Flying home from APTA PPS (Private Practice Physical Therapist) I chose to review some of my past notes to see what might trigger my interests for a blog entry. I came across a piece I wrote that links my current trip to a similar trip in the late 1980’s, returning from another APTA meeting (I figure I have attended over 50 PT meetings, including World Congresses; London 1991, Vancouver 2007).
It has been 22 years since we built the first Pro Fitter and hit the road to show Physical Therapists (www.APTA.org) and Athletic Trainers (www.NATA.org) the value of what I then called “Total Body Training – for the Mind and the Body”. Early in my journey, when many folks thought I was a little off course with my short shorts and risky balance trainer “Pro Fitter“, I had the good fortune of meeting Gary Gray PT. Gary was watching the roots of the PT profession being challenged, as it was the work of the therapist and not the printed output from a Cybex or Kincom computer that would help people return to an active lifestyle after an injury. Now known as the “Father of Functional Fitness”, Gary was presenting a better approach called “Closed Kinetic Chain Training” long before many rehab specialists realized the pendulum was shifting. Thank you Gary for speaking out when you saw the industry appeared to be straying off course. www.grayinstitute.com
We have all learned a lot in the past 22 years. Athletes and Rehab centers practice Closed Chain Functional movement patterns in most programs as this approach to recovery has generally proven to be the most effective at getting folks back to active living. In future blogs I will share my thoughts and experiences on how functional training products like the Exercise Ball Chair, Active Sitting Disc and Balance Boards can be used to prevent injuries and enhance your daily quality of life. Remember “Balance is the essence of movement, and Movement is the essence of life.” Lose it and it is very tough to get it back!
