The Relationship Between Rehab and Performance
The Pivotal Understanding Needed to Reach Your Physical Fitness Goals
In the world of physical therapy and personal training, the line between rehabilitation (rehab) and physical performance enhancement is often blurred. You see, even though the two concepts may appear distant, they are intrinsically linked.
Whatever your fitness goals – and whether you’re recovering from an injury or striving to enhance your athletic prowess – understanding the interplay between rehab and performance is crucial.
In this article, founder of Reload Dr. Ryan Chow discusses the important elements surrounding the blurred lines of rehab and performance, and explains our unique approach.
How Do We Define the Relationship Between Rehab and Performance?
When we talk about rehab and performance, it’s essential to understand the goals behind each.
Essentially, rehab is about getting back to where you were, while performance is about taking yourself to the next level. However, looking a little deeper into both gives us a more comprehensive understanding of the key differences between the two.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is a journey of recovery. It is designed to help individuals return to their pre-injury state or optimal functioning after experiencing physical setbacks. Because we are all different, and no two injuries are identical, rehab should be personalized. It should include a range of targeted therapies and exercises tailored to address the specific injury (or injuries), pain, or post-surgical conditions.
Too often we see clients whose rehabilitation has focused only on alleviating the symptoms of pain. But this does not address the underlying issues. You see, rehabilitation should aim to restore strength, flexibility, and overall functionality to how they were before the injury occurred.
“Think of rehab as the go-to when people experience pain, injury, or undergo surgery,” Ryan says. “It’s like going from a negative state back to normal – let’s call this ‘zero’. Rehab typically involves exercises, but not your usual gym stuff – it’s more focused on specific activities that may seem easier or different.”
Rehab often requires a nuanced understanding of the body’s healing processes. Therefore, it is structured to progressively rebuild and reinforce a person’s physical capabilities. This paves the way for a return to normalcy and everyday activities.
Performance
Performance goes beyond mere fitness. Performance is about pushing the boundaries of your physical capabilities to achieve higher levels of athletic prowess.
Improving performance involves targeted training programs aimed at enhancing strength, endurance, agility, and overall physical conditioning. The focus is on taking you above and beyond the state of normalcy (zero) into positive territory.
Performance training is designed to move you beyond initial and subsequent baselines. Whether you’re an athlete seeking competitive excellence or a person wishing to be able to do more physically (for example, moving from walking with your grandchildren, to lifting them up and carrying them, to playing ball with them in the park), performance is the achievement of new personal bests. Thus, the focus is on being proactive and forward-thinking, and emphasizing growth, refinement of skills, and the pursuit of peak physical potential.
And the relationship between the two? As Ryan explains:
“No one wants to think of themselves as going from, you know, less than their normal self to back to themselves. No one wants to spend time on that. I think most people want to focus on performance, which is, ‘I want to make myself better than I was. I want to look better. I want to feel better.’ ”
Why Is It Important to Understand the Relationship Between Rehab and Physical Performance?
Research doesn’t always frame the relationship between rehab and performance. However, they are not separate entities. They exist on the same continuum, and in the same spectrum. This is the crux of the challenge that so many of our clients have experienced elsewhere:
Physical therapists, traditionally viewed as medical professionals, sometimes limit their focus to pathologies, not realizing that an understanding of fitness and performance could enrich their practice.
Similarly, personal trainers might overlook the importance of pain management, despite it being a common issue among clients.
“A lot of the trainers that I teach and I work with think that pain isn’t a part of what they have to learn about, but 100% of their clients have pain,” says Ryan.
How Does Reload Use Rehab and Performance in Our Approach?
Our approach is centered on a seamless integration of rehab and performance.
When we recognize that insights from both fields are interconnected, we can integrate knowledge from rehab and performance. When we do this, we can develop more holistic and effective approaches to physical wellbeing.
Understanding the inherent connection between rehab and performance enables us to:
Apply methodologies used in performance enhancement to rehab, emphasizing proper form and muscle strengthening, thereby reducing the risk of re-injury or new injuries
Induce a seamless transition from rehab to performance training, thus preventing gaps in the rehab process and ensuring that you are ready to move into performance training without setbacks
In short, when the relationship between rehab and performance is fully appreciated, we can devise fully informed and effective recovery and training strategies and programs. It’s the heart of comprehensive client care that addresses both the immediate needs of recovery and the aspirational goals of performance. It ensures that you are supported throughout your entire physical journey, from healing to excelling.
“The undeniable fact is that clients are going to have to train their body to get better,” says Ryan. ”Underpinning how we do this is a basic concept: the Gap Analysis.
“We look at the demands of the situation. Whether it’s running and jumping to play basketball, or running and jumping to play with your kids, we look at what you need to be successful. How much fitness, strength, or mobility do you need to achieve your physical goals? We dissect this, and then we dissect you to discover what you currently have.
“When we know the difference between what you have and what you need, we can create a fitness program to build to your unique needs – attacking what you are missing.”
Connect the Dots Between Rehab and Performance for a New You
In conclusion, understanding and embracing the relationship between rehab and performance is pivotal. At Reload we don’t view them as separate disciplines but as interconnected aspects of a continuum.
Whether you are recovering from an injury or striving to reach new athletic heights, our integrated approach ensures that every step taken is a stride towards overall health and enhanced physical performance.
To begin your journey to your physical fitness goals, book a comprehensive 90-minute body evaluation with Reload.
