Best Physical Therapy in Petaluma for Athletes and Active Adults
Introduction
Finding the Best Physical Therapy in Petaluma
Many athletes and active adults will experience injury at some point in their life. In fact, many times we mislabel these injuries as a 'pain' or an 'ache'. But make no mistake, dealing with pain that prevents you from performing in your sport or activity would be considered an injury.
The most common issues facing active adults and athletes involve the major joints of the body. These are often felt in the low back, the knee, and the shoulder. These injuries can occur suddenly, such as injuring one's back while shoveling snow, or can come on more slowly and without a known cause, such as soreness in the knee after harder workouts.
Whether it's something the athlete knows from previous experience, or simply recommended by their physician, these injuries will often lead the athlete or active adult to seek out a physical therapist in Petaluma to help them return to training or sport.
While on the outside it may seem that care for an injury would be standardized, in reality not all physical therapy is created equal. In fact, ending up in the wrong physical therapy clinic could slow down your recovery, or even worse, lead to a less than full recovery requiring further medical intervention (such as injections or surgery).
Athletes and active adults looking to return to their same level of performance often need more specialized physical therapy services, rather than just simple pain relief.
At BaseCamp Performance Co. in Petaluma, we regularly work with athletes from Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, and across Sonoma and Marin County, who want to return to training, sport, and a highly active lifestyle.
Our goal in this post is to help you understand the difference between great care and average care, and understand how to ensure you find the best clinic for your needs.
What Injuries Active Adults Commonly Experience
Common Injuries Treated by Physical Therapists in Petaluma
Low Back Pain in Active Adults
Low back pain affects nearly 80% of Americans in their lifetime. It can be even more prevalent in highly active populations - oftentimes it is the combination of training, lifting weights, and an otherwise sedentary lifestyle that creates problems for these individuals.
Low back pain is the #1 most common injury that we rehab at BaseCamp Performance Co. Whether it's simply tightness that you feel in the center of your back, a pinched nerve, or sciatica symptoms, back pain is incredibly common amongst the patients we see.
Oftentimes the source of a lower back injury is not in the spine itself. While imaging may indicate an injury to the spine (such as a herniated disc, compressed nerve, or arthritic changes), the root cause of the injury is typically elsewhere. It's very common for us to see limited hip mobility or weak glute strength, along with poor core stabilization capabilities.
This is one of the things that separates the best sports physical therapists in Petaluma - the ability to identify the root cause of the injury. If you end up in a clinic that solely focuses on the symptoms you're feeling, it's a sure sign that you're in an average physical therapy clinic.
Knee Injuries and ACL Tears
Knee injuries are incredibly common in our sports physical therapy clinic here in Petaluma. These injuries can range from the most common running injuries - such as runner's knee - to the more feared and serious injuries, such as an ACL tear.
The knee is instrumental to nearly all sports movements, leading to overuse and excessive stress. This is especially true in the running population. There's a reason it 's called runner's knee! The repetitive stress that running places on the knee creates an easy environment for overuse and pain.
Once again, the best sports physical therapists focus on addressing the root cause. Similar to the spine, the knee is subjected to stresses from other components of the body. Weak or tight hips, previous ankle injuries, and running form can all be contributors to knee pain.
Not only do we focus on addressing these root causes, but we also stress knowing when an athlete is ready to return to their sport. Guessing based on lengthy progressions is no longer good enough, and has lead to high re-tear rates in ACL injuries. At BaseCamp Performance Co., we ensure all of our athletes receive objective testing to determine exactly when they are ready to return to their sport. This is what helps to separate us from the pack, and one of the many reasons we were voted the Best Physical Therapy clinic in Petaluma.
Shoulder Injuries in Athletes
The shoulder is a unique joint, in that it is the most mobile joint in the body. It's mobility allows us to do amazing things, such as throwing a baseball, lifting weights overhead, or pulling ourselves through the water effortlessly.
To have a strong and robust shoulder that can withstand the demands of sport is no easy feat. The unique mobility demands of the shoulder require both unhindered range of motion, with robust strength and stabilization. When any of these components is off, the individual will begin to compensate.
This is especially true for overhead athletes. Whether you are a pitcher, a CrossFitter, or just someone who likes to get some laps in each week, if you begin to lose range of motion or stability in the shoulder, you'll quickly begin to feel the 'pinching' sensation that plagues many of our patients.
When approaching a shoulder injury rehab, it's incredibly important to understand the unique demands of the sport that you're looking to return to. Most physical therapists should be able to help you restore your range of motion, but different sports have different demands, which leads to different rehab programs.
This is another hallmark sign of the best physical therapists in Petaluma and the surrounding areas: individualized care. If your physical therapist prescribes the same program for a swimmer and a golfer, then it's time to start looking elsewhere for help.
A proper sports injury practice will have the expertise to help you with the unique demands of your sport, as well as the equipment needed to be able to return to sport safely. If your sport requires you to throw a ball upward of 80 miles per hour, and the heaviest weight in the clinic is 10 lbs, then how can you return to sport safely?
Running Injuries
Runners are the biggest population that we see at BaseCamp Performance Co. In fact, each year, over half of all runners will sustain an injury of some form.
The most common injuries we see in runners in our Petaluma office are runner's knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome), IT Band syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, and Achilles Tendon issues (tendinitis, tendinopathy).
Many runners in Petaluma and Santa Rosa experience these issues as they increase their running mileage. It's no secret that we've got some of the best terrain for running in the country, which means there are plenty of local races to choose from. All of those options typically leads to overtraining for many of our runners, leading them to develop one of the above injuries.
Why These Injuries Occur
Why Athletes and Active Adults Get Injured
As we discussed above, what got injured, and why it got injured, are two very different questions.
The best physical therapists answer both of these questions, while average injury rehab looks at simply addressing the symptoms through passive modalities.
The most common factors we see as root causes for the above injuries are:
- Strength Imbalances
- Training errors (movement quality, inappropriate loading, etc.)
- Compensatory movement strategies
- Lack of recovery
Sure, some injuries occur as a result of a traumatic impact. When an athlete gets stepped on and sprains their ankle, there isn't much to be said about the root cause of the injury. But when a knee begins to hurt after a heavy training session, or an athlete's low back begins to be cranky each morning, it suggests a deeper mechanism is underlying the issue.
An example: A runner with knee pain may actually have minimal range of motion of their hip, leading to increased stress on the knee to make up for this motion. Or flat feet, requiring the knee to act more to stabilize the leg. Or poor running mechanics, leading to too high of force entering the knee joint itself. Each of these is a possibility, including several of them in combination. If the true root cause is not identified, however, returning to sport at full capacity is highly unlikely, leading to frustration for the athlete.
At BaseCamp Performance Co., we spend a full-hour during each session with our patients. This allows us to have the time needed to appropriately and accurately identify these root causes. Because of this, our athletes can return to sport at their best, without fear of reinjury.
Common Mistakes People Make When Choosing Physical Therapy
Choosing the Most Convenient Clinic
Location can be a major factor in deciding where to seek care. Considering you'll be going into the office 2-3 times per week, you'll want something that works within your schedule and is convenient. While location is important, however, it shouldn't be a large factor in making your decision.
Many of our patients find that because of the individualized care at BaseCamp Performance Co., we're able to provide better results in less frequent visits - typically 1 per week. As a result, they are willing to drive much further, and it actually becomes more convenient for them to seek care with us, even if its less conveniently located. Making your decision based on the quality of care is critical to ensuring you get the outcome you're looking for.
Receiving General Exercise Programs
If you have general goals - such as getting back to simple activities like going for a walk, gardening, or being able to go out in the community, then a generalized exercise program might be sufficient for your needs. However, if your goals include sport, training in the gym, or longevity in the activities you love, then you'll need individualized exercise programs.
It's no secret that you can find many of the answers to your questions through internet searches and AI chats. Where these options fall short is in ensuring that the exercise is specific to your goals, and fits your movement. We've had countless instances of seeing a patient's progress really take off when we make a subtle change to something they've already tried. Details matter, and make a huge difference during sport rehab.
Ending Rehab Too Early
Typically, injury rehab is considered to be 'finished' when the patient no longer feels pain and can do most of the activities they could before their injury. This, however, is short-sighted, as it sets the patient up for running into the same issue in the future. It's necessary to build more resilience against an injury by creating increased strength, endurance, and coordination, so that this injury does not again occur in the future.
The greatest risk for any injury is previous injury. Incomplete rehab that stops at only addressing symptoms increases the likelihood of future injury. At BaseCamp Performance Co., once an athlete returns to their 'baseline', that's when the real performance therapy begins. Many of our patients continue on to our Training For Life program, which provides them with the tools to prevent future injuries and to build longevity in their sport or activities.
Not Addressing Performance
Speaking of performance - if high degrees of strain are not placed on the body, then we are not developing the resilience needed to return to sport or other high-level activities. This is especially true for athletes playing competitively, or looking to return to their best.
Sport requires speed, power, and agility. Throwers who spend time only working on banded exercises will not be adequately prepared for returning to the strain of throwing at high velocity. Ball-sport athletes who don't get challenged with chaotic environments with unpredictable change of direction will not be prepared for the rigors of their sport. For this reason, athletes must find sport physical therapists who have a deeper understanding of the stress of their sport, and can design the rehab plan to mimic these demands. Without it, future injury is likely to occur.
Why Performance Rehabilitation Works Better
As alluded to above, traditional physical therapy focuses on restoring baseline function for most Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This can be a sufficient solution for individuals looking to simply get out of pain and return to activities such as walking, getting around the house, and completing most of their daily chores.
Performance rehabilitation, on the other hand, focuses primarily on the development of strength and coordination to produce efficient movement. It provides sport-specific rehabilitation and training, and high degrees of objective testing to ensure that an athlete is fully prepared to return to sport.
The goal of performance rehab isn't simply to remove pain, but preparing the athlete's body for the demands of sport and training.
How BaseCamp Performance Co. Helps Athletes Recover
1:1 Injury Rehabilitation
At BaseCamp Performance Co., all of our injury rehabilitation takes place directly with a sports rehab provider. Unlike other clinics which employ physical therapy aides (an unlicensed, untrained aide), each visit at BaseCamp is exclusively spent with the rehab professional. This allows us to gain deeper insights into each patient's recovery, helping to unlock the path for their recovery.
Return-to-Sport Progressions
This is where we truly set ourselves apart from other clinics. Most rehab focuses on timelines to assess readiness for returning to sport. Our return-to-sport program at BaseCamp instead uses high-level technology to determine when you're ready to get back on the field. We systematically progress from strength to power, speed, and agility to ensure that your body is ready for the demands of sport. The technology we have access to is the same technology used at the highest levels of sport, allowing us to get a much deeper view into any lingering asymmetries or compensations that might be present.
Collaboration Between Providers
Perhaps the most unique aspect of BaseCamp Performance Co. is the collaborative team of different providers that we have under one roof. Our team is made up of sports rehab chiropractors, performance physical therapists, and strength & conditioning coaches. This allows us to collaborate deeply on each patient, ensuring that they are working with the right provider for their needs.
This all begins during our Discovery Calls - a dedicated time slot where we ask you questions to determine which provider is ultimately the best fit for your rehab needs. This decision isn't taken lightly, as it will have a huge impact on your outcome and rehabilitation journey. Throughout your journey, your case will be discussed amongst our integrative team to ensure that you continue to make rapid progress toward your target goals.
Performance Training Integration
In traditional rehab, once an athlete returns to 'baseline', they are sent off on their way to figure out how to continue forward. At BaseCamp Performance Co., many of our athletes transition to our in-house performance training with our Strength & Conditioning coaches, or stay on with our rehab providers for injury prevention programs. These programs ensure that our athletes continue to improve their performance well beyond where they were before their injury. This ensures a seamless return to sport with heightened resilience and improved performance.
When to Seek A Physical Therapist for Petaluma Athletes
Getting care in a timely manner is critically important. Professional athletes are able to access care immediately, which is one of the major reasons that they are capable of spending less time on the sidelines.
The following are signs that you should seek care:
- Pain lasting longer than 1-2 weeks
- Pain that happens during a specific activity
- Difficulty progressing in your training or exercise due to recurring pain
- Recurring pain or injury to the same body part
- Anytime a surgery is performed
Typically, the faster you are able to access care, the faster you are able to get back into your sport.
Start Your Recovery with A Discovery Call
At BaseCamp Performance Co., each of our patients begin at the same spot - a discovery call with a member from our team.
You'll get the opportunity to talk with a licensed rehab specialist, who will take the time to understand your symptoms and goals, before determining if we're the correct fit for your needs. If we are the right fit, we'll then work to find the best provider on our team for your specific needs.
If we aren't the right fit, we'll refer you to another clinic in the area that we believe to be the best fit for your needs.
The discovery call is completely free, and is our way of ensuring that you get the best care possible, even if it isn't under our roof.
If you're an athlete or active adult dealing with an injury, then schedule your free discovery call with BaseCamp Performance Co. so that we can help you determine the best path forward to returning to sport and the activities you enjoy.