Pro Athletes & Trainers

Dr Matthew Colby designs and performs accelerated rehab strategies for professional athletes, provides detailed injury reports and more.  Many times, this means having to construct a plan of action that will be executed by another provider in another city. It is recommended that you are seen by 2-3 times over 48-72 hours to properly construct a thorough approach for speedy recovery.

If you are an out-of-town athlete coming in for an evaluation, it is preferred that you schedule a phone consultation first.  Be sure to bring any recent diagnostic tests and/or reports from other physicians

Football

There is no doubt you’ve witnessed someone else’s career cut too short by an injury that was rehabbed incorrectly.  The responsibility of finding the best care for you, is ultimately yours. You must be an interested participant in your own rehab to get ↑100% better.  

By the end, you should have learned the process we put you through, so well, that you can continue to rehab yourself indefinitely, minimizing the chance of re-injury. You should leave knowing how to fix whatever you came in with that was broken.

At your initial visit, we will do an exam and, if appropriate, functional testing. I usually do some form of treatment on the first day as long as we have all the tests we may need. Bring any past diagnostic tests you may have had.

You will always work with me directly.

I will provide a written injury report and functional capability evaluation, if needed. 

If you will not be in phoenix for your rehab, you should consider spending 2-3 days working with us, honing a game plan for recovery.  I will locate and find an appropriate option for you in another city that can help us get it done the right way.

I’m happy to provide references upon request.

In the meantime, I’m here to help, connect with me on social media.

NFL Combine

When I'm working with a player for the NFL Combine or their pro day, my goal is to support the player and trainer’s goals by resolving small injuries before they come chronic. With most combine participants taking on a 7-9 week training program, we need to be ready for injuries and other biomechanical obstacles that may arise. This is the same type of maintenance care I provide athletes mid-season to prevent repetitive stress injuries, increase flexibility and mobility, balance muscle groups, etc. If the type of training you’re doing for combine prep is different from the program you were in previously, we should spend part of our time to make sure any form of repetitive motion injury doesn’t arise from working new techniques. Knowing some basics about injury prevention, could absolutely enhance and lengthen your career.  There are a number of self-treatment skills that I teach athletes, to be their own best therapist.

Gymnastics

Injury Rehabilitation

A gymnast's recovery needs to be an all day event, every day.  What you do outside of the clinic becomes increasingly more important in the later stages of rehab.

It's ideal to return to gym knowing that your even stronger than you were prior to injury.  To achieve this we need to optimize healing, regain your previous level of functional capacity, then surpass it.

In addition to physical rehab, biomechanical breakdowns, movement analysis, functional strength training are important parts of every gymnasts recovery plan.

Repetive Stress Injuries (RSI's)

As the season peaks, we find gymnasts with repetitive stress injuries (RSI’s), that could have been resolved earlier in the season.

There is nothing sadder than losing an opportunity to a chronic injury that could have been squashed months ago.

For gymnasts, we need to knock out small problems before they become chronic RSI's.

My 12 Most Common RSI's That Hurt Gymnasts The Most Are:

1. Conracted Hip Flexors
2. Patellar Tendonitis
3. Osgood Schlatter's
4. Repetitive Lumbar Impact Syndrome
5. Stress Fractures
6. Residual Effects from Upper Neck Injury
7. Avulsion of Hamstring Origin
8. Shinsplints
9. Sever's (calcaneal apophysitis)
10. IT Band Syndrome
11. Repetive Wrist Injury
12. Scapular Instability

Post Surgical Rehab

The keys to a great rehab and conficent return to gym are

1. Set Aggresive Goals, allowing our athlete attack their rehab, knowing that making an impressive comeback is reward.
2. Home Rehab Rules, since the hours you spend outside of therapy add up to a lot more than the time we spend in therapy. You can rehab anytime of the day. Matt often focuses on showing you how to be your own therapist, outside the clinic, improving your overall recovery.
3. Always Leave Stronger than you were prior to injury.

MMA & Jiu-Jitsu

It is likely that, over a long enough timeline, every grappler will sustain some type of moderate to severe musculoskeletal injury.  The fear that years of training will leave you in pieces later in life can be a constant worry for Jiu-Jitsu and MMA athletes at every level of their journey.  

When rehabbing from injuries, many athletes and/or their doctors and therapists settle for good enough. Depending on the sport, they may be able to get away with it.  In grappling, of course, good enough won't be good enough. It will show up on the mat though biomechanical dysfunction, instability, bad movement patterns and more.

When I'm rehabbing from an injury, big or small, I'm determined to resolve the problem completely and learn more in the process. I believe that the development of an athletes ability to evaluate treat their own injuries is often parallel to the development of their athletic skill level.   In the process of recovery and rebuilding from an injury, you should become your own best therapist. It's my job to show you how.    -Matt Colby

Crossfit and Competitive Fitness

It’s important to respect the limits your knees, wrists, shoulders and hip may have from a recovery standpoint, especially in the beginning of your CrossFit™, powerlifting or Olympic lifting journey. 

When choosing to participate at a competitive level, like any sport, there is a menu of injuries and issues that you may have the pleasure of experiencing.  It's all part of the journey. Often our athletes present with more than one of the following…

•  Myofascial Back Pain
•  Tendonitis / Tendonosis
•  Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs)
•  Repetitive Motion Disorders
•  Rotator Cuff Injury
•  Hip Flexor Issues
•  Stress Fractures
•  Lateral Epicondylitis (aka Tennis Elbow)
•  ACL, Meniscus, MCL Injuries
•   Shin Splints
•  Achilles Tendon Injury
•  Plantar Fasciitis

Do you think you may be experiencing one of these, if so feel free to email Matt at matt@mattcolby.net or schedule an appointment.

Jiu-Jitsu's Dirty Secret?

Often called Jiu-Jitsu's dirty secret , the fear that training will leave you in pieces later in life can be a constant worry for students.  Nobody wants this, but we all want to train hard.

While a lot of BJJ veterans do end up in tough shape later in life, this generally happens when injuries mount up over time, without proper rehab.  This doesn't have to happen to you.

When rehabbing from an injury, most poeple settle for "good enough".  Doctors and therapists also can be too complacent, setting their rehab goals too low, leaving their athletes with sub-optimal results.  This may be good enough for non-athletes, but it's not good enough for me. For me, only 100% recovery (or more) is acceptable.

I bet you feel the same way.

Repairing your own body after injury is truly a part of the jiu-jitsu lifestyle and an art in itself.

I can show you how.

Here are my top 5 BJJ and MMA injuries that you should never let become chronic:

1. Cervical Disc Bulges.
2. Hip Flexor Problems
3. Slipping Rib Syndrome
4. ACL Injury, Reinjury, Reinjury, Retired.
5. Chronic Rotator Cuff Syndrome

Healing a sprained ribcage.....the right way.

Do-it-yourself rehab for the non-severe sprained rib

By Matthew Colby, DC, MUAC

For most dedicated athletes, treating minor injuries means only occasional trips to a doctor or therapist.  For the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete, minor sprains and strains are commonplace and self-rehabilitation for certain injuries is a valuable skill to master.  Rib sprains are some of the most common injuries I see in BJJ athletes and can often be self-managed.  In fact, proper self-treatment is a must with a sprung rib or ribs, since they have a tendency to heal improperly.

A forceful twist of your ribcage can result in a rib strain or sprain.  The rib may even pop out of place at the time of injury or click in and out repeatedly later on.  Rib sprains can easily become a far more miserable chronic issue called slipping rib syndrome.  Many BJJ athletes come in with this problem, which can leave you sidelined for months and plague your training indefinitely. It is important for the BJJ athlete to take rib injuries seriously to avoid slipping rib syndrome or re-injury. 

Unfortunately, time is a big factor for a sprained rib.  Three weeks off the mat is the minimum time you should allow for the injured connective tissue to heal to the point of being fairly stable.  Even now your likelihood of re-injury is still very high.  Preventing this from becoming a chronic problem should be your highest priority. Sprained ribs are notorious for re-injury.  BJJ athletes are notorious for returning to training too soon. Don’t underestimate the time required to heal.

When you return to the mat, a proper warm-up and cool down is crucial.  Be sure to:

1.       Heat the area for before training.  This will loosen up the intercostal muscles, giving the area more flexibility right from the start.

2.       Stretch the area for roughly 10 minutes before and after your overall warm-up. 

3.       Roll it out on the foam roller. This will ready your costovertebral joints for rolling. If this is too painful to perform or is already straining the injured area, you’ll have to return another day.

4.       Activate the muscles that hold your shaky rib in. Do these exercises a few times daily.

5.       Kinesiology tape or some type of compression wrap may be helpful. Proper application is tricky. Your doctor or therapist should show you how to do this for your particular injury.

6.       Avoid the MOI (mechanism of injury). Remember the position you were in when you got yourself injured? Avoid it for now.

7.       Cool the area after your workout with an ice pack. A few 20-minute doses of cold will limit the inflammation that is bound to happen from your return to training.

8.       Re-evaluate your level of recovery. If you are truly ready to return to training you may be able to start with drill techniques that are easy on your ribcage. But don’t be surprised if you find out you need some more time for full recovery and doctor-driven therapy is necessary.

4 SIGNS THAT A RIB INJURY MAY BE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY

·         Severe pain

·         Difficulty Breathing

·         Bruising or swelling

·         Blood in your urine  

References

1.       Brian E Udermann. Slipping Rib Syndrome in a Collegiate Swimmer: A Case Report. J Athl Train. 2005 Apr–Jun; 40(2): 120–122. Level 3B

2.       E M Scott and B B Scott. Painful rib syndrome--a review of 76 cases. Gut. 1993 July; 34(7): 1006–1008. Level 3A

3.       Heinz GJ, Zavala DC. Slipping rib syndrome. JAMA1977; 237(8): 794-5

4.       DeLisi N. Slipping rib syndrome: ’there’s an easier way’. Geriatrics1995; 50 (7): 7 level 5

5.       Gregory P.L., BISWAS A.C., Batt M.E.,Musculoskeletal problems of the chest wall in athletes, Sports Med., 2002;32(4):235-50. Level 3A

6.       Athl Train. 2005 Apr-Jun; 40(2): 120–122.

7.       The Lancet; Slipping Rib Syndrome; J.T. Wright; September 1980