The pursuit of excellence in my sport and profession led me to Precision Osteopractic. Playing for the Men’s US National Field Hockey Team and working as an ICU Nurse are physically demanding passions. I’ve always wanted to be the best at what I am doing and as time passes along and life gets busier and more demanding I’ve realized I need help optimizing my performance.
At age 16, as I was fighting my way onto the USA Men’s Junior National Outdoor Field Hockey Team I developed hip pain. I was fortunate enough to play on both the Junior and Senior National teams for field hockey for 8 years. My career always had the undertone that hip pain is part of the sport. It’s played on a hard surface with a short stick, often requiring deep lunging postures, quick directional changes, cutting, pivoting and twisting. I was always searching for ways to manage the pain and improve my mobility. Even with the guidance of the Team USA Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainers, and Strength and Conditioning coaches, I was never able to truly identify the source of pain and rectify the problem. The general consensus amongst the health care professionals I worked with was that the only fix was to stop playing, otherwise learn to deal with it. Consequently, I retired from the National Team in 2018 and focused on my career as a nurse.
Nursing is a demanding profession, often requiring heavy lifts to transfer or move patients, odd ergonomic positions when performing clinical techniques, and long hours with high levels of responsibility. It can be stressful and has resulted in several bouts of low back pain over the years.
In 2019, I returned to playing field hockey at the international level for the USA Men's Indoor Field Hockey team. Unfortunately, this almost instantly reignited my left hip issues. Enter Precision Osteopractic & Dr. Greg. I decided to take advantage of Precision's free 15 minute screening opportunity and during that short session gained an understanding of the source of my hip pain, an encouraging prognosis and sense of confidence that we could resolve this chronic problem so I could pursue my dreams. During that quick 15 minute screening, Dr. Greg told me that I could become pain free and compete at the international level. I was skeptical, to say the least, since every other Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine Physician had previously told me it was going to be impossible to be pain free if I continued playing and training. So I made the commitment and within four sessions I had the education and tools from Precision to be successful. I was taught how to increase my ankle, hip, and back mobility. During our sessions I received incredibly helpful dry needling treatments as well as spinal and hip adjustments. This truly changed my hip pain and improved my pain-free mobility. I was able to lift weights, run, and play hockey at my highest level all while being pain-free for the first time ever!
Then, March 2020 happened and it was all hands on deck for nurses. We all worked overtime shifts, long days and managed patients with high acuity. At work, I sustained a lower back injury moving a patient as so many nurses do. Precision Osteopractic was my first call. No referrals or primary care visits required. I was able to be evaluated right away. A quick assessment by Dr. Greg determined I had injured my quadratus lumborum (QL) muscle (a large muscle on the side of my back). This tied into my core strength and hip mobility (I started to see a theme here) which made sense to me. Again, Greg was able to address this quickly in the clinic and show me how to continue self-care at home. Four dry needling sessions got me back to work with no back issues.
Now, I am fortunate enough to work with Precision as I prepare to play in the Indoor Field Hockey World Cup at the end of January, 2023. As my training volume intensifies and I continue to train both on and off the field, the tune-up sessions are paramount to my success. Anytime I want to care for my body as an athlete, the guidance and care I receive at Precision OPT is invaluable. I am forever grateful for the expertise, the confidence, and professional care I receive every time I work with Precision Osteopractic.
Precision Osteopractic has two convenient locations and two specialized Osteopractic Clinicians. They are conveniently located on Main St. in Hanover on the second floor of the Nugget Arcade building and on the ground floor of the River Valley Club. To learn more and self-schedule an appointment please visit them at PrecisionOPT.com
