May 2015 

ALTA NEWS 

What is real strength? When we see someone with rock hard back muscles, do we think of them as strong? Maybe, but probably not. When a person with back pain 

comes to see 

us, their 

muscles may 

be rock hard, 

but in so much 

spasm that 

they can’t bend 

over to tie a 

shoe. In such a 

situation, the 

muscles designed to move the 

The Next Steps to a Better Bolder Boulder 

I watched the crowds disperse after the Memorial Day celebration at Folsom Field, and lots of people were in a world of hurt. Runners were limping, walking stiffly, and grimacing as they made their way to the bus. Clearly the Bolder Boulder had taken a toll. 

The Bolder Boulder is an iconic 

race and no matter how fast or 

slow you go it can be a blast. 

But with post-race pain, the 

party’s over. So if you are out 

of commission because of 

injuries, or were disappointed 

by the race you ran, don’t 

despair. You, too, can be a 

winner – see Andrea’s blog. 

She had an amazing day at the 

Boston Marathon 2015. 

She ran pain-free (yay!) and set 

spine are working to stabilize the spine while the actual stabilizers 

a marathon PR – 3:27. 

Read Andrea’s Story 

have gone silent. Learning to turn on the deep stabilizers, especially after injury, requires help from a skilled movement specialist. Recruiting the right muscles for a given job allows movement to become easy and graceful. 

Many people tell us that running is the most efficient, cheapest exercise they know. Though they love to run, nagging injuries stop them in their tracks. Between 37-56% of recreational runners suffer an injury in any given year. That does not have to be the case. So, before you retire your running shoes, see what a run screen can do for you.

Pilates 

instructors 

around the 

country want to 

know more 

about taking a 

client from a 

rigid state to a 

stable state. 

ALTA’s own 

Jonathan Oldham, MSPT is an expert on the art and science of stability vs. rigidity. Jonathan is a sought after speaker on this topic and has recently presented at the Pilates Method Alliance Conference in Florida, and the Fletcher Pilates Conference in Tucson, and will be speaking at the Pilates Center in Boulder this summer. 

NEW FACE at ALTA

A run screen involves 

much more than watching 

you run. We look at your 

muscle strength and 

flexibility – we want to see 

balance from side to side 

and tip to toe. Sometimes 

we use a Selective 

Functional Movement 

Assessment (SFMA) to find 

your weakest link. 

Adequate strength and 

good flexibility are 

important, and then there’s 

technique. But you don’t 

have to be the perfect 

human specimen to run without pain. Though we all have imbalances, it takes a trained eye to tell you what matters and what you can ignore. 

So what keeps you from pain free running? Maybe your stride is too long. Where and how your foot strikes the ground may be creating too much jarring. A tight right shoulder could be limiting hip extension on the left. These aren’t things you can easily see or feel. That’s why you need a video camera, a treadmill and most of all, a trained eye, to spot what’s not working and understand the mechanics enough to know how to fix it. Your problem might require some manual therapy, strengthening exercises, muscle re-education, or maybe you just need to take your shoes off**. Only your therapist knows for sure. 

Treating Knee Pain – Click for Emily’s story 

Click to see Jill’s treatment for shin splints 

Michael Westphale, PTA 

If you see a bright, new and friendly face at ALTA, be sure to say hello to Michael Westphale, PTA. Michael is the newest 

To schedule a run analysis, call us at (303)444-8707. We’re here to help. 

**Transition to barefoot running requires guidance and a gradual transition. 

Our Summer Goal – Burn Calories, Not Carbon

member of our professional staff. He is thrilled to be at ALTA and we are just as thrilled to have him here. Look for more about 

Michael in our next newsletter. 

CONGRATULATIONS ERIN & PAUL 

IT’S A GIRL!!! 

Erin has a beautiful 8 lb. 8 oz. baby girl and we are all excited! Baby Brooks was born Thursday, May 28th and both mom and baby are doing well. 

In planning for maternity leave, Erin has been communicating with the other therapists who will be covering in her absence. We expect a seamless transition. We also have been working on coverage for her Pilates classes and are doing our best to make sure they are all the fabulous sessions you have come to expect. Erin will be back to work in late August, but we hope she will stop by the office often with her new baby girl. 

No one in Boulder really needs an excuse to ride bikes more, but ALTA is giving you one! As a physical therapist, I spend more time convincing my injured patients to ride a little less. But this summer, a group of us at ALTA are hoping to encourage you to ride more, maybe a lot more. To be precise, we are hoping to contribute to the National Bike Challenge. The goal is to ride 35 million miles by September 30th. Sound like a tall order? Don’t worry, 75,000 other cyclists will also be contributing. 

Here at ALTA, we can sometimes be a bit competitive. So when the National Bike Challenge gave us the opportunity to make a team and compete with other teams around the world as well as each other, we jumped at the chance. 

Here’s where you can help. Our staff is small and the more folks outside the office we can get to join our team, the stronger we will be. The more miles we ride, the more prizes we will qualify for and the more FUN we will have on our bikes. 

The bike challenge is not just for experienced riders. You don’t need to have full spandex regalia, or a bike worth more than your car, to participate. You don’t even need to ride with a group or make long weekend rides part of your routine. You can log the miles you ride to work, or to the farmer’s market. You can log the miles you ride while teaching your kids to ride a bike. You can even log the mile you ride on a bike shop test ride when you buy your very first bicycle! The goal of the National Bike Challenge is simply to get more people riding bikes more often. 

So join us. When you register, select “ALTA Physical Therapy and Pilates” as your team so we can see your miles and so our team gets credit. Then, ride on! Burn calories, not carbon, and help reach the 35 million mile goal by September 30, 2015.