Tag: training aids

The Modified Low Dye

A physical therapy band-aid for foot pain during running Running-related injuries are commonly seen for physical therapy at Smith Performance Center. Unlike some of the advice, you may hear, stopping can prolong the problem.  Rest does not automatically equal recovery or resolution of an injury.  A nice tool to consider learning is the modified low dye.  It can help to reduce foot and lower leg pain while allowing you to continue training. Where is it from? I learned about the modified low dye from Dr. Tom McPoil.  He is faculty at Regis University and was previously faculty at Northern Arizona.  He is an expert on the foot and wrote an article on tissue stress theory that still impacts my practice today.  The purpose of the modified low dye in a physical therapy program is to limit stresses to the tissue of the lower leg and foot to allow desensitization. In

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Physical Therapy Exercises

At Smith Performance Center, physical therapy exercises are used to maximize healing, build resiliency, reduce pain, and correct abnormal motor patterns. We do not use an endless array of exercises that would take an hour or two every day.  We understand more than one to two exercises mean compliance, and performance plummets. Our team wanted to put up common exercises we use to help you remember the form.  We have it broken up by body part and there is some cross-over, so you may see the same exercise in a few different categories. Let us know if you have any questions. Spine Chin Tuck Exercise   Isometric Activation Exercise   Self Massage for the Upper Trap   Self Massage for Posterior Shoulder   Suitcase Carry   Upper Extremity T Exercise   Y Prone Exercise   Serratus Plank   Lower Extremity Clamshell Exercise   Posterior Tibialis Exercise    

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Bracing for Groin Pain

A useful brace to compress and reduce pain in the adductor muscles   Bracing, Taping, and Training Aids Home Page Bracing, Taping, and Training Aids   Bracing for poor hip control The SERF Strap   Bracing for foot and lower limb control The Post Tib Brace   Taping for the Foot Modified Low Dye  

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Bracing, Taping, and Training Aids

One of the key differences in our practice compared to normal, insurance-based physical therapy is how we schedule our sessions.  We normally do a session once every week to two weeks. This developed as a result of our focus on the home plan.  The second reason was how we started to use braces, tape, and training aids.   These tools became a key part of our practice.  The funny (maybe sad) part of using braces is how terribly the instructions are in their use.  The SERF strap is one of my absolute favorite tools for a variety of force absorption-based injuries.  The brace is extremely difficult to put on and the instructions are awful.   We were tired of shooting the same video over and over and over, so we made a general video explaining it all and put it up on the site.    The SERF strap is just one brace

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How & When to Use a SERF Strap

What is the SERF Strap? The SERF Strap is the first patellofemoral brace designed to treat PFP due to poor hip control. Basically, the strap is a really long elastic band that you anchor at the knee (my term is foundation 1), tension over the outside of the thigh, and anchor around the pelvis (foundation 2). When you create these anchor points, the strapped leg will now have support for external rotation at the hip joint.  This reduces pelvic drop and knee valgus.  You can take someone whose knees hit together and immediately correct this dysfunction. While the marketing material and websites talk just about patellofemoral pain, I use this tool for symptoms in the leg (sometimes the back) during the stance phase of running or walking. This includes injuries like posterior tibialis tendinopathy, adductor longus and gluteus medius injury, and trochanteric bursitis. For athletes, I prescribe it as an

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Smith Performance Center Tucson

Strength Training for Triathletes

What to do if you are an often injured triathlete that has tried to stay healthy? Why did you get into triathlon?  Do you love the challenge? Do you like the training? Do you like the chronic calf cramping, back pain, neck pain, sore shoulder, or weird knee pain that seems to happen when you step off a curb?  Do you like hearing you have weak glutes or it’s just that your hip keeps falling out of alignment? My guess is those last two are not why you started and continue to do triathlons. Triathlon combines three separate sports into one: swimming, biking, and running. The training is long with a focus on technique and conditioning. You may have been attracted initially to the idea of cross-training to reduce your risk of injury. After the second or third overuse injury, you realized that may not be accurate.  When triathletes get

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Craig Smith

Craig Smith

BUSINESS Craig Smith is the co-owner of Smith Performance Center. He founded SPC with Sarah Smith in 2015 with a mission to provide the Tucson community with the support and tools to manage their health and stay active for life. He is a partner with Evolve Flagstaff. Founded in 2017, Evolve brings together gym, physical therapy, nutrition, and meal preparation services to support the Flagstaff community. Craig Smith founded Amptimum with Ryan Seltzer in 2020. Their mission is to unleash the clinical skill set of allied health professionals by developing documentation mastery, patient management processes, and robust analytics. WORK As a physical therapist, Craig is interested in physical therapy concepts with clinical application, PT diagnostic methodology, innovative healthcare solutions, and team-based practice. He specializes in lower extremity care, gait analysis, and physical therapy. As clinical director, Craig works to develop a shared framework for his physical therapy and coaching team. The shared framework, called PT Solutions and the HHP Program, is carried out daily with hundreds of patients and members. As a consultant, Craig works with allied health professionals to understand their clinical processes. This focus allows for clinicians to optimize their operations and to improve their clinical outcomes, train new staff, and reduce the burden of practice. AWARDS Craig graduated from NAU with distinction and was awarded the Distinguished Graduate for the Department. He graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and was awarded the Outstanding Major of the Year in Exercise Science by NAHPERD. Most recently, he was awarded the Excellence in Achievement from Northern Arizona by the NAU Alumni Association in 2020. RESEARCH Craig has presented research at the American Society of Biomechanics National Conference, the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, and the National NEXT conference along with numerous local and regional meetings on topics surrounding injury screening and prevention. He has publications in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Journal of Athletic Training, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of Sports Medicine, and Lower Extremity Review. Craig and his colleagues, Dr. Warren and Dr. Chimera, were selected as one of the “Best Clinic Case/Research Submissions” at the 60th Annual Meeting and 4th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine of the American College of Sports Medicine.
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