Guys, I’ve experienced A LOT of physical therapy over the last 8 years. More than anyone should!!
Even as I was rehabbing one of my prior ACL Reconstructions and trying to get back to my professional dance career, I was never given the opportunity at PT to move into a performance training program – – otherwise known as a “return to sport” program…
Which is extremely interesting now, in hindsight, because how was I supposed to return to my dance contracts safely without training for it in physical therapy? Or without AT LEAST being given a take-home sports program for me to follow as an injury prevention strategy?
Well, I wasn’t given any of those training pieces during or after PT, for two of my ACL recoveries, and that contributed greatly to me landing back in physical therapy after a grueling third ACL injury.
SO, as I continue to move through this 3rd ACL recovery, (at a different physical therapy location than my prior ACL rehabs), I have finally been given the opportunity to move into a strength & conditioning program at PT called the Bridge Program!!
It “bridges the gap” from physical therapy to being back in the sport of your choosing!! Which means that it is designed to push the body to the extremes in a controlled setting – – building great strength and stamina, targeting and improving weaknesses and imbalances, working on athletic elements like agility and jumping, and, most importantly, rebuilding the confidence to move and move well.
It sounded like everything that my body needed in order to break the barrier and move on from this deadly 8-year+ long injury loop!!! So, I signed up for their 3-month Bridge Program, which is 2 sessions per week for 12 weeks. EEEEEEK!!!
I was so PSYCHED for the experience, the challenge, and the opportunity to move up the ladder to my strongest and most capable self. And I was also pretty nervous and I wondered: what it was going to be like, how hard would it be for me, and would my knee(s) be able to handle the work??? Lots of questions and apprehensions!
And at moments like these, finding just the right quote seems to soothe my soul, anchor me to the present moment, and offer me a boost of motivation to move me forward:
I found this quote on Tuesday of this week, the first day of this strength & conditioning program. And it made me think about the person that I have been over the past 8+ years with these consistent knee injuries. And how much I want for that to change so that I can move past it all and put an end to these recurring injuries and surgeries.
I realized that this S & C program, put together with all of the modalities and training that I am already doing, is how I can “give up who I’ve been” and step into who I can become. By moving into this advanced level of PT, where I have never been before, and REALLY working on every single element that I want to incorporate back into my life.
With this quote in my head and my focus to embrace all of the things that I CAN do now, as opposed to what I wish I could do now, I went to my Day #1 of this Bridge Program. And it was AWESOME!!!!!! Not only was I the only one there, so I had a private session, BUT I was eased into the process while still being given challenging material. PLUS, it made me VERY aware of some of my weaknesses and what I need to work on in the coming weeks!!!!!!!!
Which is also very telling because if I chose to NOT move into this program, those weaknesses of mine could be responsible for yet another injury in the very near future. NOT GOOD. THEREFORE, I am soooo grateful to be a part of this Bridge Program because this S & C program is right for me!!! 😃
I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes as I move into my 10th month of this ACL recovery and further into this “return to sport”-type program!
And it’s good to remind ourselves that staying idle or doing the same, simple tasks can serve a purpose; however, it doesn’t move us forward or push us in the direction of getting stronger, better, faster, or farther along in the direction of our dreams. If we want to take those strides forward and become the best and most happiest versions of ourselves, this quote is true:
That is what this S & C program will be for me – – a way for me to work for a different tomorrow. And I hope you follow your heart and go after your different tomorrow by choosing to do more and be more today!!! 🤩