Change your perception of injury rehabilitation and mobility for ever. Phil Smith shares his own experiences…
So where do I start? 20 years ago I started suffering from ‘runner’s knee’, limiting my running to 45 minutes. After 20 years visiting countless ‘specialists’ to no avail I had more or less given up and accepted that a 45 minute run for training would always be my maximum. In addition, the last few years have seen me incur 2 skiing injuries – lower back from a jump (never too old!), acute joint pain around the hips and chronic tightness of the IT band and groin muscles causing all sorts of problems. It seemed I would need to give up running, cycling and anything else that causes pain!
Eventually, after realising I needed to come at this from a different perspective altogether, I found myself at the SW14 home of Martin Jefferies of Suppleworx. His diagnosis, not good: From memory it went something like this, but don’t quote me. “You have an anterior rotation of the left sacroiliac joint, a mild lumber/thoracic scoliosis, lumber rotation and dysfunctional pubis symphasis. Your spinal rotation is 50% restricted, lumber spine compressed, thoracic spine musculature (rhomboid major/lat’s) in partial spasm, left TFL/hip flexors in acute contraction and some irritation/mild inflammation of the gracilis/sartorius tendon with subsequent loss of abduction and groin strain in the left thigh” (or something along those lines). “In other words you’re a complete mess!” The good news – all fixable in 5 sessions! 5 sessions – this I have to see.
After 6 sessions with Martin I can run for 1 hour 30 with absolutely no problems whatsoever. To you that may seem insignificant but to me it was a momentous occasion – 20 years trying absolutely everything under the sun versus 6 sessions with Martin.
Martin changed my perception of mobility, stretching, joints & muscles, injury prevention & rehabilitation completely. I am now well on my way to being completely pain free. I have changed my skiing, running and even the way I walk!
I wont say it’s easy. You have to put the work in yourself and in serious situations you have to re-evaluate how you move, run, ski, even walk.
So if you have any chronic injuries, joint pain, muscle tightness or any other problems relating to joints and muscles and are willing to put the work in yourself then I can only say one thing – go and see Martin as soon as possible.