What Goes Up Must Come Down — Jason and AJ will be covering injuries in backcountry skiing & split boarding, how to minimize your risk of injury, and how to maximize your performance this winter.
Tune in this Thursday (10/22), 6pm as we broadcast live from Uphill Pursuit’s Instagram and Facebook pages – see you soon!
Bring your questions! Jason and AJ will be answering questions in the IGTV comments section under the broadcast.
Coming in November – Live on Zoom
In case you missed the live Uphill Pursuit collaborative broadcast – Simply click on the image above to watch Excel PT Climbing Lab’s awesome Transition to Climbing discussion. There’s a lot of very useful information to help you navigate the change of seasons as well as the change in loading and demand that shifting from outdoor to indoor climbing or rock to ice will introduce.
Excel Climbing Lab Doctors of Physical Therapy AJ Sobrilsky and Matt Heyliger offer insights on how to maximize training yields while minimizing injury risks.
The Excel Team extends support to you during this challenging season. Enduring together and drawing on resilience will help us get thru this COVID-19 time together. We are here for you in many ways –telehealth and in-clinic appointments, by phone or email–to help you anyway we can. #enduringtogether
Please enjoy Consilience with John Onate’sPart 2 podcast with Nikki Kimball: Maintaining A Love For Running through Injury and Adversity.
Nikki uses a combination of humor, friendship, medical advice and compassion to overcome injury, aging and now the pandemic. As John Onate says, there is a lot to learn from Nikki Kimball. The Excel PT Team completely agrees!
Nikki Kimball is one of the most competitive and successful Ultra-Endurance Athletes in the history of Road and Mountain-Trail-Ultramarathon racing:
2nd place, Hardrock 100, 2018
2nd place, HURT 100m, 2017
2nd place, Big Horn 100m, 2016
1st place, Marathon Des Sables, 2014
Western States 100 Champion 2004, 2006, 2007
Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 108 Mile,Champion, 2007
Member of United States 100K Team 2001-2006; 8th overall and 1st American at World Cup 2003, Tainan, Taiwan; 7th at World Cup 2005; scoring member of gold medal 100K team at World Cup 2005
We are honoring National Suicide Prevention Week by sharing this podcast episode from Consilience with John Onate who features Nikki Kimball from the Excel PT Bozeman running clinic team. Nikki is one of the most competitive and successful Ultra-Endurance athletes in the history of Road and Mountain-Trail-Ultramarathon racing (and one of the kindest and smartest people we know).
In this episode from the keynote presentation to the Central California Psychiatric Society Annual Meeting in 2016, Nikki discusses how depression, medicine, doctors, running and physical therapy have impacted her life, career and advocacy mission. Mature themes discussed.
As John Onate says, We all can learn and be inspired by Nikki Kimball. We completely agree!
Free Student Athlete Injury Consultations for ALL Manhattan High School, Manhattan Christian High School and Three Forks High School student athletes Complimentary injury consultation appointments available to determine the best injury treatment options and plan for the student athlete and his/her parents/guardians. This no-charge consult is with advanced-trained physical therapists, Megan Kemp, DPT, ATC, CSCS or Jackie Oliver, DPT, OCS and provided in your local Excel Physical Therapy Manhattan, Montana clinic.
Call us at Excel Physical Therapy Manhattan to schedule at 406-284-4262. Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/3jDl0K0
AJ Sobrilsky, DPT, OCS is a Physical Therapist and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in our Bozeman clinic. AJ specializes in the rehabilitation and prevention of orthopedic sports related injuries with a specific interest in the management of those involving the upper and lower extremities. AJ received his Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree from Carroll University (Waukesha, WI). Following the completion of his DPT degree he participated in an Orthopedic Residency through Evidence in Motion at Bellin Health in Green Bay, WI providing him with advanced training in orthopedic manual therapy, clinical decision making, and patient centered treatment. Following completion of his residency AJ became an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) through the American Physical Therapy Board Association and received advanced training in dry needling for spine and extremities.
AJ has been a lifelong athlete, competing in cross-country and track through college and then racing competitively post collegiately. As a result of his personal experiences and passions, AJ has focused his continued education and clinical development around the athletic individual with an emphasis in: running, skiing, and climbing related injuries. AJ has had the opportunity to provide care for an array of athletic populations including youth sports teams, high school and collegiate athletes, and those competing at professional and Olympic levels.
AJ’s treatment philosophy emphasizes a collaborative patient centered approach. Structured around the patient, supported by current best evidence, and coupled with specialized exercise/techniques, AJ hopes to educate the patient on their current issue and provide them with the best course of treatment to return to their previous/desired level of activity.
When AJ isn’t working he is usually pursuing his next adventure: rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, or running.
Excel Physical Therapy’s Bozeman and Manhattan clinic COVID-19 Precautions for us all to stay safe and healthy.
Thank you for your patience and accommodation.
All physical and massage therapy patients are asked to wear a face covering (mask, bandana, or scarf) when attending in-clinic appointments effective June 22.
This requirement does not apply to individuals who are unable to wear a mask or face covering due to a medical condition or to children under the age of 2. If you are hard of hearing, deaf and read lips, please notify us at check-in so we can accommodate you. We have transparent face masks arriving soon for our staff members to wear for you.
If you do not have a face covering upon arrival to the clinic, we will provide one for you. Please wear a face covering for your next in-clinic appointment so we can reserve supply for staff and patients in most need.
We are wearing face masks as staff members each day.
We are disinfecting patient, therapist and staff contact surfaces vigilantly on an hourly basis and after each patient interaction. We have a dedicated team member who is disinfecting the clinic and equipment constantly.
We ask our screening questions when scheduling appointments on the phone and as soon as you arrive for your in-clinic appointment.
We are checking patient temperatures before each in-clinic appointment check in.
We are checking staff temperatures before each shift.
We are not allowing any individuals to enter our clinic with ANY illness type symptoms or symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, flu-like symptoms like chills, fatigue.
We are having our patients and therapists wash their hands thoroughly before and after each visit.
We have staggered patient appointments for social distancing practices.
Visitors or guests are not allowed to attend in-clinic appointments with a patient (unless the patient is a minor, then only one parent/guardian please).
If you have been diagnosed and recovered from COVID-19, please provide our front office team with your health provider’s clearance letter before attending your in-clinic appointment.
Please do not come to your in-clinic appointment until you have received health provider clearance if you have experienced virus exposure in the following ways (we are happy to do a video telehealth appointment in the meantime):
Diagnosed with COVID-19 that has not been classified as “recovered”
Close contact with an individual confirmed to have COVID-19 by lab testing or with a presumptive diagnosis of COVID-19.
Living in a house with anyone having symptoms consistent with COVID-19
Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions as we all proceed together through Governor Bullock’s phased reopening of Montana. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Please direct inquiries and comments to info@excelptmt.com.
With the current state of things, many climbers who have not previously set up a hang board and/or training area at home are tackling these tools up at home and getting their hang on. Many others who had a routine of hanging at home prior to COVID-19 are back at it in full force. This is a great time to develop a more systematic approach to training.
Through this experience, trial and error has revealed some key points to consider when hanging at home. First and most important, how do you pull off a proper warm up without a climbing wall? I strongly believe your home warm up needs to be systematic to properly warm up while gauging how you’re feeling on a given day. It’s vital here to let go of your expectations (and ego) and to honestly assess your recovery from your previous bout of training. Sometimes you realize you’re feeling a lot better than you thought as you progress through your warm up. And sometimes you feel heavy and weak when you expected to feel great. Listen to your body and respect the process.
The first 20-25 minutes of your session should consist of a progression with light loading on larger holds trending toward the holds the given workout will emphasize. If you have the space and ingenuity to safely anchor a pulley set to offload some of your body weight (plenty of DIY info out there on this) this can be really helpful for warming up. For many this will enable you to train safely as your connective tissue in you fingers, hands and elbows adapt to this form of loading. You can also unweight your feet to progressively increase load keeping a little body weight on the floor, perhaps progressing to both or single tippy toe position.
Start with a set of 2-3 minutes with 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off hold times on a large 4-finger pocket edge or a jug on the top of the board. This should feel fairly easy; you should feel warmth in the forearms and hands but not enough strain to develop a pump. Take an equivalent timed rest period, 2-3 minutes. During this time you should perform active warm up drills for the upper body, perhaps a few push- ups or pull-ups, anything to get the blood flowing in the shoulders and arms. Repeat another warm up set, now 3 minutes in duration, still 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off but increasing the load or perhaps starting to decrease the hold size. Change one variable at a time and see how things feel. At the end of this set, you really want to feel the forearms working, working up to 60% effort to complete the set. Rest an additional 3-4 minute while performing continued dynamic upper extremity warm up drills.
For the last warm up set, I would recommend trending your on/off time to match the workout you are doing that day. A very common work out called repeaters involves 7 seconds on followed by a 3 second rest per rep. This set should be exclusively on the holds you are training on that day. I like to extend the rest time this set using 7 seconds on and 13 seconds off for the entire set to accommodate increased load. I find this fends off burning key energy needed for a successful workout while loading closer to the time and resistance for that given workout. This set should be 3 minutes and should be followed by a 5-minute rest prior to starting you workout for the day.
If you haven’t spent much time hanging recently you may surprise yourself and start the season stronger and more durable.
The Excel PT Climbing Lab exists to keep you climbing and improve your performance. We offer comprehensive injury management, video-based climbing analysis, and training plans.
Matt Heyliger, DPT, COMTof Excel Physical Therapy completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington and is a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist. He has a particular treatment focus in the relationship of cervical/thoracic spine mechanics and upper extremity conditions. Matt treats climbers through integrating video analysis and specialized biomechanical assessments in the Excel PT Climbing Lab in the Bozeman, Montana clinic. An avid rock climber, telemark/backcountry skier and mountain biker, Matt regularly practices yoga and enjoys frequent adventures in the mountains with his family.
Who’s ever picked up a golf club and tried to knock it stiff from 130 yards out? That’s a tough feat to accomplish; a skill one might say. In fact, I’d argue that consistently hitting a golf ball where you want it to go and how you want it to look is one of the most difficult skills to develop.
That’s probably why most professional golfers, and high caliber athletes across the sports world, spend more time practicing and developing the skills of their specific sport than they do truly competing and playing. In fact, in David Epstein’s book “The Sports Gene,” there is a lot of discussion about practice, talent, and the genetics surrounding athletic performance. This is a highly recommend read or listen to if you’re looking for a good new book and it might help us all understand a little better our true capabilities and athletic realities (He also has a lot of podcasts as well as a Ted talk.Click here to listen.
In the running world, there are those few individuals born with a unique physiological make up and a somewhat specific set of anatomical ingredients that lend them performance capabilities. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t specific contributors to performance and skill development that can’t be modified, practiced, and fine-tuned to become your own best version of yourself. Sure the best runners are the ones spending a lot of time running and logging a lot of miles. Which leads a lot of us to come to the conclusion that in order to be our own best we need to run a lot. While increasing volume will improve your economy and times to some degree, it’s ultimately not the best solution.
The old fallacy of more is better doesn’t hold true, at least not always. We can put time and effort into developing a bigger engine (cardio system, stronger muscles, more resilient mental game), but if we can’t control that engine and the forces it’s willing to produce, it’s useless. For instance, it’d be a bad idea to strap a jet engine onto a paper airplane or try to shoot a cannonball from a canoe. We need the right structure, skillset, and control to put these ingredients and tools to effective use.
What do the best athletes in the world have in common (beyond the best genes)? They train, refine, retool, and practice the skills required for their specific activity. Unlike a lot of other sports, running doesn’t have a whole lot of diverse movements like soccer or climbing. This ultimately confines our exposure to different movements and limits our breadth of exposure and adaptability to forces outside the confines of the running gait. On the other side it also means we have a pretty consistent recipe or set of instructions for developing the best gait pattern and running movement strategy (all relatively dependent on our own unique set of factors).
Jay Dicharry, a leading physical therapist and biomechanics researcher, delivers this message well when he says, “There are a lot of things that all runners of all abilities should be doing outside running to improve their running. If you want to run better, you need to move better”. Essentially that the winner isn’t always the one who stacks up the most Strava KOM/QOM’s but rather the ones who have put time into developing and practicing the essential movement skills; allowing them to avoid injuries and ultimately providing optimal consistency in training.
Running is essentially a fluid series of single leg jumps. The ability to produce enough force to drive your leg into the ground and propel yourself up and forward. To then coordinate the appropriate movements in the flight phase (while you’re going from step to step) in preparation for landing. And to then absorb 2-3 times your body’s weight through one leg, restoring that energy, and preparing to do it all over again in less than 0.4 seconds for each and every step throughout the duration of the run.
So yes, running is a skill. What can you do to move better and become a more skilled runner?
Before we dive into the specifics on the ingredients and tools required to address the skills of running, here are a few key essential components to practice during your next few runs:
Don’t Overstride: A lot of runners make the mistake of overstriding: putting their foot out too far in front of their center of mass. When a runner overstrides or reach, they increase their braking impulse and essentially slow themselves down with each strike. This is an inefficient way to run and significantly increases the amount of impact your body has to absorb. Therefore, overstriding can often lead to injury. To avoid overstriding, avoid reaching your leg forward and try to strike just in front of your center of mass.
Cadence: Cadence is the number of steps you take while running. A slower cadence (or taking fewer steps per run) can be indicative of overstriding. Therefore, working on your cadence can be one way to improve your efficiency and reduce overstriding. Every runner will have a different cadence, but in general efficient runners run with a cadence between 176-188 steps/min. To work on your cadence, use a metronome app or setting on your watch and try and time your foot strikes to the beat of a metronome for 2-3 minutes. Then relax into your run for 2-3 minutes. Repeat 3-5x throughout your run. Remember this is a drill to improve skill, so use it as a drill and don’t perform with every run or for your entire run.
Try not to bounce: Much like overstriding, a bouncy gait is inefficient and can lead to injury. If you have a bouncy run, you are wasting energy pushing up rather than pushing forward. This also means your mass is landing from a higher height, increasing impact. To avoid a bouncy gait, drive your leg back pushing you forward and not up. Centering your gaze on a landmark ahead of you and as you run try and keep the landmark as still as possible .
Drive from the hip and push from the ankle: The gluteus maximus is the biggest muscle in the human body. This is a big ingredient in the recipe to effectively and efficiently drive us forward with each step. Sometimes runners rely too much on their calves and quads to propel them. This typically leads to overstriding and the bouncy gait described earlier. Therefore maximize your running efficiency by driving from the hip using the gluteus maximus; making sure not to arch at the lower back. Practice striding by driving/pushing from the glutes while stabilizing through your core to avoid your back from arching.
Here at Excel PT, Our running physical therapist team works with runners every day in our Running Clinic. It’s like a specialized clinic within a clinic. We’re here to help you develop these strategies to help improve your running skills and performance as well as help you prevent injury.
AJ Sobrilsky, DPT, OCS is a Physical Therapist and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in our Bozeman clinic. AJ specializes in the rehabilitation and prevention of orthopedic sports related injuries with a specific interest in the management of those involving the upper and lower extremities. AJ has been a lifelong athlete, competing in cross-country and track through college and then racing competitively post collegiately. As a result of his personal experiences and passions, AJ has focused his continued education and clinical development around the athletic individual with an emphasis in: running, skiing, and climbing related injuries. AJ has had the opportunity to provide care for an array of athletic populations including youth sports teams, high school and collegiate athletes, and those competing at professional and Olympic levels.
Jason Lunden, DPT, SCS specializes in the rehabilitation and prevention of sports-related injuries, with a particular interest in the biomechanics of sporting activities – running, cycling, skiing, snowboarding and overhead athletics in our Bozeman clinic. Jason is a Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy and serves as a physical therapist for the US Snowboarding and US Freeskiing teams, along with the US Paralympic Nordic Ski Team, and is a local and national presenter on sports rehabilitation and injury prevention topics. Jason is a Certified Clinical BikeFit Pro Fitter and co-owner of Excel Physical Therapy.
Whether by in-clinic or telehealth appointment, phone or email, your Excel physical therapist is ready to help you. We realize there is a spectrum of how people feel during this moment. For those that feel comfortable to attend in-clinic appointments, we are seeing patients given certain restrictions (see below). And for those that who don’t feel comfortable to do that, we have telehealth appointments available for you from wherever you are. Excel Massage is open with the same precautions in place and you may schedule appointments in our Bozeman clinic here.
Our leadership has put consistent and specific safety precautions in place in our clinics for you and our staff. We will continue to implement safety precautions as best practices and guidelines emerge.
Whether you are in pain and want a non-medication, long-term solution, or an athlete who desires returning to your sport stronger and better equipped, Excel Physical Therapy’s highly trained practitioners and advanced therapy philosophies can help you.
The value of team. Our team specializes in specific body areas and treatment disciplines to provide you with the best care outcomes available in the Gallatin Valley. To do this, Excel Physical Therapy intentionally invests in nationally recognized advanced training and holds weekly sessions amongst our physical and massage therapy team members to exchange specialized knowledge. This collaboration allows us to utilize evidence-based progressive treatments to better reunite you with pain-free comfort, functionality, and performance.
Next year, Excel Physical Therapy will be celebrating two decades serving the Gallatin Valley. Over the years, we’ve achieved and fine tuned an expansive and innovative expertise that allows us to lead patients in a consistent, dedicated and trusted manner.
To our community, thank you for being the best part of Excel Physical Therapy. However you need us, we are here for you.
Our Bozeman and Manhattan clinic COVID-19 Precautions for us all to stay safe and healthy.
Thank you for your patience and accommodation with these polices.
We are:
Suggesting all patients wear a face covering when attending in-clinic appointments. Here’s some CDC mask handling tips.
Wearing face coverings as staff members each day.
Disinfecting patient, therapist and staff contact surfaces vigilantly on an hourly basis and after each patient interaction.
Screening patients regarding any illness symptoms and travel. We ask our screening questions when scheduling appointments on the phone and as soon as you arrive for your in-clinic appointment.
Asking anyone who’s returned to Gallatin Valley after travel outside Montana to self-isolate for 14 days before attending in-clinic appointments.
Checking patient temperatures before each in-clinic appointment at check in.
Checking staff temperatures before each shift.
Not allowing any individuals to enter our clinic with ANY illness type symptoms or symptoms of COVID-19.
Having our patients and therapists wash their hands thoroughly before and after each visit.
Following social distancing guidelines in the clinic.
Not allowing visitors to attend in-clinic appointments with each patient (unless the patient is a minor, then only one parent/guardian please).
Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions as we all proceed together through Governor Bullock’s phased reopening of Montana. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Please direct your inquiries and comments to info@excelptmt.com.
✶ In-Clinic Appointments available at our Bozeman and Manhattan clinics. ✶ Telehealth Appointments available to you from where ever you are with all of our Physical Therapy providers. ✶ Massage Appointments available at our Bozeman clinic with James Beaudry, LMT. Brittnee Harper, LMT is back in the clinic July 1st, 2020.
See what our team has been doing to help near and far during quarantine. Climbing and running injury prevention videos are available from our speciality pt teams.
We’re also sharing our running injury prevention talks done in our Bozeman clinic that would have been held at Uphill Pursuits during recent quarantine months. We’ll be sharing more episodes soon. We also hear a Bike Fitting video is rolling soon 🙂 #supportlocal#excelptmt
★★★★★ Recent Google Feedback: “I have been working with AJ Sobrilsky for several months prehabbing before knee surgery. He and the entire support staff at Excel are kind, friendly and easy to work with, and I have been beyond pleased with my progress. AJ does a great job of balancing proper care with the right amount of pushing my limits so that pre-surgery I was back on (easy) hiking trails and road biking at normal spring levels.
Excel has been great at keeping everyone safe during this pandemic and I’ve never felt unsafe or worried about cross-contamination in their facility as I see staff constantly sanitizing all surfaces and equipment. Highly recommend AJ and the Excel team.” –A.F., Bozeman patient
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"It was easy to come to you without signing my life away...Very friendly staff. Everyone is smiling and upbeat/happy. Great place!" --M.M., Bozeman Patient
credit: Consilience_podcast Instagram
“Push & Pull…Essential ingredients for Running and Climbing” is AJ Sobrilsky’s latest article in the 
