As the Florida weather begins getting even warmer, more and more of our patients are taking on outdoor activities again!
As some of you may know, skateboarding and surfing are now Olympic level sports and Jacksonville Beach is full of talent of all ages. The culture has always been a community of camaraderie, free expression, and pushing boundaries above and beyond the limits of what was thought capable.
As all of us know within the community, injuries and pain are inevitable; I’m here to tell you that PAIN is inevitable and suffering is OPTIONAL…
In almost ALL cases, the reason for pain in the body is a result of dysfunction. As surfers and skateboarders, dysfunction in the body, whether it be hips, back, shoulder, neck, ankle or even toes, is a HUGE contribution to why we can’t progress our level of talent.
For example, when we carve in surfing or do rotations on a skateboard, the motion has to first come from the lower body, specifically the hips. If our hip rotators are tight, we are limited to how radical of a maneuver we can perform, and if we try to push through that pain or dysfunction, we risk injuring our knees or back since the body is one giant kinetic chain.
We offer services that may be utilized to help improve mobility so you can have some assistance in landing that next big trick that’ll win us a gold for the motherland!
Our Services:
Professional Stretching –
During our professional stretching sessions, you will work with one of our skilled therapists, in a one-on-one session, that will cater to your specific needs. Our therapists have an advanced knowledge of the anatomy, as well as the demands that surfing and skateboarding require to perform at optimal levels. We offer 30 minute and 60 minute sessions depending on your needs. You can choose to focus on a specific body part and/or let us decide what may work best for you. Fun fact: most of our movement in surfing and skateboarding comes from our hips, quads and calves first, and then our spine; if these structures are tight, it can prevent us from performing a trick properly and safely.
Myofascial Release (MFR) –
To explain muscle fascia in simpler terms, think of the very thin clear film around a raw chicken breast. Fascia allows muscles to glide over each other as muscles lengthen and shorten, preventing them from sticking together and causing dysfunction and pain. The fascia also provides support and shape to muscles and surrounding structures. When the fascia becomes tight and restricted, it can restrict joint and muscle movement which in turn can affect strength and balance. We have various techniques to address the soft tissue restrictions with some being familiar like massage techniques. Just like our stretching sessions, you choose a specific area to target or we may help you decide based on your needs.
Cupping –
Cupping is a modality that is utilized to loosen up soft tissue restrictions whether it may be fascia or sometimes muscle depending on the area being treated. Much like a vacuum, a cup is placed on the restricted area and a handheld pump is used to suck the tissue into the cup. In this clinic, we utilize a technique in which we don’t just keep the cup in one place but we move it around and respect the orientation of the restricted tissue. If you noticed in the Olympics, swimmers would have big red marks on their back; this is because they had cupping done. The marks usually go away within about a week . Marks are usually more noticeable when an area has a lot of restricted tissue. These marks indicate blood flow brought back to the tissue allowing for tissue healing since blood carries nutrients that are essential for the healing process. Therefore, cupping is useful in the recovery process after intense workouts or competitive bouts.
Outside of these services, our therapists have advanced knowledge on how the body should move and a handful of approaches to treating just about anything in the body. We are a hands-on, one-on-one, individualized manual physical therapy clinic. If you have any questions or concerns about the services that we provide, please feel free to give us a call or contact us on one of our social media outlets.
