Hello everyone! I’ve got something a bit different for you today. Below, you’ll find an interview I did with Ben Stevens from Somatic Senses. In this interview, he asked me about my new course, “Return to Sport: A Complete Guide to Testing and Rehab”. If you haven’t checked it out, please click on the link to learn more!

RETURN TO SPORT

1. You just launched your Return to Sport course! FINALLY! It’s been 18 months of back and forth to bring this puppy to life! Aside from me heckling you to do it, what was the motivation behind building this course? 

(Editors note: Ryan has been one of the most organized and consistent online educators I have worked with…the heckling was actually non-existent)

Well, first and foremost this course wouldn’t exist without you giving me the opportunity to create it – so thank you!

I’ve been taking continuing education courses over the past 10+ years and have found so much value in all of the commercial models, tools, and skills I’ve acquired. These courses have allowed me to better understand the principles of human movement. They have enriched my practice, resulting in better patient outcomes.

The reality is, I wasn’t able to find a course that covers return to sport from this comprehensive view… so I created one to fill the gap!

As a Physiotherapist and Strength Coach, I’ve developed a niche in end-stage rehab and return to sport. I really enjoy this phase of rehab, and feel that there’s a huge opportunity to move the needle here, particularly in the rehab world. I’ve always wanted to contribute to the performance and rehab space, and this is just the beginning.

 2. From what I understand, you spend a lot of time working with athletes of all levels. Tell me more. 

A good chunk of my caseload includes youth, varsity, professional, and Olympic athletes. I also work with recreational athletes and general population clients too!

My approach is a hybrid model of performance therapy which intervenes across the rehab-training continuum. I aim to be a “one-stop shop”, working with athletes from acute rehab through to athletic performance.

I love movement of all kinds, and sport is the purest and most dynamic expression of this. I really enjoy reverse engineering from the end-goal. Sports injuries give the perfect opportunity to do this since there are specific biomotor abilities that need to be rebuilt.

3. What do you think are the most common mistakes that most clinicians should look to avoid when returning their athletes to sport?

There are so many places that I could go with this question… but I think the main thing is that we aren’t doing a good enough job of incorporating objective testing. If we don’t approach rehab through this scientific lens, we are doing our athletes a disservice.

You can debate which tests we must use (ROM, motor control tests, dynamometry, isokinetic testing, jump testing, force plate testing, sprint testing etc.), but if you aren’t implementing any reliable and valid measures, this is a problem.

Beyond that, here are a few other factors that come to mind:

1. Missing steps early on in rehab – failing to master the basics, like rebuilding isolated strength of the quad post ACL reconstruction

2. Lacking knowledge of what it actually takes to return to sport – based on a zoomed-out perspective and a detailed needs analysis (ex. physical, technical, tactical, mental corners of development)

3. Limited understanding of end-stage exercise progressions (ex. reactive sprint and change of direction drills)

4. I hear that you just returned from working in Japan (I’m not jealous at all, I swear). Welcome back! What were you doing there?

Yeah! I had an awesome time supporting the Field Hockey Canada Men’s National Team as they prepare for the Pan American Games. We had a 5-game series against the Japan National Team. On these trips, I’m responsible for coordinating medical services, emergency response, taping, and rehabilitation. I also get the opportunity to integrate directly with coaches and the high-performance department. These trips are always busy and exciting, and it’s a great way to compliment my clinical caseload while diving deeper into a specific sport.

5. Let’s go way back to the beginning: What made you decide to pursue physiotherapy as a profession? I think I just assumed you were a super active kid who got injured as much as I did, but is that the actual story?

Haha you nailed it! Movement and athletics have been a part of my life since the beginning. I was fortunate to grow up with parents that really valued an active lifestyle. My dad had a big influence on me and was part of the SFU athletic therapy program back in the day. During his time there, he had mentors that really impacted him, like local legend Dr. Jack Taunton. His enthusiasm naturally rubbed off on me, and now we’re here!

Over the years, I accumulated lots of injuries playing soccer, and was amazed by how the body could adapt and regenerate. I found myself in and out of the physio clinic, getting treated by Chris Franks and Travis Wolsey – both of which I ended up working for later in my career!

Physio has been a great way to stay involved in sport as I’ve transition from athlete to health care provider. That being said, I still like to push my body and explore different movement practices (I’m really into rock climbing these days), and use my physiotherapy and training knowledge to inform my approach.

6. You’re finally making the leap into becoming a professional educator after a decade in the trenches. I’m stoked for you! We’ll all be better for it. I’ll be able to say “I knew him when...” and had a small part in pushing you this way. No big deal, lol. Up to this point in clinical practice, what educators have inspired you to follow this path?

Haha you’re too kind, Ben.

I’ve had a lot of direct and indirect mentors over the past 10+ years.

Directly, my mentors at the Whitecaps (Chris Franks, Rick Celebrini), Footbridge (Eric Marriott, Derek Monkman), and Coast (Dave Leyland, Clayton Cross) have made a huge impact on my practice. My colleagues Erik Torchia and Tony Trinh have been instrumental in my thinking too.

I’ve taken dozens of courses over the years and have found lots of value in all the great content we have access to these days. Some people that come to mind are Bill Hartman, Gray Cook, Charlie Weingroff, Dr. Andreo Spina, Lorimer Moseley, Ron Hruska, Derek Hansen, Frans Bosch, Eric Cressey, Mike Boyle, and Pat Davidson to name a few. Much of what I’ve learned has come from taking courses through Somatic Senses, so thank you!

I also read lots of research and aim to keep up with emerging practices. There are too many researcher to name here, but this has been a big part of my development and understanding.

7. In a previous newsletter, I posted a copy of an Instagram post you made, layering many systems into your approach to Return to Sport. What thought-processes, principles, or systems can we expect to have influenced your new course?

My course is a culmination of all of the things I’ve learned over my career. It’s kind of a cop-out, but everything and everyone I’ve learned from can be found somewhere in this course.

I’ve tried to narrow down return to sport to a principle-based approach – the two most important principles being graded exposure/progressive overload and the SAID principle. I take a strength and conditioning based approach to rehab, which starts with conducting a thorough needs analysis. Once we know what the epitome of performance looks like for that athlete, we can reverse engineer from the end product and systematically re-build their movement variability, efficiency, and capacity.  

Here’s the post Ben mentioned if anyone is interested: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7R4nwploE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

8. What has been your most difficult return to sport case you’ve had to deal with in recent years? What made it so difficult?

One doesn’t come to mind, but I think the most difficult rehabs involve repeat injuries that have accelerated timelines.

For example, I’ve dealt with an Olympian who was trying to compete 9 months after their second ACL reconstruction… or a varsity hockey athlete recovering from a Laterjet procedure (after a failed Bankart repair) who was rushing back for the next competitive season… or a pro soccer player with multiple bony and connective tissue injuries to the ankle who had a crucial training camp coming up.

High performance sport is tough because there’s always this push and pull between “doing no harm” and getting the athlete back to competition as fast as possible. It’s a fine line to ride, and I tend to err on the side of caution if I have my way.

9.  I know you have thought a lot about learning, growth, and career development. Give us some parting advice, especially for the students and newer therapists. 

Similar to training and rehab, start with the end in mind.

Figure out what you want to do. What do you want your life to look like? Is getting there realistic based on what you might have to give up? How do you hope to balance your career with other things that are important to you? Set clear intentions for where you want to be, then bridge the gap between your goals and where you’re at.

It takes a lot of hard work, consistency, reflection, and iteration. Sometimes the end goal is a moving target, and that’s okay! Keep riding the wave and trust that you’re on the right path.

Be uniquely you! Learn from others, but find ways to combine ideas to produce something novel. Our industry is full of regurgitated information, and that’s okay as long as you reference your sources. What we need more of is people who are courageous enough to create and put their ideas out into the world.

The only currency that really matters is how you treat people. Be kind, take the opportunity to connect, and show that you really care.

Thanks for reading! Again, please check out my return to sport course if you’re looking to take your practice to the next level. Feel free to email me if you have any questions, ryanmaronrehab@gmail.com. Talk soon!