where to start? Physical Therapy (often abbreviated “PT”) and CrossFit are TOGETHER uniquely equipped to address those very obstacles, hand-in-hand: prevent injury, establish a new fitness routine, improve the results of an existing routine, change nutrition habits, improve sleep hygiene, restore lost mobility, manage chronic disease, and modulate pain.
Physical Therapy and Wellness: Healing from Injury and So Much More
Physical therapists have a deep understanding of musculoskeletal health, movement mechanics, and functional wellness; they are “movement experts.”
Skilled physical therapy offers limitless benefits: Pain management: PT can help alleviate pain through manual techniques such as joint mobilizations, fascial manipulation, exercise, and modalities such as electrical stimulation or dry needling.
Improved mobility: PT works to restore mobility, allowing a person to move as they were designed to move.
Injury rehabilitation: Whether a sprained ankle, a torn ACL, or a broken bone, PT will guide and direct a person on how to restore mobility, appropriately add stress to those injured tissues, strengthen the affected area, and return to function.
Prevention of surgery: PT can be an alternative to surgery or to help individuals prepare for surgery to give them the best possible outcome.
Management of chronic conditions: PT can provide relief for and teach self-management techniques for chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease.
Physical therapy empowers individuals to take an active role in their own health. This leads to an improvement in a person’s quality of life: regaining lost function, prevention or recovery from injuries, and enhancing their performance at home, work, or play. A physical therapist can determine the most appropriate plan for your specific needs and goals.
CrossFit: Fitness for All
CrossFit is “constantly, varied, high-intensity, functional movement” built on a foundation of nutrition, safety, efficacy, and efficiency. From the elite power lifter to the individual who’s had two knees replaced and one shoulder repaired, the workouts are infinitely scalable, meaning they can be adjusted to fit all ability levels. The competitive weightlifter needs to move several hundred pounds of weight off the floor whereas the 65-year-old needs to pick up a bag of dog food; the needs are the same, but just to a different degree. A certified CrossFit coach will teach proper movement mechanics before progressing weight, repetitions, and/or speed to minimize the risk of injury.
CrossFit’s motivation is to move people away from sickness, into wellness, and onto fitness to protect against the destructive effects of time and disease. Although CrossFit isn’t for EVERYONE, it is for ANYONE. In comparison to other forms of training that might focus or specialize in one or two aspects of fitness, CrossFit incorporates all the physical skills of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
More than just the physical aspects of improving one’s physical fitness, the CrossFit culture is well known for its sense of community. Rather than being a competition among members, there is encouragement and camaraderie, motivating each participant to perform at their individual best. Although many initially join a CrossFit gym to improve some physical aspect of their fitness, most continue to stay for the community they experience.
The collaboration between physical therapy and CrossFit exemplifies a transformative partnership in the world of fitness and wellness. By focusing on injury prevention, customized training programs, seamless rehabilitation integration, performance optimization, and inclusivity for all ability levels, this collaboration empowers individuals to achieve their fitness goals that lead to healthier, more fulfilling lives. If you’ve ever hesitated to explore CrossFit or physical therapy, consider the unique benefits of integrating these expert services into your wellness journey. Together, physical therapy and CrossFit are poised to guide you to transforming your life.