FORT LEE, Va. (April 13, 2017) -- The Kenner Army Health Clinic Physical Therapy Department has signed a partnership with the Strength Performance Center to retrain and educate military members so they understand the proper way to resume physical activity following an illness or injury without causing further damage.
Reaching outside of Kenner to offer the Return to Run Program is one way the Physical Therapy Clinic is able to engage with Soldiers, lessening the conflicts between unit training and the PRT scheduling to ensure readiness.
"Running is something that is innate to the military; part of our training that makes us the elite and agile forces that we are," said Capt. Erin Johnson, chief, Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Clinic. "It's something we are tested on twice a year no matter how old individuals are or what their job is. However, it's also one of the leading causes of repetitive or overuse injury, and we spend no time training how to do it correctly. We focus on training all of our Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, our range qualifications, and our job skill sets on a daily basis. And yet, something like running, another necessary skill set, we take for granted as we watch these injuries slowly increase and take Soldiers out of the fight," said Johnson.
Fort Lee is a training post with most of the active duty population coming from basic training for technical training. In today's culture, incoming Soldiers are not properly equipped for recruitment into the military.
The Physical Therapy Clinics' goal is to get ahead of the issue, identify the risks among our Soldiers, and start to educate more effective and efficient movements before the injuries occur.
"The Holistic Health and Fitness: A Better Way to Readiness" article in the April 2017 edition of "Army" magazine reports "Initial Military Training requires a high level of strength, speed and endurance. Latest estimates indicate only about 30 percent of 18-21-year olds in the U.S. qualify for the armed services."
The Return to Run Program is based on the world renowned POSE running method developed by Dr. Nicholas Romanov. The Physical Therapy Clinic currently has a physical therapist and physical therapist assistant trained in this method.
The clinic is willing to work with unit commanders, command sergeants major, first sergeants and platoon sergeants in order to improve running for units. The program includes observing units when they complete formation runs, speaking with command teams and training platoon sergeants in aspects of running that can improve performance and readiness.
Physical Therapy is not just about returning individuals from injury. The profession prides itself on working to avoid injury through education.
For questions, or if your unit needs to be assessed, feel free to contact the Physical Therapy Clinic at (804) 734-9200.
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