Winter is here, ok well maybe not here, but it’s on its way and there isn’t much we can do about it. Many times around this time of year I have people coming into the clinic for injuries they “acquired” during the warmer months. Maybe they were too busy enjoying the outdoors all summer and fall to deal with it, or maybe they hoped that things would just go away once they moved into “hibernation” mode. Either way for many of us the winter is considered the “off-season” (remember this is coming from a die hard skier). This is the perfect time of year to remove any barriers to performance or even to entire activities themselves that got in your way last spring, summer or fall.

Pain is the easy barrier to understand, and also to be motivated to deal with. Does your back hurt while golfing, well if so, it’s easy to see how this could affect your performance and also make a great game, not so much fun. Things get a little more complicated when we start talking about other barriers that are harder to see or feel.

Did you miss that marathon PR by a few minutes? Maybe you didn’t have pain, but it’s very possible that those under active hamstrings were holding you back, or maybe that lower core isn’t stabilizing you so you’re not breathing efficiently?

Half ironman swim not where you wanted it to be? Maybe your shoulder stability isn’t where it should be so you are using more effort than you should. (Or maybe you just didn’t practice swimming enough…)

Having trouble getting that front squat PR you know you are strong enough for? What’s going on with your ankle mobility? How is your pelvic control?

Did you avoid doing activities with your family this year because you were afraid of falling? Why is your balance off? Do you have a muscle imbalance? Are you using poor strategies to to correct your balance? Do you have a visual deficit?

These are all barriers to your maximum performance and they are all things that can be easily identified and fixed. This is the perfect time of year to focus on them, so when you come out of hibernation you can feel the difference.

Schedule an appointment today to see how we can help you reach your goals, and remember pain may be the easy barrier to identify but it’s certainly not the only one.