2021. Just the sheer mention of the year makes me squirm at this point. In the words of the Grateful Dead, “what a long strange trip it’s been”. Just when you thought that 2020 taught us how to deal with a pandemic, 2021 made an appearance and challenged that assertion. However, as I am often reminded, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or, in my case, when life gives you a pandemic, write a PhD dissertation.
There has been a lot of silence gracing the pages of this blog in recent months. My labor of love has been sadly sent to the sidelines of life, and for that I apologize. It hasn’t been for a lack of thoughts to share, but rather a lack of time to do so. For those of you who have stood by my literary endeavors, I thank you for being patient and forgiving. Today, I set a course to rejuvenate the flow of words herein with greater regularity. There is no better time than now to do so. If not now, then when?
There are really only two choices in life. You can run towards something, or you can run away from something. I guess you could just stand still and let the world revolve around you (or leave you in its dust), but I like to think we’re always moving.
In the running world, athletes are always focused on their training efforts. Are they getting all the workouts they need to optimize their performance and be successful? As a coach and physiotherapist, I get asked these questions routinely. They’re not so difficult to answer based on what the sport sciences have provided us over the past 30 or 40 years.
When life talks, listen. When a theme makes itself apparent repeatedly, take note. When the universe has something to say to you, offer it the microphone and pay attention.
Over the past few months, I would say that I have been listening to the universe and attempting to derive a message from its mutterings at that very microphone. I try to embrace the concept of “seek first to understand, then to be understood” - but sometimes, that premise can be a little unruly and difficult.
I will be the first to admit that I am probably the last person to quote a singing cowboy by the name of Gene Autry. However, the eloquence of the song title is a fitting sentiment today. Here I am, long-lost readers, returning from what seems like an abyss of time, academia, and … life.
I promised myself that silence on these pages simply wasn’t going to be an option again. However, when I uttered those words, I didn’t have a road map for what was ahead of me. As I have written many times before, life brings us challenges and changes and opportunities. It also provides us with epiphanies and reflections which can be incredibly valuable if we pay heed to the lessons that can be learned. Two years on from my last post, I am back in the saddle again.
Hello again, oh patient and faithful reader. I’ll be the first to admit that these pages have been silent for quite some time now. It’s the longest break I’ve had here, and it certainly wasn’t a planned absence. There’s been a lot of writing going on, for sure, just not much that has made it’s way here. Please accept my apologies for the silence.
There’s been a pause - for many a cause. Let me tell you a little about the past year.
The physical therapy profession is at a crossroads in the United States.
Over the past couple of decades, I’ve watched our profession go into a disconcerting holding pattern. The struggles of 2016 are strangely reminiscent of those in 1996.
We are now faced with what appear to be some difficult questions at this juncture in the history of our profession, and one is very simple. Are we going to accept evolution, or is it time for revolution?
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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