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Tag: Strategy

Patient experiencing a rehabilitation flare-up with physical therapist support and quote about mastering symptom management

Understanding and Managing Flare-Ups During Rehabilitation

During recovery, there comes a pivotal moment when symptoms improve, and the client feels like they’ve turned a corner. Life feels good again, and naturally, activity levels increase. This change is often unconscious or unintentional—but its consequences can be significant. A rehabilitation flare-up is defined as a return or increase in the original symptoms that led the patient to seek care. The natural reaction to a flare-up is often to question whether the real problem is being addressed. Read: the diagnosis is wrong. But this reaction can lead to a critical misstep—focusing on the wrong issue and missing an opportunity for patient empowerment. Diagnostic Errors vs. Rehabilitation Flare-Up Mismanagement Achieving the correct diagnosis involves identifying potential tissue pain generators, noting local and regional contributors, considering central modulation, and uncovering triggers. This process requires careful collection, analysis, and prediction. And there can be many reasons that diagnosis is hard, but once

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Athletic woman holding her shoulder in discomfort, with a quote emphasizing how exceeding tissue capacity through high exercise demands can lead to recurring injury from exercise.

Tissue Capacity vs. Exercise Capacity: Why Most People Miss the Mark

You’re Doing the Work—So Why Does Your Body Keep Breaking Down? You show up. You put in the effort. Whether it’s running, lifting, group fitness, or weekend hikes, you’re trying to stay active. But despite the commitment, you keep dealing with recurring injury from exercise. Pain shows up, progress stalls, and your body feels more unpredictable than it should. This isn’t about motivation. It’s about biology.The real issue is a mismatch between what you can make yourself do and what your body is built to tolerate. At Smith Performance Center, we call that gap the difference between exercise capacity and tissue capacity the rehab standard—and it’s one of the most overlooked problems in rehab and training. What Is Exercise Capacity? Exercise capacity is your ability to push through effort and accumulate work over time. It’s what most people think of as “fitness.” It includes: Exercise capacity reflects what you’re capable

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Male triathlete running outdoors with overlaid quote emphasizing tissue capacity over training volume, alongside the Smith Performance Center logo.

Triathlon Injury Rehab: How SPC Phases Prevent Setbacks

Recurring injuries derailed Alex’s triathlon training for years—until he adopted a structured, phase-based rehab approach. This case study shows how the Smith Performance Center Phase System helped him move from chronic pain to consistent performance by focusing on what most athletes overlook: building tissue capacity to match training demands.

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A clinician at Smith Performance Center performing manual therapy, assessing elbow range of motion. Hands-on assessment techniques help diagnose movement limitations and guide treatment

Meniscus Tears & Knee Pain: Why Rehab Needs More Than Just Cutting Out the Problem

The Evolution of Thought Around Meniscus Injuries Clinical practice is filled with successes and failures. For some reason, failures tend to linger in memory the longest and often drive the biggest changes in how we approach patient care. A significant moment in my clinical career involved a meniscus tear, knee pain, and the need for surgery. One of the most impactful shifts in my approach to knee pain, particularly in cases involving meniscus tears, came from a repeated clinical pattern: patients improving, then regressing, over and over. This frustrating cycle forced me to rethink my process and align it with a more structured framework—one that incorporates the Smith Performance Center Phases. This helped me answer the question, “Does a meniscus tear require surgery, or can it be successfully rehabbed without going under the knife?” The Traditional View: Meniscus Surgery vs. Rehab For years, meniscus tears were considered a primary cause

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Sean McConnell, a strength coach at Smith Performance Center, works closely with clients transitioning from physical therapy to strength training, ensuring safe and effective movement progression.

Breaking the Injury Doom Loop with Sean McConnell: Why the Right Support System Matters

Confidence is even more important than strength. People come in with doubt and fear of pain. If they don’t believe they can move safely, they won’t move at all. My job is to assess not just their movement, but also their psychological acceptance of movement. The best exercise is the one you can do, so we start small, monitor the response, and slowly build from there

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Alex Griffis, physical therapist, performing knee traction on a patient lying down at Smith Performance Center to improve mobility and reduce pain.

Understanding Vestibular Issues with Alex Griffis, PT, DPT

When it comes to dizziness and balance issues, few areas of physical therapy are as fascinating and misunderstood as vestibular rehabilitation. Dr. Alex Griffis, PT, DPT, sheds light on common conditions like Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and the surprising role of vision and proprioception in maintaining balance. With techniques like habituation training, he helps patients regain control over their symptoms. If you’ve been struggling with unexplained falls or dizziness, discover how a multi-layered approach at Smith Performance Center can help you regain confidence and improve your quality of life.

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Black and white photo of Kenny Sewall performing an elevated push-up at a gym station in Smith Performance Center, showcasing strength and form.

From Pain to Progress: Building an Exercise Habit After Injury

A perfect time to build the exercise habit occurs when you overcome a painful injury. At Smith Performance Center (SPC), this happens during the “activity progression” phase after stabilizing symptoms. Unlike a standard exercise routine, activity progression focuses on managing and improving tissue capacity—your body’s ability to handle physical load without pain or injury. If these terms sound unfamiliar, don’t worry. The following signs indicate you may have skipped the fundamentals of activity progression: Why Delaying Exercise Is a Mistake Many individuals delay exercise until they feel completely better. However, this approach has drawbacks: Your Path at SPC At SPC, we’ve developed a clear plan to help you build fitness while overcoming an injury. Here’s how it works: 1. Your Home Plan: Manage Symptoms and Flare-Ups The biggest hurdle to starting exercise is handling symptom increases. If daily activities cause large spikes in pain, your exercise plan must be carefully

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What is the difference between Phase 3: Activity Progression and Phase 4: Exercise, Maintenance, and Monitoring?

Welcome to the transition zone—phase 3 to phase 4—at Smith Performance Center. This shift marks an important move from rehabilitation to performance. We’re committed to ensuring that our community doesn’t get stuck in a permanent rehab mindset. The switch from rehab mode to peak performance mode can pose challenges, demanding careful consideration and expert guidance. Phase 3 is all about building up tissue capacity, gradually ramping up activity levels, and prioritizing overall well-being. It involves strengthening muscles, alleviating muscle inhibition, closely monitoring responses to increased activity, and addressing any lingering issues stemming from previous inactivity. Essentially, it’s about improving tissue capacity while laying down a solid foundation for what comes next. In contrast, phase 4 signifies a fresh chapter, with a focus on establishing a consistent exercise routine and raising the bar for performance standards. Our goal here isn’t just to ‘move’ but to instill a long-term commitment to fitness

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Physical Therapy Tucson

The 10 Strategy Mistakes of Repetitive Injury When Exercising

Do you want to get back to exercise but keep on getting hurt? The merry-go-round misery of a repeatedly injured exerciser is a common complaint at Smith Performance Center. When someone shows up, our physical therapists listen to a series of injuries that seem to occur every time they get into a workout routine. The exerciser finishes rehab and heads back to their respective sport. The first few days go well, but inevitably the same problem comes back. In our clients’ minds, their body has lost the ability to stay healthy. They believe age is driving the problem, or the joints are shot. They think the activity they choose to do is too vigorous and must be replaced.  These are not the problem.   The cycle of repetitive injury is a strategic mistake. Returning to activity with a strategy We believe in a process called the SPC Phases. A phase at

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Optimizing Your Strength Training: Understanding the Importance of Deload Weeks At Smith Performance Center

In the realm of physical fitness, the drive to push our limits often overshadows the significance of rest and recovery.  Enter the concept of “Deloading” — a strategic and essential practice that can be a game-changer in your strength training regimen.  As we engage in rigorous workouts and demanding physical activities, our bodies undergo stress, breaking down muscles and tissues.  Yet, it’s during periods of rest that our bodies repair, adapt, and ultimately grow stronger in response to these stresses. The Deload week, a planned phase of reduced training volume, intensity, or frequency, serves as a pivotal component of a well-structured training program. Its purpose is simple yet profound: to allow the body the necessary time and space to recover, prevent overtraining, and boost overall performance. Understanding when, why, and how to implement a Deload week can significantly impact your training outcomes, ensuring sustained progress, and minimizing the risk of

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