MotoPT: IMPROVE YOUR MOVE

Hello FTR Community,

Welcome to the MotoPT Improve Your Move column, where I will provide free monthly physical therapy-related information. I hope you are enjoying your time off from the Florida Trail Riders (FTR) racing season but are also keeping an eye on the 2022/2023 season just a few months away. Please allow me to use some of your valuable time to introduce myself to those who do not know me. I have been an FTR member since 2009, and since my first race, I knew I would be addicted. Seeing the number of participants and fans grow in recent years has been great. With increased participants, the competition progresses but so do injuries as the margin for error shrinks. Look at the past few seasons of AMA Motocross and Supercross series if you need some current examples. That is where I come in. I believe I can be of service to the FTR community concerning both injury prevention and rehabilitation of the human movement system.

Please indulge me for a few short paragraphs while I tell you a little about my experiential journey so you can gauge the value of my advice in this column. I wouldn’t say I like this part, but I feel it is necessary for the first month’s column. Have you noticed social media’s excessive quantity of “experts” and “masters”? Far too many people are willing to dupe the public into believing the individual is far more qualified than they are just to take your hard-earned money. Although “master clinician” and “experts” are titles I would save for the individuals I was fortunate enough to learn from, I believe I have earned credibility in this field. You should take a little bit of time each month to see if any of the advice I pose will improve your riding or help your family. Here is a little bit about me and my journey.

I became an occupational therapist in 2006 and a physical therapist (PT) in 2007. In 2010 I went back for fellowship training through the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT) with eight different mentors. It was an intense undertaking, and even though I had a manual therapy certification, that fellowship training packed ten years of experience in 1 year of 50–60-hour work weeks (yes, I worked most weekends also). Since then, I have worked my way up to become an Associate Professor in a Doctor of Physical Therapy program and secure a master’s degree and an additional doctoral degree. What can I say? I am a sucker for school loans. I have also worked on continuing my clinical expertise by securing further training in PT as well as service to the PT profession. This additional training includes becoming a certified orthopedic specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, a fellow of AAOMPT, and intramuscular dry needling certified. I have been fortunate to serve as an expert witness for a lawsuit, written textbook chapters, and collaborated on major orthopedic research projects and independent publications ranging from shoulder impingement syndrome to sensory deficits after ACL knee surgery. I have been allowed to present on various orthopedic-related topics at national and international conferences. Despite this training and effort, there is always more to learn and more people to help.

I have been fortunate enough in my career to help Olympic triathletes, amateur and professional mountain bike racers, an American Ninja Warrior, and multiple AMA national champion motorcycle racers. In addition, I have helped more FTR and GNCC racers over the years than any other type of athlete. However, I cannot legally tell you who these individuals are. You have seen some of them on TV, on websites, and moto magazines. I have also experienced the physical and mental toll that injuries from these sports inevitably bring you firsthand. I know what it is like to ride with discomfort and having to sit on the sidelines to let your body heal, even after the surgeons did a fantastic job putting you back together.

Ultimately, I want to help people ride and race with less pain and physical compensation. Some of you in the FTR community chose a career focused on helping people. Helping others is what profoundly connects us as community members. I can relate to the feeling that your purpose in life is to help others. It is the reason I became a teacher. I felt I could help more people by training students to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy, mentoring our residency and fellowship students, or teaching continuing education courses to PTs after graduation. Training people to help others allows me to have an exponentially greater breadth of reach to assist people than I ever could as an individual. Great, thanks for hanging in there. Now that the boring part is over let us discuss my plan for this column. I will start next month by teaching you straightforward education and advice about injuries and diagnoses affecting our riders. I will even provide management strategies and interventions for those injuries. And let us not forget prevention, perhaps the most essential part. Prevention content will cover exercises, stretches, and movements you can do to prevent these common ailments, i.e., ever heard of arm pump. I will even sprinkle in some literature as space allows, so you know this is an evidence-informed approach I am taking. But ultimately, I am here to serve you, the FTR racers and family members that make FTR such a successful organization. I would be happy to have an “Ask the PT” section similar to the “ask the mechanic” section in our favorite motorcycle magazines.

My main objective is to help you move better with less pain and compensation. That help may be column advice that unlocks your riding or our interactions at the races this season. I had a practice accident in March, which left me with a fractured C6 vertebra, among other injuries. As I continue my recovery, I have decided to sit out racing next season and focus on what I have wanted to accomplish for several years, providing therapy services at the races. In case you were not aware, Florida allows direct access to physical therapy services, which means you do not need to see a medical doctor before any treatment by a physical therapist. I plan to be at the races and set up a canopy tent in Vendors’ row as clubs allow for cash-based PT services. The sessions at the races will include discounted hands-on PT services. Swing by your suspension expert to fine-tune your bike, then see me to tune up your body. Between races, we can connect via telehealth on your computer or phone, and I can even send you custom-made videos of information and exercises. The MotoPT website has more details on the services I offer. Please come by to chat at the races, or email me, especially if you have suggestions for this column.

Thanks for taking the time to be with me on this journey. Let’s IMPROVE YOUR MOVE.

Sincerely, Dr. Matthew Daugherty (Matt the MotoPT) www.motoPT.com contact@motopt.com