Motivation in the weirdest place

So the motivation for this post came from one of the most unlikely places. First, I am a physical therapist, so why I was reading the Wall Street Journal is beyond me, and second, I was reading an article about Terrell Owens.

Now I have never been able to make up my mind as to whether or not I like T.O. Of course I will cheer against him at all costs when my beloved Patriots are facing his teams (twice this year!), but the guy has talent, and he produces. But then there are the arrogant comments, irresponsible touchdown dances, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus (enough said). Essentially, my opinion of T.O. sits on the theoretical fence.

In today's WSJ article written by Jen Murphy found in the Health & Wellness section, she highlights T.O.'s career, but concentrates on his workout routine and diet. It was interesting to hear T.O. say that he has had to adapt his workout routine to fit his position and decrease strain on his body. Coincidentally, he is getting better results on the field. In summary, T.O. stopped caring so much about how much weight he could lift, and started caring about how his body felt. He started using more dumbbell work and increased his resistance band work significantly. If you have ever seen T.O. without a shirt (most people remember him doing crunches in his driveway on ESPN) or know about his production, you cannot criticize his results.

As physical therapists, personal trainers, and athletic trainers, we can actually take something away from what T.O. has done with own body (I'm reluctant to say we can learn something from a man who spit in another player's face). We can watch and chart patient/client/athlete progress and determine what is working for them and what is not.

I see too many health care professionals, MD's included, do what works for most people, and if it doesn't work than they are out of ideas. T.O. found what worked for him, which is not the typical dumbbell/free-weight routine most NFL players take part in. In my setting, I need to find what works for each patient, not what worked for the one before. People's bodies respond differently to different stimuli.

Now I would say this is pretty common sense, except it contradicts what I hear from my patients, and what I have seen throughout my clinical and professional career. We need to treat patients, not injuries.

Staying up to date with research, and simply keeping a desire to provide the best care for our patients/clients is an easy way to prevent "cookie cutter" treatments and workouts; however, it is also up to us to listen to our clients and hear how they are responding.

Lessons from future NFL hall of famers in regards to an unrelated profession are few and far between so I'll take this one. However, on 9/14/09 I will be hoping the Patriots can teach T.O. and the rest of the Bills a lesson.