Stoke Physical Therapy

Ever wonder why you're always injured?

I work with people all the time who are trapped in a cycle of one injury after another.

There are lots of reasons why this happens, but you have to take action if you want to break free.

Check out my latest blog post to learn some of the most common sources of frequent injuries and what you can do to stop the cycle.

The link is in my bio.

Reach out with any questions or to book your free consultation 🤙🏽

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Ever wonder why you're always injured?

I work with people all the time who are trapped in a cycle of one injury after another.

There are lots of reasons why this happens, but you have to take action if you want to break free.

Check out my latest blog post to learn some of the most common sources of frequent injuries and what you can do to stop the cycle.

Reach out with any questions or to book your free consultation 🤙🏽

Always Injured? Here's Why - Are you stuck in a cycle of injury after injury that seems impossible to escape? You're not alone. There are many possible sources...

The best workout in the world is useless without proper recovery 💪🏽

Do you pay enough attention to recovery in your programming?

Most people don’t, but in truth recovery is just as important as the workout.

Check out my latest blog post to learn how you can recover more effectively.

If you’re having pain that’s getting in the way of your favorite sport/activity, reach out to get some guidance with a free consultation 🤙🏽

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Workout Recovery Optimization - Are you paying enough attention to post-workout recovery? Learn how to optimize recovery and maximize gains from your workouts.

How well do you really understand pain?

We all know what it is at a base-level, but the inner workings of our pain system are actually quite complex.

Gaining a deeper understanding of pain can help you to develop a healthier relationship with it.

This will increase your resilience and ease some of the fear associated with pain.

Check out my latest blog post to learn more about where pain comes from, what happens when things go wrong, and how to positively change your thinking about pain.

Check it out, comment questions below, and reach out if you'd like to set up a free consultation 🤙🏽

What is Pain, Really? - Have you ever wondered what pain really is? Developing a deeper understanding of this is the first step to a healthier relationship with pain

Meditation Tips for Beginners - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Tips for beginners to meditation! This is perfect whether you've just started practicing or you're only just thinking of trying it out.

Even if you conceptually understand that meditation is healthy, it can be tough to get started or stick with it in the beginning.

The latest Stoke blog post is a short one intended to share some things that I've learned in my meditation practice.

I am still fairly new to meditation myself, so the feeling of being a complete beginner remains fresh in my mind. My hope is that these tips will make it easier for you to get started or to continue practicing more comfortably.

Comment any thoughts or questions below and reach out if you'd like to schedule a free consultation 🤙🏽

Meditation Tips for Beginners - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Tips for beginners to meditation! This is perfect whether you've just started practicing or you're only just thinking of trying it out.

Mobility for Runners - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Mobility is crucial for good running form. Learn three of the most common mobility limitations for runners and some strategies to fix them.

How’s your running form looking?

If your running feels stiff, clunky, or just off in some vague way, you might have a mobility limitation that’s getting in the way.

With so many moving parts, it can be difficult to determine where you have an issue and what to do about it.

Check out my latest blog post in which I delve into three of the most common mobility limitations that I see in runners.

You’ll learn how to test for these limitations yourself at home as well as how to address each of them.

Comment questions below or reach out for a free consultation 🤙🏽

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Mobility for Runners - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Mobility is crucial for good running form. Learn three of the most common mobility limitations for runners and some strategies to fix them.

Have an annoying pain you’d like to get checked out?

Now’s your chance!

I’ll be in the beautiful space at offering free consultations and quick injury assessments.

Get professional guidance on what’s causing your issue and exactly what steps you should take to fix it!

Stop by to get all your questions answered or just to say hi.

This is the first of a series, so keep an eye out for future dates if you can’t make it next week 🤙🏽

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Looking for some ways to burn more calories?

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT, is just the tool you need. NEAT is the single most effective way to easily increase the number of calories you burn every day.

Check out the article and let me know what you think in the comments 🤙🏽

The Easiest Way To Burn More Calories - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Burn more calories by leveraging something called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT. Read on to learn how!

Want a quick strategy to de-stress?

Box breathing is a powerful technique that Navy SEALs use to maintain composure in high stress situations.

If it works for them, you can bet it will work for you too.

Click the link for the full post 🤙🏽

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Box Breathing - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Box breathing is a specific breathwork technique utilized by Navy SEALs to remain calm in stressful situations. You can also use it to...

New blog post on the diaphragm!

The diaphragm does way more than just help you breathe.

Check the link in my bio to read the full post 🤙🏽

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You probably know that the diaphragm is a muscle that controls breathing. What you may not know is where exactly it is, how it functions, and that it actually influences a bunch of other bodily processes in addition to breathing.

Check out my latest blog post to learn about the anatomy of the diaphragm, what it does, and how to get started with training it.

stokept.com

Honored to have been invited to sit down with Willie McBride of Wy'east Wolfpack for this episode of his podcast Get After It PDX. https://www.wyeastwolfpack.com

Check it out to learn more about my background, my journey leading to starting Stoke PT, and the guiding principles/philosophies behind how I work.

If you aren’t familiar with Wy’east Wolfpack or the Get After It PDX podcast, I highly recommend checking them both out.

Wy’east Wolfpack provides individualized coaching and training for outdoor athletes of all skill levels. If you want to learn how to run ultra distances, climb mountains, or crush your first 5k they’ve got you covered.

Their podcast features tons of awesome conversations with a wide-range of guests with interesting stories to share.

Willie is also always up to some wild adventures all over the world. Pretty sure he completed the rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon twice already this year! Follow him to live vicariously through his escapades and support his challenge.

Check out the episode and reach out if you’re interested in a free consultation 🤙🏽

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‎Get After It PDX: Damien Jackson-Ricketts--Physical Therapist and owner/founder of Stoke PT on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Get After It PDX, Ep Damien Jackson-Ricketts--Physical Therapist and owner/founder of Stoke PT - Nov 11, 2022

Feeling stressed?

You’re not alone. Check out the latest blog post to learn about the autonomic nervous system.

It includes some simple tools you can leverage in your daily life to improve the balance of your autonomic nervous system to better manage stress.

Comment questions and reach out to schedule a free consultation 🤙🏽

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The Autonomic Nervous System - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland The autonomic nervous system influences both physical and mental health. Although it typically operates unconsciously, we can use tools...

Ever wondered how breathing actually works??

It's something we all do constantly every day, but most people don't actually think much about their breathing.

Check out my latest blog post to learn all about it!

How Do You Breathe? - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland We all breathe all the time, but do you really understand how breathing works? Read on to learn the basics behind breathing and how it works!

New blog post all about the psoas muscle!

The psoas is an integral link between the upper and lower body with important implications for the health of your lumbar spine, hips, and pelvis.

Check out the post to learn more!

Psoas Muscle - Anatomy Highlight - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland The psoas muscle links the lower body directly to the lower back. Training this muscle can alleviate lower back, hip, and nerve pain.

Most people know by now that getting an adequate amount of high-quality restful sleep is indispensable if you want to feel good and perform at your best.

If you're like me though, that deep restful sleep is often elusive. Spending more time in bed only helps so much if you spend a good portion of that time tossing and turning rather than getting the rest your brain and body truly need.

I've been testing out some of the tips from this podcast by Andrew Huberman for a while now and have experienced good results. It hasn't completely solved my sleep issues, but it is certainly a step (or three) in the right direction.

He goes through specific supplement recommendations, strategies to leverage sunlight exposure, and more. I highly recommend checking it out to maximize your sleep.

Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing In this episode, I describe behavioral and supplement-based tools you can use to enhance the quality, duration and impact of your sleep.

Do your knees wobble or drop in while squatting?

Read the latest blog post to find out why and learn how to fix it!

The link is in my bio 🤙🏽

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New blog post! This installment in my Squat Form Series dives deep on knee anatomy, biomechanics, and mobility as they relate to the squat.

Check out the article to expand your knee knowledge and learn strategies to improve your knee mobility.

Squat Form Deconstructed Part 3 - Knee Mobility - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Learn knee anatomy, biomechanics, and the role of knee mobility in squat form. You'll also get some techniques to improve your knee mobility.

The effects of cardiovascular fitness on health and longevity are tremendous. It seems that over time, researches continue to discover even greater benefits.

Dr. Peter Attia, an expert in the field of health and longevity, outlines some of the findings in one of his podcasts. Some highlights:

Note: (low, high, and elite are in reference to levels of cardiovascular fitness as defined by the study he is discussing by Mandsager et. al)

-"Going from just being low to being below average is a 50% reduction in mortality over a decade"
-"If you then go from low to above average, it’s about a 60% or 70% reduction in mortality"
-"If you compare someone of low fitness to elite, it is a five fold difference in mortality over a decade"

Dr. Attia has also discussed the effects of strength-training on longevity, which are similarly promising.

#176 - AMA #27: The importance of muscle mass, strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness for longevity - Peter Attia "If you have the aspiration of kicking ass when you're 85, you can't afford to be average when you're 50." —Peter Attia

Think you might have stiff ankles? Try this quick test you can do at home to find out for sure!

The Knee-to-Wall Ankle Dorsiflexion test is a great way to check your ankle mobility at home. Not only will it give you an idea of how well your ankles are moving, but it's also a great way to track your progress over time.

Check out the video to learn how to do the test. Normal is 5" or more, anything less means your ankle mobility could use some work.

If you want to learn how to address each type of restriction, check out my last post for a link to my most recent blog post!

Stoke Physical Therapy on Instagram: "Think you might have stiff ankles? Find out for sure with this quick and easy test you can use at home. Follow along with the video and check out my latest blog post to find out how to address each type of... Stoke Physical Therapy shared a post on Instagram: "Think you might have stiff ankles? Find out for sure with this quick and easy test you can use at home. Follow along with the video and check out my latest blog post to find out how to address each type of mobility limitation! The suggestions in th...

New blog post! The second installment of the series on squat form focuses on the ankle.

You'll learn all the relevant anatomy, biomechanics, common limitations, and strategies to improve your squat.

The ankle is often overlooked, but is a common source of problems in squatting.

Check out the article and reach out if you have any questions!

Squat Form deconstructed Part 2 - Ankle Mobility - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Squat Form Deconstructed Part 2 - The Ankle. You'll learn the anatomy, biomechanics, and how to improve your ankle mobility for squatting.

Make sure you get out and spend some time in nature this week! There is a large and rapidly growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of connected time in nature for both mental and physical health.

Why not combine that nature time with some healthy exercise? Take a sandbag to the park for a workout, go for a hike, or try a trail run.

"Those who got in two to three hours in nature were about 20 percent more likely to report high overall satisfaction with their lives than those who spent no time outdoors at all. The benefits to physical health were even greater, with those who met the outdoors benchmark [120 minutes/week] being 60 percent more likely to report being in good health than their cooped-in counterparts."

People who spend more time outdoors lead more fulfilling lives, new research shows New research explores how spending time outdoors is linked to a serious boost in well-being, the kind that lasts a lifetime.

New blog post 🔥 first in a series of posts breaking the squat movement down to its components.

This series will teach you all about the squat and everything you need to improve your squat form.

The first post is a quick overview of the movement and the major joints/muscles involved.

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Squat Form Deconstructed Part 1 - Overview of the Squat - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland The first installment in a series deconstructing squat form. This article is a high-level overview of everything involved in a squat.

Another informative podcast from a super smart dude. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist at Stanford who puts out a lot of interesting content. This one is a must-listen for anyone who consumes alcohol.

One of the key findings he discusses is that chronic alcohol consumption - even as little as 7 drinks per week - is associated with measurable degeneration in the brain. Research has also shown that regular alcohol consumption changes the way our brains work even when not drinking, leading to higher stress, increased impulsive behavior, and other negative effects.

Overall, good knowledge to have that I will certainly be taking into account when alcohol enters the equation.

What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health In this episode, I discuss the physiological effects that drinking alcohol has on the brain and body at different levels of consumption and over time.

Want to unlock new levels of athletic performance? Confused why things seem to be going well for so long only to have multiple injuries start popping up all at once?

Smarten up your training by properly leveraging the SAID principle.

Smarter Performance Training - The SAID Principle - Stoke Physical Therapy Portland Proper implementation of the SAID principle in performance training will pay dividends in athletic performance, but can it be taken too far?

Stoke Physical Therapy on Instagram: "Ever wonder why stretching never seems to work? It’s because static stretches only work on passive mobility, while doing nothing to increase active mobility. Without active training, your nervous system won’t Stoke Physical Therapy shared a post on Instagram: "Ever wonder why stretching never seems to work? It’s because static stretches only work on passive mobility, while doing nothing to increase active mobility. Without active training, your nervous system won’t allow you to access this motion bec...

Rucking is the best strength/cardio combo you’re not doing.

Stoke Physical Therapy on Instagram: "Mix up your cardio routine with rucking - or carrying heavy s**t while you walk. 🚶🏽 Rucking burns more calories with less impact and build more strength than running alone. You can carry a sandbag, a heavy. Stoke Physical Therapy shared a post on Instagram: "Mix up your cardio routine with rucking - or carrying heavy s**t while you walk. 🚶🏽 Rucking burns more calories with less impact and build more strength than running alone. You can carry a sandbag, a heavy back pack, or something else of your...

Pretty interesting exploration of cross-training from an evolutionary perspective!

https://snip.ly/0zkuel

Rethinking the Cross-Training Paradox A basic principle of training says you get better at the things you do most. So why does cross-training work?