April 2017 marks four years since Gallagher Performance opened and with another anniversary passing, I thought it was time to start reflecting back on our fourth year in business.

All our services from chiropractic to massage to personal training to sports performance training continue to experience steady, consistent growth since we first opened. Growth that led us into our own facility in December 2016. The move has been a very positive and necessary one for our continual business development.

On January 2, 2017, Gallagher Performance opened in our new location. After long hours and lots of work we ended up looking like this:



The new facility has enabled us to widen our reach, both within the community and online. Being a community resource is tremendously important to us. We are now able to hold classes, lectures and have been asked to speak to area sports teams and organizations. We are also now able to provide more educational videos on our social media and YouTube channels.

Even with the transition to a new facility, we remain loyal to providing quality of service over quantity. Gallagher Performance is about individualized attention in all our services. This is why our chiropractic and rehab patients are with their doctor every minute of every office visit. This is why Gallagher Performance isn't a gym; it's a training facility. We don't offer an open gym membership, but rather different levels of training services to meet the needs of our clients and athletes. The reason why we set it up this way is because we want people to experience how supervised training by qualified professionals yields amazing results. And our clients are achieving remarkable results in private and semi-private settings that enable individual considerations to be made appropriately.

In regards to our services, it has been another great year. GP’s chiropractic and rehab therapy was recognized as one of the best in the Pittsburgh area for a third consecutive year. The results we achieve through our chiropractic, manual therapy and functional rehabilitation have helped people get out of pain and return to the activities they enjoy. There have been literally dozens of patients who have come to us after a doctor has told them they needed surgery, but we’ve helped them avoid these procedures. We've helped them understand the importance of not only getting out of pain, but why changing the function of their body is the key to a successful outcome and long-term recovery.

Our personal and performance training services continue to generate tremendous results for our clients and athletes. The results keep our clients loyal and the referrals coming in. We have truly cared about delivering quality in all services since we opened. It’s a great feeling to see how much our clients appreciate the attention, know-how, and confidence they receive while working with us. When you focus on quality of service and improving the consumer experience, only good things can happen.

During our four years, we have seen tremendous growth in our distance/online training services as we have gone international. Now while we are growing and our reach may not be that impressive by some industry standards, it is humbling to see how our distance services are being sought after by people beyond the state of Pennsylvania. We have seen the reach grow to 12 states (AZ, CT, GA, IA, IL, MT, NJ, NY, NC, OH, TX, WI), into Canada (Alberta, Ontario), and into Portugal, Italy, and Japan.



The reason for our growth isn't a big marketing budget. Rather, we work hard to set up everyone we work with for success in any way possible –  trusting that those efforts will lead to referrals and retention. At Gallagher Performance, we don’t try to just “factory line” our clients/athletes through the same program with a "cookie cutter" approach.  This is because we understand training and rehabilitation is a very individual experience and everyone we work with needs very individual considerations made for them. That's what it takes to produce lasting, meaningful results.

Our sports performance training services continue to be utilized by a variety of athletes from a growing list of amateur/club organizations, high schools, and colleges. In addition, GP continues to direct the Strength & Conditioning program for the Franklin Regional Hockey Club as we move into our fourth year.

During the past year, we've seen new names join of list of athletes who have reached the collegiate level. This is tremendous accomplishment on their behalf and we are privileged to work with such determined and hard working athletes. Here's the list we have worked with, from sports performance to chiropractic and rehabilitation, and where they are coming from:

 Collegiate Athletes

• Wes Ashley, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (NCAA DIII) - Hockey
• Andrew Brncic, Alderson Broaddus University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Colin Childs, California University of Pennsylvania (NCAA DII) - Football
• Ben Dipko, Slippery Rock University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Noah Dipko, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (NCAA DII) - Football
• Justin Gismondi, Robert Morris University (ACHA DI) - Hockey
• Ryan Grieco, Seton Hill University (NCAA DII) - Baseball
• Carter Henderson, Duquesne University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Evan James, Penn State University Greater Allegheny (NCAA III) - Baseball
• Colin Jonov, Bucknell University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Katie Kimmich, Seton Hill University (NCAA DII) - Soccer
• Dante Luther, Washington & Jefferson University (NCAA DII) - Football
• Jake Roberge, Northwestern University (NCAA DI) - Soccer
• Mike Roberge, Northwestern University (NCAA DI) - Soccer
• Charan Singh, University of Massachusetts (NCAA DI) – Football
• Todd Summers, Villinova University (NCAA DI) - Football
• Ryan Watson, Lake Erie College (NCAA DII) - Soccer
• Christian Wilson, Mount St. Mary’s (NCAA DI) - Track & Field

The value of movement is undeniable. But the industry of movement has become a bit of a circus.

I have seen some doctors, therapists, and trainers using the label of “movement provider” lately and while I’m not quite sure what that means, I can speculate as to what they are trying to communicate. Yes there are many universal truths when it comes to human movement, health and performance, but the true pioneers of movement are few. Social media has created a tool for spreading quality information and education. I understand leveraging social media can become incredibly valuable to a business. However, when it comes to movement, exercise, and fitness, social media has become more entertainment than substance.

It’s become a sea one can easily become lost in, caught up in the wow factor of challenging movement drills and variations while others are less likely to engage with more of a simplistic focus. Movement providers from licensed healthcare professionals to run-of-the-mill trainers pop up all over the worldwide web and social media sending messages that may seem conflicting. There’s more information than ever yet many people searching for solutions are more confused than ever. The industry seems to thrive on confusion more than any other. Confusion creates dependence and the industry loves confusion because someone has to have the answers. They want to build an audience.

But are you building an audience based on your information being entertaining or effective?

Sadly it seems that he who yells the loudest, gets the most followers and gets the most attention must have the answers right? I mean they do have 62,000 followers, they must know their stuff? Not necessarily. Entertaining may score you points on social media, but effective scores you points with patients and clients. Yes there are extremely effective movement experts with massive followings, but I doubt they exist in the real world in the masses like they do on social media. If you’re chasing entertainment yet don’t know how to effectively get someone from point A to point B, it’s all smoke and mirrors.

While overhead lateral rotational lunges with hanging bands may score thousands of views on Instagram, does it have any significant relevance? From a clinical perspective, those who treat patients regularly know the majority of what entertains on social media has little transfer to patient care. The reality is that the majority of patients with musculoskeletal issues have lost the ability to perform basic human movement. There is a reason why the lumbar disc patient is a disc patient. Most of them are deconditioned and lack adequate strength, motor control, mechanics and proprioceptive awareness not only in their low back, but likely in their feet and hips as well. They need the basics. The fundamentals. Problem is the basics aren’t sexy and don’t get you likes or follows on social media. Advanced progressions of basic human movements make up 90% of what’s on social media, yet in the office 90% of our patients only need the basics. The same can be said for the population that works with a personal trainer or strength & conditioning professional. They often need the basics and just building off them.

The majority of patients and clients need to master the basics without the need of external resistance. For most, simply working against the resistance of their own bodyweight is sufficient. Problem is, if you take away the bands, the barbells, the kettlebells, the dumbells, the cables and sliders from some doctors, therapists, and trainers, they will struggle to think of exercise progressions/regressions to yield better movement by simply using one’s own body. The really good movement providers can achieve improvement without the need of equipment. This may be incredibly simplistic and not score big points on Instagram or Facebook, but you’d be surprised at how challenging the basics and their variations will be. So if you are using social media as your reference library on how to rehab your own injury, rehab a patient, or create a workout for your next training client, I would be incredibly cautious.

Sure the squat may be basic, but how many are actually capable of a proper bodyweight squat? The answer may surprise you. Yet how many are capable of a proper squat before heavier and heavier loads are introduced or they try an overhead, band-resisted, anti-rotational squat? I’m gonna bet not many. If you’re capable of performing an overhead, band-resisted, anti-rotational squat with ideal form, great. You’re part of less than 1% of the population that is capable. The other 99% need more of the basics and arguably may never need to do that advanced of an exercise. Most won’t even have the desire as they won’t see the relevance.

The basics may be boring, but they are incredibly effective. We all need them. The basics serve as the foundation. What kind of basics are we talking about? If I was to build a short list of basics to ask yourself, it would look something like this:

• Are you able to breathe without excessive chest or shoulder movement?
• Are you able to balance on one-leg for at least 60 seconds?
• Are you able to balance on one-leg (eyes closed) for at least 30 seconds?
• Are you able to hold a plank for at least 60 seconds?
• Are you able to hold a side plank for at least 30 seconds on each side?
• Are you able to perform a lunge with ideal form and control?
• Are you able to perform a squat with ideal form and control?
• Are you able to raise your arms overhead with ideal form and control?
• Are any of these movements painful?
• Are any of these movements difficult to perform due to tightness or restricted range of motion?

Our approach to working with shoulder pain or injuries is very unique in that we really don’t work around shoulder injuries when properly indicated. The majority of the time, we don’t force someone to rest for several days while inflammation quiets down. Yes, it can be necessary in rare circumstances. However, rest and traditional methods of ice and anti-inflammatory meds are often over utilized when properly prescribed movement (i.e. exercise) is probably the better bet for improved recovery. At Gallagher Performance, we have a nasty habit of getting our athletes, clients and patients to work through pain and injuries by strategically incorporating exercise with specialized approaches tailored to find “the hardest thing they do well”. We want to find what they can be successful with while not posing any undue risk. And the best part? The system works.

When it comes to the shoulder, pain and injury is most commonly associated with poor shoulder function and faulty mechanics. And when I say most commonly, it’s not a stretch to say over 50% of shoulder injuries are due to these underlying problems. If muscles are unable to fire properly to provide ideal amounts of support (stability) and motion (mobility), then injury will occur regardless of how strong or flexible one is.
I have written extensively on the subject of the “hidden cause of injury” since the root cause of the overwhelming major of musculoskeletal injury is dysfunctional movement. Most doctors and trainers do not have the training or eye to look for dysfunctional movement and no amount of rest, ice, and Advil will ever provide the solution. No amount of passive modalities, taping, cupping, mobility drills, or stretching will correct dysfunctional movement. When it comes to shoulders, the solution to reducing shoulder pain and preventing injury is all about restoring proper rhythm and mechanics of the shoulder joint. This includes all it’s associated articulations – the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic. Basically we have to improve how both the “ball and socket” joint or “shoulder joint” (as most of us know it) and “shoulder blade” function together.

When it comes to improving the function of the shoulder, we’ll take an athlete or patient and have them perform variations of rows, pulls, presses, and ground-based movements with adequate loads to reinforce ideal body mechanics and correct dysfunctional movement or stability patterns. This is done through a combination of exercises, tempos, external stimuli, and progressions to essentially re-educate the nervous system. This is why it’s called neuromuscular re-education. We must teach the nervous system to do things better and break bad habits. Yes bad habits can be very challenging to break. Most people would rather pop a pill or rest until their pain disappears rather than break bad habits because breaking bad habits sounds like hard work. Popping pills and rest are great because they are easy and effective. But those who deal with chronic recurrences may want to think about a different strategy once their patience wears thin.
For example, some lifters have such poor thoracic spine posture and scapular dyskinesis that they may need 6 months+ of rehab and corrective work. But they have no interest in that. They have no interest in stepping back a little and refocusing their training for long-term development. They prefer to band-aid symptoms while they push their training and perpetuate the pain cycle.

The funny thing is breaking bad habits isn't as hard as most people think. If you work with the right person you’d be surprised what proper coaching, cueing, and exercise can do in a relatively short period of time. The reality is most people are highly resistant to breaking bad habits because of either ego or the unwillingness to take a step backward. Typically after a number of training or therapy sessions, the individual is able to perform any and all movements without pain and with improved shoulder mechanics. For those dealing with shoulder pain, improving their mechanics through sensory-motor training enables their nervous system to be re-educated. This re-education process is the most effective form of therapy and healing available. It cannot be understated that a critical component of this process is proper coaching and cueing. This is the responsibility of the coach or therapist. As much as proper coaching and cueing can be beneficial, improper coaching and cueing can prove to be very damaging. It is my opinion that many injuries occur because the athlete or patient had previously received very poor coaching or instruction.

This is exactly why performing exercise with proper technique is proving to be the single most effective form of therapy as it promotes almost immediate healing. If someone is having pain during a movement, they are doing something wrong. Correct them into the proper movement and watch their pain disappear. The key is re-educating the nervous system so movement becomes both therapeutic and performance-enhancing to one’s body rather than promoting pain and destroying joints.  This is truth when it comes to the shoulder joint as well as any joint within the human body.

Tired of pain? Want to reach your full potential? Visit gallagherperf.wpengine.com
EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE.

More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/finding-a-solution-to-your-shoulder-pain/

The insurance industry has become increasingly difficult to work with as many large carriers have limited or completely closed off providers from joining their network.

In such cases, we operate as a fee-for-service facility and offer affordable plans that truly increase the value of our patient’s experience. But rather than take my word for it, let's do the comparison between traditional chiropractic and the difference at Gallagher Performance.

TRADITIONAL CHIROPRACTIC
Most traditional chiropractors spend 5-15 minutes per patient and often attempt to have them come 2-3 times per week for an extended period of time. Most patients only experience passive modalities and adjustments with a predictable routine of stim-heat-adjust-out the door. And if there is rehab, often it is supervised by unlicensed aides who instruct patients in exercises. Most traditional chiropractors will see a patient 18-24 times in order to resolve their problem. Depending on co-pay or co-insurance, the out-of-pocket expense can add up quickly. For someone who has a $25 copay, that means they will have $450-$600 of out-of-pocket expense.
THE GALLAGHER PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCE
At Gallagher Performance, you spend 30-60 minutes with your chiropractor, enabling faster recovery in fewer visits. Most of our patients recover in less than 8 visits, spend 100% of their time 1-on-1 with a board-certified rehabilitation chiropractor, and are provided with essential knowledge and tools needed to ensure pain doesn’t come back. Our approach will actually save you money while providing you with a higher quality of treatment. That’s value you can’t compare!

 

Low back pain is not an uncommon condition among the American population. Several studies have supported data that demonstrates up to 85% of the population will experience at least one episode of low back pain during their lifetime. Low back pain is responsible for millions of dollars in healthcare costs every year.

In most cases, low back pain is relatively self-limiting condition, meaning it reduces naturally over a period of a few days. That said, it is not uncommon for many to experience severe pain. For this reason, it is important to begin treating low back pain conservatively with interventions such as chiropractic, manual therapy, therapeutic massage, and/or proper exercise prescription. All these conservative interventions have demonstrated their ability to successfully treat low back pain and its causes.

Some common back pain causes that respond well to a combination of chiropractic, manual therapy, massage, and/or exercise include:

Sprain/Strains: Injury to muscle and/or connective tissue, such as tendons or ligaments, suffered during activity, accidents, or lifting with poor form. Sprain/strains are extremely common and most range from mild to moderate (little to no tearing of tissue) and respond well to conservative treatment such as chiropractic, manual therapy, and progressive rehabilitation. Severe sprain/strains are characterized complete tears of ligaments or tendon ruptures. These may require surgical intervention.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: These pelvic joints usually produce pain as a result of alter joint mechanics from lifting or straightening up from a stooped position. The pain is usually relieved with sitting or lying down. Muscular tightness in the low back and hips is common.

Facet Syndrome: Pain in the low back that is localized, sharp and provoked with either extension (arching of the low back) or a combination of extension and rotation of the spine.

Sciatica: Radiating pain into the lower extremity on the posterior thigh/calf/foot. Sciatica can be caused by central issues (disc herniations) or peripheral issues (piriformis syndrome, nerve entrapment).

Disc Herniations: Low back pain which may also radiate pain into the hips or legs. Typically worse in the morning; worse with bending forward; usually better standing than sitting. Because of the disc injury, muscle spasms are not uncommon. These muscle spasms serve to limit movement in order to protect the disc from further injury.

Piriformis Syndrome/Nerve entrapment: Radiating pain on the posterior thigh and leg caused by tightness in the piriformis muscle. This muscle is deep within the hip lays underneath the glutes. Tightness in the piriformis can create irritation by entrapping the sciatic nerve, thus creating the radiation of pain.  The sciatic nerve can be entrapped within the hamstring and calf musculature as well. Low back pain may also accompany hip pain.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome: This is a chronic form of muscle pain caused by trigger points. These trigger points are often present within muscles of the low back and hips due to any combination of joint dysfunction, postural imbalances, and/or poor stabilization/support function of the core musculature.

Spondylolishthesis: A fracture of the vertebrae resulting in pain with extension. Similar to sprain/strains, spondylolishthesis is graded in severity. Mild forms for spondylos can respond well to chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) and rehabilitation programs. This condition is frequent in athletic populations who perform repeated extension movements, such as gymnasts, football players, wrestlers, and weightlifters.

In many cases, several studies support that low back pain responds exceptionally well to the combination of chiropractic care, manual therapy, massage, and proper exercise instruction.  If you are suffering from low back pain, whatever the cause, consider Gallagher Performance for your evaluation and treatment. Our goal is to relieve your pain while teaching you what you can do to keep the pain from returning. Please contact us as we have every expectation that our chiropractic and rehabilitation programs will help you Experience the Difference.
 
This blog post was written by Dr. Sean Gallagher.

Gallagher Performance offers customized treatment plans. Visit our website for complete contact information. 
To schedule your appointment, call (724) 519-2833.
 
More related reading:

https://gallagherperformance.com/why-stretching-wont-solve-your-tight-muscles/