It could be an athlete returning from what was thought to be a career-ending injury. It could be an Iraq war veteran who returns from a third tour of duty. Countless stories of courage make their way onto the front pages of the newspaper, social media, or the like.
What is easily forgotten - or goes unnoticed – are the stories of courage that take place on a daily basis, stories that are being written by people like you and I. They could be stories of illness, personal victory, disaster, or epiphany – we all have stories to share.
“Courage” is defined as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear”. Courage crosses our path every day – we just may not realize it. So many people think that their story isn’t special, or isn’t grandiose enough, or is just simply dull and boring. But that just isn’t the case. Courage is all around us, it resonates within us, and it inspires us to live fully – on a daily basis.
Here are a couple of people who have shared their courageous journeys with the world, stories that resonated with me, stories that I wanted to share with you.
I have been reminded many times that we are all different. Every clinical case is different. Every person is different. We are all individuals with our own personality that is purely our own. Each of us has been exposed to a diverse series of life experiences, the timing of which is individual.
I don’t think anyone wants to be just like all the rest. We may want to be a part of a tribe, but not necessarily to the point in which we fade into the background. There is a beauty and freedom in being different, in being my own persona.
But with that said, after 46+ years on the planet interacting with a large number of people in a variety of life scenarios, I have come to one major conclusion. I think that although we are all individuals, we all go through a number of life experiences that are consistent for the vast majority of the population.
The holiday season is upon us. Notice the politically correct phraseology – this time of year is not just for “Merry Christmas” anymore. When I was growing up in small-town Canada, I guess I just didn’t realize that there were many end-of-season celebrations like Hanukkah or Christmas or Kwanzaa going on concurrently.
Even though the holiday season is upon us, there is always a fresh batch of rhubarb to harvest. The world would have to be on global shutdown to prevent rhubarb from appearing!
With glad tidings and good spirits in mind, here is Episode 30 of the Rhubarb Report.
It is a topic that makes the rounds on a regular basis: changing an athlete’s running mechanics. Now, it has a more formal clinical term - “gait retraining for runners”. Gait labs around the country, most notably the Spaulding National Running Center at Harvard University, are analyzing running gait and using various feedback mechanisms to enhance or refine the athlete’s movement patterns. The premise is that you can change the gait mechanics of a runner in order to either address a current injury, prevent injury, or optimize their running performance.
This kind of thinking shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those in the sports sciences community. Why this is such a big deal in the running community circa 2011, I have no idea.
Clinicians and coaches alike wouldn’t think twice about changing a golfer’s swing, or the throwing mechanics of a pitcher, shot putter or a javelin thrower. So why is this suddenly a hot news item in 2011? Look no further than the Journal of Orthopedic And Sports Physical Therapy and an editorial entitled “Gait Retraining For Runners: In Search Of The Ideal” in the December 2011 issue.
The BCS is the bane of college football’s existence. There are once again efforts being put forth to have it eliminated. Hallelujah. We can hear all the lame excuses to keep it as it is. We now have a college football “national championship” which looks more like a beauty pageant and popularity contest (read: SEC) than it does a true reflection of the best in the land (read: LSU and OSU). This year, we have a couple of decent BCS games, and two that have, seriously, no relevance whatsoever to the college football landscape: Michigan vs Virginia Tech (Sugar), and Clemson vs West Virginia (Orange). Yawn.
In January 2009, I proposed a solution: December Delirium. We already have a March Madness for college basketball, so it would only be appropriate to have a December Delirium for college football. It creates a playoff dependent upon computer rankings and conference champions, and a seeding based on their computer ranking. No need for beauty pageants or popularity contests – just win games in a strong season schedule, and/or win your conference. Simple.
Without further adieu, here is the playoff schedule for the 2011-2012 (and fourth annual) December Delirium.
Welcome to the holiday season – a time for shopping, the consumption of food and drink, and spending time with family and friends. You might be celebrating Kwanzaa or Christmas or Hanukah. Regardless of the religious or non-religious nature of the holiday season, this time of year almost always involves a desire to partake in good times with family and friends. It is a time for joy in the world – and hopefully plenty of it.
But it is also a season that can get people feeling stressed, exhausted mentally and physically, and perhaps even gaining a few pounds. With that in mind, I have compiled five simple hints to help you have a healthy and happy holiday season.
Did you know that there is a day to celebrate the Bill of Rights? Yes, believe it or not, there is a day to celebrate our personal freedoms and the limits of the federal government as noted in the first 10 Amendments to the US Constitution.
Little did I know until I read Ken Herman’s column in the Austin American-Statesman. For those who need to put it on the calendar, it is officially December 15.
I suspect that there won’t be any parades, or any office parties. Hallmark won’t pull out their Bill of Rights cards a month in advance to cash in on the influx of consumers looking for just the right way to celebrate. And worst of all, most people will simply take it for granted – not that December 15 is in fact the official date, but the Bill of Rights in and of itself after 220 years in existence.
We have lost sight of what the Bill of Rights really means anymore. That cannot bode well for the future of this country.
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".
PO Box 26161
Austin, TX 78755
512-222-6263
