As I finish up my 3rd week in Colorado, I am realizing that this is exactly what I want to be doing with my life after I graduate. I have been spending essentially all my time working, interning, running, eating, or sleeping. While for many this may seem boring, I love having a routine and spending my time doing things that I enjoy. In the clinic I am realizing that there is much less fancy work to the PT profession than I originally thought. Most hip or knee injuries are treated in very similar ways, same with neck, back, and shoulder injuries or pains. In soft tissue work, the PT finds the tightness in the muscles around the joint and uses one of a few different techniques to release that tension. I am very comfortable with many of the techniques used, such as cupping, scraping, or massage, but I know that I will need to get more comfortable with not only the process of dry needling, but the needles themselves. I have been receiving dry needling myself for a few years and have grown relatively comfortable with needles in my legs, but the thought of needles in the neck area makes me slightly queasy. I noticed this on Tuesday when a woman was receiving dry needling in her jaw to relieve tension there and I had to step out of the room because I was so uncomfortable. However, I believe that once I start practicing myself, I will be able to dissociate the person or pain from the area that I am needling.
This week in the clinic, there were several patients who had a larger exercise routine and received less treatment. Assisting with kettlebells and dumbbells was a very nice change of pace from just sitting and watching soft tissue work for the entire day. The Boulder office especially is fun to be in because it is a shared space with a chiropractor, strength coaches, and of course the PT. This allows for a really fun sense of community between professions. We often all eat lunch together and talk about what each group did that morning. I do not know if this is the exact setup that I want to work in, but I think that I want to work in a shared space of some kind. A few months ago, I had the idea of a shared running store and PT clinic that I think could be very fun if done correctly. However, my current dream is to work at this clinic. All of the therapists are extremely high-level runners who can balance working full-time while running up to over 100 miles per week. Along with being a PT, I want to run at this level, so it gives me hope that it is possible when I see other people doing the thing that I want to do. This summer so far has shown me that the Boulder area, and especially Boulder Run Physio, is somewhere that I want to be in the future.
Outside of the clinic, I had a great week of training. On Sunday my friends and I went up into the mountains and ran one of the most iconic routes in America- Magnolia Drive. One of my favorite parts of a summer training block is getting to know new people and becoming friends with them while on a run, and Magnolia Drive is one of the best places to do it. Despite the altitude and the hills present on the route, there is a shared suffering that is almost impossible to get anywhere else. I hope to continue making new friends and running in cool places as the summer continues!