Ask a Physical Therapist Anything (plus content update)

junior1derfulDo you have any suggestions for strengthening / stretching knees? I have had issues with the tendons on the top and bottom of my kneecaps for a couple years now. It's never been a problem while i'm skiing, but rather while i'm working out. I mostly do unweighted squats and resistance band workouts, but I get pain in the tendons above and below my patellas midway through a workout. It's not so bad that I can't complete my workout, but just sort of annoying. There wasn't an injury or defining moment that caused this, but just sort of came out of nowhere. Any help would be much appreciated!

BLandzI have to get shoulder surgery in october and its supposed to be a 4-6 month recovery. I want to be ready as early as possible for ski season. Im gonna do the PT shit hard asf and take lots of cold showers too. Do you think its possible to fully recover in 3 months or is that unheard of. Also, does the 4-6 month range imply you will be back to full strength by then or is that just the amount of time it takes for it to feel not fucked anymore. Like roughtly at what point to do you think I can take minor slams on it. Do you have any other tips for a speedy recovery?

mrk127Any good exercises for laterally strengthening knees? besides one legged bench squats and pistol squats?

IdahoeLast season I fractured my heel bone as well as my talus in my left foot, and i was going to PT appointments for a month or so to get my ankle strength back. Now I have most of my strength back, but I still feel pain when I do activities that involve a bit of ankle flexibility like skating, playing soccer, or hiking on rocky trails. Do you have any suggestions for stretches or exercises that could help me with this?

VTshredder69is there anything i can do for tendonitis in my shoulder? I've now gotten two cortisone shots but the doctor says i shouldn't get any more.

I've tried PT on and off for 10 years but it doesn't sound like it would help tendonitis?

SkierPTHello NS family,

Here for a little update. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far.

First, I want to take the chance to announce I will be starting weekly PTuesdays on NS where I will continue educational posts about strengthening, rehab, etc. I would love some more ideas for these posts !

Second, I am planning on (soonish) hoping my own Mobile PT side gig where I could see you guys at patients in-person or via Telehealth! Keep an eye out.

Third, I want to give the NS community the chance to ask me anything about rehab, PT, exercise, or life in general. I’ll do my best to answer every question to the best of my ability.

Thank you everyone for the support the last few years.

Stay safe and land gucci.

armchair_skierflat bench 1 rep PR?

SkierPTconsidering I have torn labrum in each shoulder, guess!

BLandzWith this information id have to guess zero. Lol

SkierPTFind a good local sports PT and get on a tendon loading program. Any solid sports PT will get your shoulders right. Tendonitis isn’t overly complicated to treat!

SkierPTconsidering I have torn labrum in each shoulder, guess!

NotEnoughSkiingThank you for doing this op!

What's your opinion on chiropractic treatments? I've used them and personally find them very helpful but it seems to be a divisive area depending on who you ask: family practitioner, vs ortho specialists vs pt vs trainers.

Same question about stuff like acupuncture & cupping.

Lastly what would you consider a good quick 5-10 minute stretching routine that you can do regardless of whatever other fitness & training you are doing. Almost like what might be a good get out of bed routine.

250rkneesovertoesguy on youtube has been my go to for mobility work. I think the tibialis and VMO are very often overlooked in skiing.

Also to be straight up the biggest improvements regarding my strength, mobility and joint health have come from using testosterone, growth hormone, and BPC-157. I don't know why there aren't more non-contest pros on a similar stack. I know tanner takes BPC, and wouldn't be surprised if he also has test and GH. I can feel the GH and BPC healing my old injuries and regrowing cartilage. The testosterone gives crazy neurological adaptations, better muscle memory, and way more confidence to try gnarly shit. Cerebrolysin is another cool one to play around with to enhance neurological function.

SkierPT my question to you is how important do you feel it is to train muscle groups such as chest shoulder and arms? I can see training shoulders being good for injury prevention. Chest and arms though seem a little pointless for skiing, maybe they would help with winding up for a 12 or something. Obviously almost every muscle in your legs, core, and back are important for skiing. I know this is an age-old argument in training for skiing, but what do people think? Is it really worth your time to do much like bench and curls to get ready for skiing? Would they help with either performance or injury prevention?

SkierPTI would 100% not recommend taking the supplements you stated, especially to a mostly 18 and under website.


To answer your question I feel like having balanced strength is important for most sports. Strength is the biggest factor in reducing injuries in both lower and upper extremity. It also depends on your split. If you are just going for mass and doing a body building plan, I can’t see than translating to skiing much unless you also train power/speed. Plus look good, ski good!

250rOh, I agree with that. I do think they are very valuable for the 30+ crowd in skiing, however. You don't have to feel like an old man in the park haha.


I also agree that a balanced approach to training for skiing is good, and you should work on some things like mobility, plyometrics, and agility training. However say for the case of ACL injury prevention, wouldn't adding a lot of mass to your hamstrings through hypertrophy training be your best bet of protecting your ACLs? I really don't see any use for heavier powerlifting type strength workouts, as skiing is more endurance-based and more akin to hypertrophy training.

freestyler540So I have an abdominal hernia. It started a few years back when I hucked a drop inbounds. It felt like a screwdriver was shoved just above my belly button. I skipped a few days due to the pain, but was able to get back on my skis when the pain went down.
That day, I felt a ripping sensation while dropping another huck, but this time it felt 100% fine the next day.
Last year, I was taken down by it for a few days. It was found by a physician while undergoing a marine medical exam but he didnt recommend doing much about it due to the size.

Now I can see a pertrusion about half an inch long and I am getting worries that this will start to be a problem. I plan on seeing a physician for a consult on what to do to repair it.

So can these things be prevented? What can I do in the meantime while waiting? What can I expect for physio after?

thanks for your help!

PimpChimpinHow to strengthen up my broken tibia to be ready for ski season

SkierPTAny more details?

SkierPTLet me get back to you !

freestyler540Thanks man! Looking forward to some real advice. The doctor situation in Nelson, BC is disgusting. It wont be for another year that I will get an appointment. I still wanna huck this year!

STEEZUS_CHRI5TThis is why I don’t care when people rip on the US for expensive health care. I’d rather pay more than have to wait a year to get taken care of. Sorry to hear that man.

percsI was about to make a thread but this works.

Torn cartilage in chest -
back when I was a young teenager skiing i cased real bad and whiplashed so hard it ripped something near/above my sternum. Couldn’t cough or talk loud without nerve pain in my chest. It just kind of went away slowly and I lived with it. Since then I’ve injured it 4 times to the point of serious pain- I was just trying some push ups after injuring it recently at the pain came shooting back in my chest all over again. I feel like it never really heals I just learn how to breath around it. Anyone have experience with this or know what to do? I feel like every time I isolate my chest I’m at risk of injuring it

baitI blew my ACL in February, got surgery in June, have been doing thorough PT every other day. Broke my femur on the same leg in 2015 and didn't do any PT. I paid the price. The knee has started to get a bit sore again recently after returning to work. Could I expect to ski (not jump) this season?

SkierPTHello NS family,

Here for a little update. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far.

First, I want to take the chance to announce I will be starting weekly PTuesdays on NS where I will continue educational posts about strengthening, rehab, etc. I would love some more ideas for these posts !

Second, I am planning on (soonish) hoping my own Mobile PT side gig where I could see you guys at patients in-person or via Telehealth! Keep an eye out.

Third, I want to give the NS community the chance to ask me anything about rehab, PT, exercise, or life in general. I’ll do my best to answer every question to the best of my ability.

Thank you everyone for the support the last few years.

Stay safe and land gucci.

ScootSkiLyfeI’ve dislocated both shoulders , probably torn rotator cuff in both sides. My dominant sided shoulder is pretty bad, has came out 5+ times this year. Help !! Tips appreciated

RedeemI tore my MCL and LCL last season as well as strained my meniscus and ACL

Some days there is no pain but can still feel tension/tightness in the knee and others there is shooting pain/soreness on the knee all day. Was not able to see an orthopedic surgeon for 3 months after the injury and they kind of just moved me along. I would say about 65% of the time I straighten my leg after sitting for a period of time I can feel the knee “catching” and it will pop (assuming it has to do with cartilage) but there is no pain associated with it just an uncomfortable feeling.

I have pretty much taken the whole summer off from surfing and have been very light on sports to save me knee for the winter. However with winter approaching my knee doesn’t feel as strong as it should even though I am still doing PT.

Is that normal or should I try and schedule another visit with the doctor to make sure that I am able to ski hard this winter? Or is there an at home physical test I can do?



Any good exercises for strengthening the LCL in the off-season?

SchoessI have very limited range of motion in both of my ankles and I'm not sure if they're strong and healthy or not.

I rolled my ankles a lot as a kid skateboarding, so they were always prone to that, but as I got older I have kept them from rolling by wearing ankle braces when I skate. About 3-4 years ago I stood up out of bed one day and couldn't walk. I went in to the doctor and basically they said I have a partial or full tear in 1 or more ligaments in the middle of my ankle between the ankle bones. They did not do an MRI due to cost and the fact that they said I would not need surgery either way, only PT. I was on crutches for awhile and healed up just fine over 8 or so months. That being said, prior to that happening, when I would land backseat on skis I had a sharp pain in my ankle in the same spot (which is obviously what ended up being the tear) and I would try to stay off of it by landing switch (lol). Anyway, I have felt pretty good for some time, but skateboarding a lot my ankles get sore and I have really limited range of motion after skating hard or for long periods. I always wear braces when I skate on both ankles and haven't had any rolling or spraining since prior to my partial tear. If I hold my leg up and roll my ankles around, I hear and feel some popping and cracking noises. To me that doesn't sound very good...

So I guess my question is, how can I tell if my ankles are doing ok? Or when to know I need to stay off them? And what kind of PT I could do to strengthen them and increase ROM?