Skip to main content

Postural Restoration: Why I Chose to Get My Certificate In PR vs A Doctorate In PT


Throughout my competitive running career, I never started a race at the front line. It was my thing to pass people, picking them off one by one with a smile & a word of encouragement. I was comfortable (& successful) with this strategy for years. Then there came a shift.

I was struggling to break my PR. My husband & I were discussing my strategy. “You belong in the front," he said, "Put yourself up there next time.” He knew. I was holding back just enough... not sticking my neck out there quite enough. But the thought of having all those people behind me... chasing ME down made me anxious. It made me uncomfortable. But, he was right. That's where I belonged. Leading the way is what I’m meant to do. It’s not comfortable. It’s often scary. I'd think of all those behind me that I can't see.. breathing down my neck. But that is where success comes! I often need that extra pressure to meet the next level of myself. Besides, someone has to do it. If there is no one to chase down in the front, we get complacent. If there is no example to follow, people don’t realize there is more out there. So, when the time came in my career to decide how to reach that next level, the decision was easy. Do I mix into the crowd & get my doctorate? Or do I set myself up in front with a unique certification? Postural Restoration was so unknown. There'd be a lot of work in front of me to educate others. It would be uncomfortable, challenging & exhausting. But, I would be up front, leading the way as others tried to catch up. I knew a PRC would set me apart & others would follow. So, I put the DPT aside & became 1 of the 1st PRC's in the world! It's been every bit as challenging as I thought… & even more rewarding. By now some people have passed me, but I'm proud to have given them something to chase. Reaching next level success requires taking the lead. So does reaching a higher level lifestyle of movement freedom! You must be willing to get uncomfortable & do things differently. Do you belong in the front? Email me & find out how I can bring you there! "Take Your Musculoskeletal Health into Your Own Hands" 💗, Kristen

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Those "Tricky" Hamstrings - Part 2

THE ROLE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM This "epidemic" of recurring hamstring injuries is, in part, due to the under-valued role of the nervous system.  There is often too much focus on the structural "damage" and isolated limitations vs the overall dysfunction. I'm not saying that treating the damaged tissue is not important. But, in order to minimize recurrence, we must look beyond the isolated injury and seek to understand the integrated, "big picture" of the problem. IS IT ACTUAL DAMAGE OR SOMETHING ELSE? One interesting concept to understand is that the tension of our muscles are completely under the control of our nervous system.  Your brain is in constant awareness of the tension of all your muscles.  Unless you change your nervous system, you will continue to sense tightness.  As mentioned in Part 1, stretching isn't necessarily the answer to resolving tension. The relief felt by isolated muscle stretching only lasts for about 20 minutes.   ...

Those "Tricky" Hamstrings (Part 3)

So far, we have discussed the consequences of OVER STRETCHING and the role of the NERVOUS SYSTEM in treating and preventing hamstring injuries.  Now it's time to dive in to the ROTATIONAL component of our hamstrings.   We cannot treat the hamstring group in just one plane of motion.  Look at the diagram and notice that there are some hamstring muscles that attach to the inside (medial) side of the knee, and others that attach to the outside (lateral) side of the knee. When working together, the medial and lateral hamstrings will act in a coordinated manner to bend the knee and extend the hip.   Individually, the medial hamstrings turn the thigh inward (Internal Rotation or IR) and the lateral hamstrings turn the thigh outward (External Rotation or ER).  This means that the hamstrings are also a crucial player in side-to-side and rotational movements.  On the same lines, the hamstrings will act at the upper attachment at the pelvis.  The med...

Understanding the Pelvic Floor - GAMECHANGER!

WHY ARE YOU CARRYING THAT EVERYWHERE, MOM?  If you've bumped into me lately, you've likely seen this new "friend" poking out of my bag or sitting on my desk. I've had a "bones only" pelvis for a while now, but this one is a new addition. I've been under the wing of the great @hayleykavapt this month tackling a deeper understanding of the pelvic floor. I've understood how to INFLUENCE those deep muscles via the bony positioning and activation of the larger muscles surrounding the pelvis, but I didn't fully understand how to ACTIVATE and RELAX those muscles and when. I was pretty intimidated by those deep pelvis muscles, to be honest. I can say that adding this awareness and cueing to the exercises I've been giving out for years has made a huge difference in myself... and I'm excited to share this new appreciation with you! After just a few times practicing, my feet felt much more grounded when running today! Better hamstring and glute ...