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PT Rebels Podcast | Dr. Gina Fick, PT, ScD

How Fick PT and Performance Has Helped Me Stay On Track

Track and field is a sport of pain tolerance. Every event is difficult, but when it comes to the 400m and 800m races, it can be extremely difficult and very painful. Since I started running track in seventh grade, a consistent theme has been pain tolerance! This theme is evident on and off the track, and I can honestly say I would not still be doing this if it were not for Fick PT. My body would not be healthy without their support and guidance. I have worked through many different injuries throughout my career as my coaches and I try to figure out what type of training is best for my body. Unfortunately, finding the sweet spot in training, where I feel fit and healthy, has often been very difficult to find. I have worked through a bone stress reaction, shin splints, two torn hamstrings, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, a concussion, and various strained muscles.

Fick PT was the first place I went after these injuries and was the reason I was able to return to the track. As I matured in my training and knowledge, they helped me format a personal plan for injury prevention and recovery to avoid more serious injuries. As a result of this, I have been completely injury-free for almost two years now! I still have tweaks, aches, and pains, but with the resources and support Fick PT has provided me with I am able to stop these annoyances from progressing to full-blown injuries, which has helped me stay on track (literally).

However, injury recovery and prevention are not the full picture of Fick PT’s services: they provide encouragement and guidance beyond physical therapy. Fick PT has taught me how to separate my sport from my identity, keeping track light and fun and keeping me joyful in the pursuit of faster times. With pain tolerance comes a considerable amount of mental toughness, and burnout is very common in my sport. There have been many times when running was no longer enjoyable to me, when I was shattered by another injury, or when training just hurt too bad. Fick PT always walked alongside me and showed me that who I am should not be confused with what I do. They encouraged me in my long recoveries, tiring training, and tedious injury prevention. They told me that I am tough, both mentally and physically, and they pushed me to act accordingly. Fick PT has given me incredible perspective on life and sport. They taught me to keep the main thing the main thing, to push through hardships on and off the track, and encouraged me to run for the sake of running: searching for joy in it all and sharing that joy with others.

The resources they provide to help prevent and recover from injuries are incredible, from blood flow restriction, dry needling, cupping, the Alter-G treadmill, deep tissue laser, and shockwave therapy, to their state-of-the-art recovery center. They have everything you need to be the healthiest and best version of yourself! They do not stop there. They ensure that you understand what is going on with your body and equip you to take the next steps to health and recovery, encouraging you, and supporting you every step of the way. Without Fick PT I would have stopped running track a long time ago. I would not have been able to perform on the track without the PT, recovery tools, and prevention tips that they have given me, and without their encouragement and support, I would not have learned the mental toughness or found the joy required to excel in track and in life. This sport has brought me many things but one of the things I am most grateful for is a deep relationship with Fick PT.

If you are looking for a PT, I highly encourage you to look no further and to reach out to the physical therapists at Fick Physical Therapy and Sports Performance by visiting www.fickptandperformance.com or by calling 720-480-2866.

Reese Dragovich
Hillsdale College Track and Field (’25)

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Gina Fick

Fick PT & Performance

"We Empower You To Recover From Injury As Quickly And Safely As Possible In Order To Optimize Your Function And Maximize Your Athletic Potential."

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