Why Movement is Medicine. A Conversation with Kathy Monterio, Head of Operations at Achieve Physical Therapy
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kathy Monterio, Head of Operations at Achieve Physical Therapy, to discuss the vital importance of participating in a regular strength training program, why movement is medicine, and keys to rebounding from an injury.
Back in 2017, I tore my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) skiing. Kathy was my Physical Therapist and an instrumental part of my ACL post surgery recovery, supporting me every step of the way. I remember vividly sitting on a stationary bike at the clinic, and I was unable to do a full pedal rotation. I broke down crying in front of Kathy. Her compassion and encouragement at that moment stuck with me, and after months and months of rehab, I not only made a full recovery, I was stronger and more committed to my health and fitness than ever.
Check out my conversation with Kathy and feel free to follow Achieve Physical Therapy on Facebook!
Liz: Kathy, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. Can you please introduce yourself and share a little bit about yourself and your role at Achieve Physical Therapy?
Kathy: My name is Kathy Monterio and I am Head of Operations at Achieve Physical Therapy. I've worked at Achieve for almost 13 years. I spent 9 years as a Physical Therapist before transitioning to a full-time admin position in leadership/management. I now oversee all of our operations, administrative, and clinical, for all 5 of our offices.
Liz: You played a huge part in helping me personally recover from my ACL reconstruction surgery. For someone going through this injury (or really rebounding from any injury), what advice do you have for them?
Kathy: Be consistent and patient with your rehab. The key to achieving your goals is not just going to your PT appts. It's also consistently doing your assigned rehab exercises on the days you don't have PT. That's where the real progress is made. And make sure you share your goals for yourself with your Physical Therapist. Getting out of pain is one part of the process, but not all of it. If you want to get back to certain activities, tell them. A great Physical Therapist is going to listen and won't stop until you reach your goals.
Liz: According to the National Library of Medicine, about 80% of Americans will experience back pain in their lives. Why do you think back pain is so prevalent in our country? How can resistance training help prevent and alleviate back pain?
Kathy: As a society, we sit the majority of the day and have become much less active. This means the muscles on the back of our body (back, gluteals, legs, etc.) have all become weaker. Weaker muscles provide less support to our bodies which stresses our bones/muscles and make us more vulnerable to injuries/pain. The more we strengthen our muscles, the more support they provide. The more support results in less stress on the body and therefore less pain/injury.
Liz: Fitness professionals often use the phrase "movement is medicine" and cite the importance of resistance training for injury prevention and recovery. Please share your thoughts on this.
Kathy: Similar to what I said previously, pain or injury often comes from not having adequate mobility or strength in our bodies. Our bodies are designed to move and be strong throughout all planes of movement. That only happens if we strength train our muscles throughout our body's full range of motion. Our muscles have memory so if they have been trained to work properly with a certain activity like squatting or lifting, then we will be less likely to overstress our body/cause injury when performing that activity in everyday life. And if an injury does happen, the muscle memory from prior resistance training can help our muscles remember how to properly function faster, resulting in a quicker and easier recovery.
Liz: When someone is recovering from an injury, often their Physical Therapist focuses on unilateral and bilateral movements. Why is it so important to hone in on specific sides of the body/muscle groups?
Kathy: When an injury happens, the mobility and strength around the area of injury decrease on that side of the body. Your body will then create compensation strategies to adjust for the loss. These compensation strategies can start overstressing other parts of your body and put you at risk for more injury. You need to create equal balance between both sides of the body in order to resolve the compensation strategies and minimize further issues. You do this by focusing specifically on training each side individually and comparing them against each other for symmetry.
There are times in life that you need both sides of your body to work together to accomplish something, such as lifting something heavy. There are also times in life that you need to rely on one side for a specific task, such as having equal balance/strength in your legs to reciprocally go up/down the stairs or using your dominant arm vs. your non-dominant arm for different daily tasks. If you only focus on training both sides together or just one side, you are not keeping the body evenly balanced. This can set you up for future injury. You should train the body the same way it works in life, so if we use our limbs individually AND together for different things, then that is how we should train them to restore full function.
Liz: Core stability is so important for injury prevention and recovery. What are some of your favorite core exercises you recommend to patients?
Kathy: Plank and side plank drills, chopping and lifting patterns, anything that focuses on using your deep core stabilizers by keeping a neutral spine with leg/arm movements. The biggest thing to remember with the core is that it is always working with everything we do, so you can make any exercise a core exercise if you focus on engaging your abs and glutes to stabilize your spine.
Liz: Lack of time is often cited as a reason why people don't participate in a regular exercise program. How do you help your patients make fitness a larger part of their lifestyle?
Kathy: Consistency is key. One of my main suggestions when starting to incorporate regular fitness is take one step at a time, You don’t have to tackle everything at once. Incorporating exercises with other daily activities can be a great place to start. For instance, if someone needs to work on balance, try standing on one leg when brushing your teeth or brewing your coffee. If going up stairs, make it a leg strengthening exercise by focusing on form and using the right muscles. Long term, find activities you enjoy doing or leverage the benefits you get from exercise (more energy, improved sleep, improved mood, etc.) as motivation to continue your exercise regime. Build a habit. Even 15 minutes of something is better than nothing. And if/when you do pause and fall out of your routine, don't beat yourself up. Just get back into it as soon as possible.
Liz: Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Kathy: Exercise is one of the best forms of medicine. It supports staying healthy and if we don't have our health, we have nothing. Embrace keeping your body mobile and strong!
