Weekly Blog Posts
Wellness Programming
For this week, I am going to have a shameless plug for my Wellness Program. When I launched Kinetic Physical Therapy, I launched it with the mission statement to help people achieve their best self through healthy living and better understanding of their bodies. I want to fuse my physical therapy knowledge with performance based training to help people who don't necessarily need clear cut physical therapy, but could also benefit from just learning more about their bodies and how to move better. It puts a smile on my face when people feel better and that year long nagging pain disappears with physical therapy, but it makes my day when someone tells me that they have a stronger understanding of what hurt them, and all the actions they can take to mediate the risk of that injury for the future. I'm in this business to empower people to make themselves better by giving them the tools and knowledge to keep themselves going strong.
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The Wellness Program exemplifies this, as a way for my existing physical therapy patients, or anyone off the street who is looking for expert level advice on ways to improve their lives. I give people education (knowledge) and exercises (tools) on ways to improve their wellness and quality of life. The program is a monthly subscription that gives all my clients the opportunity to continually reach out to me and modify/advance their exercises as they get better.
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I love providing physical therapy and getting people better, but there exists this void where people finish PT and then they go back to sitting at a desk all day and they are back to PT in 6 months with a new injury. The Wellness Program exists to fill that void and help people #movebetterliverbetter.
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Running
For this week, I want to talk a little bit about running. Now I have always been a soccer player, and recently due to injuries and getting older, soccer is becoming more difficult to play at such an intense level that I enjoy doing, hence I'm starting to pick-up running longer distances. I always thought that I would be able to fall into running and pick it up easily. I have taken a course on running analysis/biomechanics and how to do a foot assessment to figure out the best shoes based on your foot type. I thought education and knowledge would help me bridge that gap into the running world. Man was I wrong. Since opening Kinetic PT, I have done a lot of race events whether they be bike, running, or triathlon type races. I am just beginning to understand the world of running and how crazy some people can be. I thought marathon races were ridiculously long races. Now there are these 100 mile ultramarathon racers and I just don't understand the mindset of someone that feels it is a good idea to subject their body to that.
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Over the summer I have gotten experience as a vendor for some of those long races and meet some of the crazy people that run them and I genuinely can say that I could see myself becoming one of those people someday. For now I will enjoy my little 6 mile runs that feel like a long distance as I slowly grow into running for longer and longer. I still have a lot to learn about a sport I thought I already knew a lot about!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Strength vs functionality?
I have multiple debates a week with one of my fellow colleagues, and one that I was having just yesterday seemed to resonate with me. First off, he is extremely intelligent and I admit has been a great mentor to my clinical skills as I have progressed into becoming an all knowing physical therapist. One of our debates yesterday was on strength vs functionality. I had a patient who I had been seeing for multiple visits and just wasn't showing any improvement. I also will self admit that I am an exercise focused PT and feel that a squat can fix a toothache if done correctly (not really but just a phrase to get my point across). I have focused in on exercise with this patient because they could demonstrate extremely strong strength with most exercises, but then the small stabilizing muscles around the joints are weak. I am focusing in on those little muscles, but I just didn't seem like I was making the progress I wanted.
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Hence a debate asking my colleague about what other approach I could bring to the table. Functionally my patient is fairly capable and has all the strength he needs, just has a lot of pain accompanying that strength. So the question was asked, why would I strengthen something that appears to have all the strength already. Why not focus on functionality/mobility. Even though I am never a fan for massage and modalities unless there is a purpose for it, there appears to be a purpose at this time. My patient has all the strength he needs but he is lacking pain free motion. If I can give him that pain free motion back through modalities that decrease his symptoms then there should be a quicker improvement than attacking the small stabilizing muscles that I am a fan of.
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There is never a reason to stop learning!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Age is just a number
For this week I felt like I have been having to tell people a lot this week that "age is just a number." Age is truly just a number and should never be used to justify having aches or pains. Research and evidence has shown that people over the age of 90 with the right effort can grow and build strength still. Using your age as determining factor on the ability to complete an activity is not an excuse. Probably the most scary word for all people aging is "arthritis." Being told that you are developing arthritis in your joints can sound like a death sentence for half of the exercise you enjoy. Yes, we do develop arthritis as we age. It is a fact of life that we do develop arthritis. We can prolong the amount of time it takes to develop arthritis by exercising and staying healthy in the right ways. Once arthritis is starting to become a factor, it is still possible to do everything that you want. I would give a similar answer that strengthening and stabilizing the arthritic joints in the right way, won't cure the arthritis but it helps create more stability in the joint which allows that joint to glide more fluidly and not snap, crackle, pop.
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I don't claim to cure arthritis, if I did I would have a lot more money! However, there are multiple ways to slow the development of arthritic changes and to recover the youthfulness that we search for as we get older and start to slow down. For anyone reading this, I hope this gives you a reason to get out and reengage in those activities that you use to enjoy, like hiking or recreational sports!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Iron-Man
This past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer as a PT at the half iron-man in Augusta, Maine. I was extremely impressed at the physical capabilities of these athletes. I don't think I have ever seen such high level athletes of all ages. I was just as impressed with the winner, as the person that came in last. The pure tenacity to cover 70.3 miles of distance is just crazy. I enjoyed working on everyone that stopped by the tent, and hearing some amazing stories.
In line with a large portion of what I was seeing while working the iron-man event is vastus lateralis soreness/fatigue. A lot of the competitors came to get their quads worked on and it seemed like the vastus lateralis always seemed to be one of the worst of the quad muscles across the board. It was also interesting to take note that most of the athletes if they were still in their race shoes, had wearing more on the forefoot into the toes of the shoe. I was surprised by that considering that the wear on those shoes is going to occur during the 13 mile run which is the last leg and I would assume legs are getting a bit fatigued and more likely to midfoot or even heel strike when the legs are fatigued and dragging. That forefoot wearing showed me that these athletes were not only finishing this gargantuan task but still had some fuel in the tank to keep going and maintain correct running form. Just some things I noticed on the athletes during the weekend.
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Plantar Fasciitis
This week I thought I would talk a little bit about plantar fasciitis. It feels like in the past couple days, I've had to explain common ways to combat plantar fasciitis to multiple people. So I might as well write a little blurb on it here.
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Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia of the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia is a continuation of the achilles tendon extending from the base of the heel and fanning out towards each toe. The fascial tissue running along the arch of the foot is one of the puzzle pieces that helps maintain the arch.
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Someone gets plantar fasciitis by irritating that tissue on the bottom of the foot. Multiple of reasons stemming from runners who are putting a lot of trauma every step onto that fascia, or a large portion of employees who must stand all day like waiters or cashiers. Another reason can be tight calves that pull on that fascia causing tightness.
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Some great ways to help combat plantar fasciitis is to take a tennis ball and roll that ball around on the bottom of your foot, massaging your foot and digging into those trigger points. Strengthening should focus on the intrinsics of the foot and front of the shin. Tons of stretching to the calf!
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Just a little tidbit on plantar fasciitis!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
A little bit about me...
Hi Everyone!
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This past weekend Kinetic Physical Therapy was at RiverFest in Lewiston. I enjoyed meeting new people and talking to Lewiston/Auburn community members about how Kinetic PT is different from normal physical therapy. I'm looking forward to being recognized by the town of Lisbon with a ribbon cutting on August 3rd. I am also excited that I just organized a volunteer opportunity at the Iron Man being held in Augusta on 7/30. I look forward to bringing my expertise and knowledge to the fatigued athletes of the Iron Man!
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I also wanted to talk a bit about my own injury. I had ACL surgery back in February and I am now more than 5 months out of surgery. I gotta say it has been a long road as I have been going through the rehab process and every single day has been a new longest time period I have gone without putting on my soccer cleats. Anyone that knows me personally will know that me without soccer is an issue. I have noticed that in the last two months as I have transitioned from squatting and biking exercises into heavy lifting, plyometrics, and running, the pain is just a small constant and I have a little bit of swelling that doesn't seem to leave. That is alright though as long as I am improving and continuing to gain strength. I plan to share more and more tidbits of my own ACL rehab as I continue along the process in this blog. I want people to know that after an ACL, total knee, rotator cuff repair, or spine surgery. The main focus is always regaining what you have lost! The purpose of the surgery was to try and fix an injury/issue that was stopping you from completing all the activities that you wanted to do. Make sure that you motivate yourself during your rehab knowing that the bottom baseline is to at least get back to all the activities that you know and love. Any extra strength and improvement beyond baseline is icing on the cake to prevent future injuries!
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Things on the horizon!​
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Kinetic Physical Therapy is volunteering at the Iron Man in Augusta, on 7/30 between 10am-4pm.
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Kinetic Physical Therapy Ribbon cutting ceremony on August 3rd at 3:30pm!
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Kinetic PT will be at BikeMaine weekend in Bethel, on August 25th, and 26th!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Moxie Festival!
Hi Everyone!
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Welcome to the new weekly blog post. I wanted to talk about this past weekend and the upcoming weekend. This past weekend was Moxie Festival! I just moved to Lisbon Falls just less than a year ago and just missed the Moxie Festival last year by a couple weeks. I was amazed at how big this little town becomes. The days were truly amazing with the effort put forth by a large portion of the town. I found myself running the moxie 5k Saturday morning which was a great race and I was again surprised at the turnout. I knew the race attracted a decent crowd and expected a 100 or so people to be at it, but checking the website and finding that 509 runners completed the race. After 10 minutes of clapping and cheering on finishers, I quickly headed over to my tent to get set up for the day. Hanging outside the MTM with Unbreakable Health and Fitness. I had tons of fun assisting with the kids obstacle course and helping the littles ones flip a tire! Needless to say by the end of the day I was quite tired.
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Things on the horizon!
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Riverfest 2023! Happening right in Lewiston at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. I look forward to providing free consultations and stretching/massages for anyone that comes up to the tent.
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Kinetic Physical Therapy just arranged the date for our Ribbon cutting ceremony on August 3rd at 3:30pm!
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Kinetic PT will be at BikeMaine weekend August 25th, and 26th!
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That's all for now!
Doc McGehee
Contact
Give us a call or contact directly on the website to ask the question of how Kinetic Physical Therapy can help you improve your overall health and wellness.
(207) 907-8074