Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS

I help goal driven adults who do not want to give up exercise due to pain or issues from old injuries to keep training. 1 to 1 coaching. Custom Programs.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

@blvckledge Advert

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

@rebekah_creates I have.

Exercise is a hobby and big in my career but it doesn't mean work and family have not taken priority at times and I had to fight to get back.

You've got this!

Read to Atomic Habits (if you haven't read it yet). Super helpful strategies.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

I can teach you biomechanics and physiology. It would make every personal trainer happy that a "correct explanation" was given. It would settle all the X fights of trainer vs DPT.

But that's not what you want. You could care less.

I used to dive in with the anatomy books and give a ton of details.

Let's instead follow my proven plan of how to get you back to feeling good. Keep it simple.

Just know behind the exercises are a focus on motor control, neuromuscular education, progressive exercise and basic exercise physiology principles.

Trust me, the 7 years of school + $125k + 17 years with high level clients is more in depth reasoning than a simple exercise.

It's the classic "know where to hammer" story.

My goal is to get you feeling 100% with the least interruption in your daily life.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Today's article is:
Why Foam Rolling Your IT Band doesn't Work

Other articles you might have missed:
Monday:New Runner Knee Pain: Why the Outside of Your Knee Hurts
Last Thurs: IT Band Pain During a Half Marathon, a DPT's Guide

This month the focus is on IT Band pain as runners hit the summer miles to maintain in prep for new training plans to begin in July.

Fall Marathon training is about to start...are you ready?

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Healthcare is the only service industry that hides the cost to the consumer.

Any place affiliated with a hospital, means you are likely paying a "facility fee" as well as for the care you receive.

Understanding the system is a nightmare for most. Choosing who you work with matters. Transparency matters.

[Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy]

For years, hospitals kept Americans in the dark about the true cost of care. Families made medical decisions without knowing the price—and too often got hit with bills that drained their savings.

That ends now.

Under President Trump’s leadership, HHS is enforcing hospital price transparency with real consequences. @DrOzCMS and I have a simple message for hospitals: Post your actual prices. Come into compliance immediately—or face serious consequences.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Healthcare itself is set to fail.

I am sure you have felt it.

You wait until the last resort to get help. Trying everything you can research and find first.

I don't blame you. Going to a Dr can be terrible.

You get there, wait forever, leave feeling like you don't have any more answers. And then you get a bill for a surprise amount.

I left the system in 2017.

I once had a monthly caseload of 500 patients.

I wrote the most detailed notes so that I could remember who they each were and what our exact plan was.

I became good at quickly seeing what exercises or treatments would be most effective, took away all the fluff and set 2 week plans in motion.

I use this skill now with coaching and my programs.

I don't give 65 exercises and train you til you hurt.

I cringe at personal trainers with that mentality. They cause issues, not help.

An overabundance of exercises simply means nothing is getting done. Or, that the "expert" you are working with doesn't know enough and is throwing spaghetti at the wall.

Don't waste your time on care and programs that suck.

There are better solutions. You don't have to accept garbage as the only choice.

You're more than a number.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

One of my favorite resources for nutrition information is Nancy Clark's guide.

It's not a cover to cover type of read. You can. But using it as a guide and reference is the way to get your information without the overwhelm or trying to be a RD yourself.

If you train, get it.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

She trained for Boston. London. Berlin. Chicago.

I've helped her through training aches/injuries and the "oh gosh is this going to stop my training??!" Types of concerns in the past 4 years.

Every race she has shown up, felt great and ran the race she wanted.

I got a text from her Monday. She is at a wellness retreat and woke up dealing with sciatica.

A few messages later I had what I needed. Developed a plan for her with guidance of what to do and what to avoid based on years of what I know works.

The next day--symptoms gone. She has been able to enjoy her retreat and time with friends.

Win.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

I have always loved learning about nutrition. I wish I had started learning earlier in life.

In high school I thought my friends who ran XC and Track were crazy to not drink pop or have sugary stuff.

When I stopped saying "I only run if I'm being chased" and joined a run group in Virginia, it all changed.

I realized how crummy I felt. How I struggled to keep up with others. I went all in on nutrition even more and dusted off my textbook from undergrad.

Now, as a mom of 3 boys, I am locked in on helping them be their best by being fueled well.

I have learned how to cook things from scratch. I have researched methylated B vitamins, magnesium, vit D3 and K2 and more.

I share what I know with my clients as you can't separate nutrition from exercise. They go hand in hand.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Every day is a chance to improve your body and your health.

The world is lying to you by saying "it only gets worse" or "wait until you're x age."

All lies.

Your body regenerates and repairs every day. The real question is, are you helping it?

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Imagine having 16-30 opportunities to get something right.

Then it shifts to 1 opportunity. 1 chance to find out the exact problem AND get the solution dialed in.

Talk about throwing yourself in the deep end and learning to swim FAST.

As a newer graduate when I switched to treating Active Duty Soldiers, and at times members of 5th Group Special Forces and pilots of 160th Aviation...the importance of my job escalated faster than I ever dreamt.

It was now my duty to evaluate and treat many who were in a narrow window of time before they left Ft. Campbell again.

This #1 is the reason I stopped being like every other physical therapist. The rumor was physical therapists would tell them to rest, put them on profile (not ok especially with deployments) or put them in the "knee class." I vowed to find a better way. To prove that I could teach them exactly what they needed to know to care for their knee, get better and not draw attention to themselves for "being broke."

I studied for hours every weekend. Reading research articles over my lunch break and in bed every night.

Helping end knee pain for someone who needed to carry 85lbs+ on-their-body and "hike" insane boulders and sides of mountains while not thinking of their knee and being mentally present in the moment...it changed me. It changed my skills.

I may have never been a member of the military. But military life shaped me professionally and personally.

The biggest thank you goes to my coworkers who helped me refine my skills in the early days.

Now that knowledge helps others like you be able to walk, squat, climb stairs and run to the best of your ability and without fear of pain.

I share more in this week's article about how this directly influences my approach to training knee pain.
(my articles are linked in bio)

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

"We can manage the pain today with a shot, it's easy and will buy you time"

That's the line.

Repeated over and over.

It typically is said after "your knee is the worst I have seen (looking at xrays), but you're not quite ready for a knee replacement." (Aka you are not 65 and on Medicare yet)

Shot is given. Side effects ensue. No one explains the risk. Congratulations, you found yourself on the medical cascade train for knees.

Patterns are obvious after 15+ years of practice.

Know your choices.

[A Midwestern Doctor @MidwesternDoc]

Overusing corticosteroids is incredibly dangerous yet they are routinely given for everything.

Here I show their immense dangers, how steroid injections destroy joints (ultimately necessitating surgery) and the safe alternatives for pain and autoimmunity
https://t.co/Vn4TBQG9RX

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Just as you habit stack for getting work tasks in each day to hit your business goals...

You need to habit stack your exercises and stretches.

For example, my teenager is now doing 1 pull up before turning on the Xbox.

I do calf raises while I brush my teeth.

What's something you can add to your day?

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

I am breaking my habits by challenging myself every single day.

For the last 9 years the hours I spend at sports practices and games have more than tripled.

I let my fitness not be a top priority. Faith, family, work came first.

I'm getting up at 5:30am lately to get a workout in. Strength training while dinner cooks in the oven.

Every little window I can optimize, I am.

I spent time when my boys were little staying fit to play with them. Now, I must get myself back to that high fitness level to train alongside them.

Less sitting. More training. More muscle. That's my goal.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Knees hurt when doing squats?

It's ok. Don't stop working out all together and rest.

Simply change the type of squat you do.

Small shifts. Big results.

Let's get strong!

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Quick tip: if stairs are giving you trouble the last few days

Go up the stairs with your stronger leg
Go down the steps with your painful leg

It may sound backwards, but it's mechanics.

Save it. Try this. Tell me if you already figured this one out on your own.

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

"I'm too old to feel this old."

I hear this every week. Usually from someone who is 45, active, and completely blindsided by knee pain that showed up out of nowhere.

I gotta tell you...your body isn't broken. (Despite if you have a mental picture of a SGT telling you so or have been living on "Ranger candy")

Your body is compensating.

Pain is information. Let's use it to get you feeling 100% again

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

New strength test:
Walk outside in OHIO.

Seriously, constant 25-35mph wind and gusts 40-70mph for 3 days.

This is absolute craziness. Ya'll doing ok out there?!

[Shari Miller, PT, DPT, OCS @ShariLMiller]

Here's why stairs are harder than walking on flat ground:

Going UP stairs puts ~2.5x your bodyweight through your knee.

Going DOWN? It's 3.5x

So if stairs hurt, your knee isn't being dramatic. It's math.

The good news, your muscles around your knee can take that load off...if you train them.

That's the whole game.