The 7 game winning streak is over, but there is no doubt that Jeremy Lin has made a lasting impression on pundits and fans alike.  In this installment, Dan Rootenberg, President and co-founder of SPEAR writes about the lessons we can take from Lin’s performance, win or lose, both on and off the court.

Photo: Associated Press

8 Lessons to Learn From Watching Jeremy Lin
Catch the LinSPEARation
by Dan Rootenberg, PT, DPT, CSCS

1- Don’t judge a book by its cover
While Jeremy Lin may not look like the prototypical NBA point guard he had been successful at other levels and shouldn’t have been a complete surprise.

2- Persistence counts for more that natural talent
[read Moneyball] Compare the baseball career of a scraper like Lenny Dykstra to Billy Beane.   What would NY Met teammates Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s careers look like if they had shown persistence and determination consistently throughout their careers, instead of just the tail end.  Most likely they would be first ballot Hall of Famers. Be consistent and persistent in your approach to skill acquisition whether it’s leadership training or continuing education.  This will enhance your patientand staff interactions much more that a 4.0 GPA ever did.

3- Hard work and determination is contagious
The Knicks are a new team with Lin.  His hard work and determination is contagious.  The team culture went from me/superstar oriented to a teammate centric focus and it has lifted up the entire team.

4- Focus on process
While goal setting is necessary it is best to focus on the process, and the results will come naturally.  While the world focuses on Lin and Lin focuses on his teammates, the Knicks are on their most prolific winning streak in recent memory and MSG stock is at an all time high.

5- People need context to thrive
Jeremy Lin didn’t audition well at NBA tryouts since he does jump thru the roof, nor does he possess obvious physical tools.  He didn’t do particularly well in the 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 drills typical of NBA tryouts.  Once seen in game situations, his court visions, instincts and judgement became obvious.  Don’t miss these signs.  To put it into terms we use in physical therapy..make sure whatever you train, test, judge or evaluate is under functional conditions.  When managing people put them in positions they have the best chance of succeeding in.

6- Triangulate your data
While trusting your gut is always important you must gather all relevant information….don’t only trust your initial reaction, delve deeper, incorporate statistics, seek other viewpoints, triangulate your data.

7- Transparency and honesty are key
Lin has such a genuine communication style with the media, he readily admits to the difficulty of sudden fame, doesn’t hide who he is, even admits to weaknesses in his game.  We must be like this as leaders, managers and as Physical Therapists.

8-The accelerant is passion
Don’t take any opportunity for granted. The space between the D league and great success are closer than you think.  The accelerant is passion combined with just enough talent.  If you love connecting with, inspiring and enabling people to reach their goals, and have carefully honed your skills, you will be recognized as a great physical therapist, with a loyal following greater than you ever imagined.

Dan Rootenberg is the President and co-founder of SPEAR Physical Therapy and leads SPEAR’s Executive Leadership meetings each month.  This is a three hour meeting that includes all of the SPEAR team directors who’s mission is to keep SPEAR moving forward as an inspiring place to be treated as a patient and a fulfilling place to work in every day.

When first meeting professional lacrosse player and strength coach Greg Gurenlian, one can’t help but think of the words “bow,” “flex,” and “commercial” (the man is nicknamed “The Beast” for good reason).  Equal parts Lou Ferrigno and Brad Pitt, Gurenlian hulks into most spaces like a tank, the kind of presence that would be intimidating if it weren’t also tempered by his disarming smile and warm demeanor.  Founder and head strength coach of Brawlic Strength, Gurenlian is a fierce advocate of knowledge-based training; skilled coaches who know what they’re talking about, helping their clients (or as Gurenlian calls them, “teammates”) achieve phenomenal results.  We recently sat down with the athlete to discuss the painful knee injury he suffered last June and the arduous post-op therapy he underwent at our 56th street facility to get back into top form.

Tell us about your injury.
It was June 3rd when I got injured.  I was playing in a game against Denver and I was running down the field with a stick. I went and did a swim move and as I landed I tried to pivot and my knee literally exploded.  I immediately knew what it was.  I hit the ground and it was the worst pain I ever had in my life.  Basically you get a rush of fear because your season and possibly your career are over.  I’m a strength coach so I had no idea if I was going to be able to train, what I was going to do for work.

How soon after your injury did you come to SPEAR?
After we got the MRI I was referred by our team trainer to work with Dave and the Spear Center, so when I came in here that’s when it all started.  This was 2 days after my injury.

Did you need surgery?
I did.  I underwent an ACL reconstruction with a patellar graft, I had partially torn lateral meniscus, cracked articular cartilage, and had to go in and perform a microfracture.

What was your experience at SPEAR like?
It was very awkward coming in at the beginning because it’s before your surgery, and all you’re really worried about is how am I going to recover after the surgery? I couldn’t move my knee.  The knee literally felt like a stack of blocks.  The ACL was blown so it felt like I had no stability.  I was afraid to straighten it because if it locked the pain was just excruciating. I came in and immediately I got to meet Dave.  He made me feel incredibly comfortable from the second I got in here.  My first interaction with Dave and Vitaly made me realize that everyone here knew what they were talking about so I felt very, very comfortable.  And being in this field, being a strength coach, you can tell immediately if someone is full of it or not and they obviously weren’t.  So I felt great about starting the PT.

Did you work with SPEAR prior to your surgery?
I did.  Immediately working with those guys I felt very, very prepared for the surgery.  I was very happy about Dr. Charles Goodwin, the person that I had been referred to; he made me feel comfortable with his knowledge and his abilities.  Leading up to the surgery was nerve wracking obviously but instead of being afraid of it I was looking forward to it and I couldn’t wait to start my post-surgery rehab.

Can you tell us about the best and worst moments of your rehab?
It’s kind of in two parts.  One was when I was finally able to reach full range of motion.  It was unbelievable because the worst part of my rehab was when we started to bend my knee.  It was so mentally challenging.  Within a couple of days after surgery you only get about a couple of degrees of flexion and you realize that your knee is not bending at all.  It kills you.  You think, “There is no way I’ll ever be able to bend my knee completely again.”  Looking at [the leg] on the table and seeing all the stitches, it looks like a science project. It’s mentally frustrating.

But coming in here a couple days a week,  you feel a little bit better the next day, even if just this much better.  At the very least it always felt good to walk in these doors because I knew that I was going to leave a little bit better.  So the toughest part was definitely the flexing of the leg and also starting to put weight on it, the strength work.  When I first started walking again, I was off it for six weeks, it felt so foreign.  That was also very mentally challenging.  Big moment when I got full ROM and when I jogged for the first time without pain, there’s really no way to actually describe it.

We mentioned the youtube video (posted below) documenting the new exercises.  When asked how being able to perform those exercises felt, Gurenlian paused and fell silent.

It felt unbelievable.  It was weird because proprioception is the biggest issue, you feel like your leg is still just coming along for the ride, but being able to do it and then when you finish and you realize that there’s no pain it’s, I can’t really describe it, it’s unbelievable because you’re worried all the time.  You know, with a microfracture you’re worried that the cartilage is going to hurt all the time, for the rest of your life.  Forget about lacrosse but just being able to play with your kids one day and just being able to do normal human being stuff.  Now that I can do all these exercises I feel less like someone coming back from an injury and more like someone just preparing for a season.

Post-surgery, Gurenlian achieved full range of motion in 12 weeks, weeks ahead of schedule.
How are you doing with your training/game schedule?
Typical athlete is game ready in about a year, I’m at month 5 and we’re thinking maybe about a month and a half until I’m game ready.

Have you been able to take anything away from the rehabilitation period?
It’s one thing if you kind of come in here and you kind of go through the motions, but working with Vitaly and Kasey as well as Dave I’ve learned things that I can take with me after this.  Forget about coming back from the injury but as a person in the physical and strength conditioning world I can use things that not only I can use for myself but I can use for my clients.  So that’s invaluable.

What kind of impact has your time at SPEAR had on your relationship with your therapists?
You guys are going to have to literally kick me out of here because I love coming here.  Knowing that you’re going to get a little better each day is unbelievable.  If I do some kind of crazy work out or if I did something a little bit more than I should have, a little ahead of schedule, and I feel sore and I’m a little tight that next day, as soon as I come in here I automatically feel calmed down because I know that when I leave here I’m going to feel better.

The way this has impacted me, positive doesn’t really explain it, it’s much more than that.  It’s a situation where I would refer any human being I’ve ever met to a place like this because in my field strength coaches are very hit or miss, personal trainers most of them are terrible.  PT isn’t that much different and it’s very rare that you get to find a place like this where every single person knows what they’re doing and actually takes the time to help you rather than you feeling like you’re just taking a number and you’re sitting and waiting so that’s been very positive.

For more information on knee injuries, visit Spear Physical Therapy’s Education Section.

This entry was written by Helmi Hunin, an LMT at our 56th street location. Given the increasing coverage of the perils of sitting and a sedentary lifestyle, we asked Helmi for a few tips desk jockeys and athletes alike could use to prevent injuries and cramping. Not surprisingly, the cure for sitting is to get up and MOVE!

For those of us chained to a desk all day, sitting for long periods can begin to create discomfort in our bodies. As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I suggest taking some time each day to do a few stretches that can help relieve the tension that you may be experiencing. Keep in mind that movement is one of the best things you can do to feel better- so get up often and move around. Remember to keep your bodies properly hydrated by drinking lots of water too.

1. Shoulder Rolls: Sit up straight and take a deep breath in as you raise one shoulder up towards your ear. As you exhale roll the shoulder back and down. Do this three times then repeat on the other side. Then do them both at the same time. Repeat three times. These will help release tension in your upper back and shoulders.

2. Neck Stretch: Sit up straight and use one arm to anchor yourself to the chair, while bringing the other arm up and over to the opposite side of your head as you gently let your head fall to that side. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side. This will help to lengthen your neck muscles, decreasing compression of the cervical vertebrae of your spine.

3. Chest Opener: Sit up in your chair and clasp your hands behind you. Take a deep breath in and roll your shoulders down and back. Hold for 10-15 seconds while taking a few deep breaths. For a deeper stretch, stand up with your legs a few feet apart and clasp your hands behind your back, take a deep breath in and bend forward as you exhale, allowing your arms to come up over your body. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

4: Wrist Stretch: Extend your arms in front of you. Use your left hand to pull the right wrist back. Hold for 5 seconds. Turn the right hand down now and use the left to stretch. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 3 times on each hand.

5: Glute Stretch: Sit with both feet planted on the floor. Bring the right ankle up to rest on the left knee. Lean forward and hold for 10-15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

When the first wave of runners left their corral at this year’s ING NYC Marathon, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” played over the loud speakers, sending 15,000 people (the first of a total of 45,000) over the Verrazano Bridge, off to complete one of the most challenging marathons in North America.

For some people marathons are bucket list items, one of those Must-Do-But-Will-I-Ever feats that require a gargantuan amount of will and focus to undertake. And that’s just qualifying for the race. On November 6th, as Frankie Blue Eyes crooned and the world watched wave after wave of determined runners make their way through the big apple, SPEAR sent our own team of volunteers to witness (and help treat) the blood, sweat, and tears first hand.

Waiting at the finish line, volunteers from all four of our locations lent their expertise and encouragement to battle-scarred runners at the medical tent directed by Dr. Stewart Weiss.

Jaclyn Fehrenback, Raymond Delacruz, Helmi Hunin, Vitaly Dvoskin, Kelly Althaus, Sarah Tabia, Jesse Cullen-Dupont, and Aziza Abiodun treated injuries that ran the gamut between blisters, cramping, dehydration, muscle pulls and strains. Kelly Althaus, physical therapist and assistant director of our 56th street location said she couldn’t wait to give back and contribute this year. Having volunteered last year, Kelly considered running this time around but found herself more enthusiastic about being inside the tent. “It was a really rewarding experience,” Kelly said a few days after the marathon, “a few of our patients ran it and it was just such a great feeling helping people who were so grateful.”

Raymond Delacruz, a physical therapist at our 84th street location, relished the opportunity to meet runners from across the globe. “I loved learning about the different causes that people run the marathon for. Also, despite all the language differences, as a therapist treating these runners you really got a sense of how similar everyone is, how much we have in common.” Raymond remembers treating one patient in particular who ran the marathon for his sons in Mexico. “I wish I knew more languages,” Raymond said, “I would have loved to talk to all the participants and learned what inspired them to run.”

Inspiration came in all shapes and sizes to our therapists that day. Sarah Tabia, a physical therapist at our 56th street location, was most struck by a 70 year-old Japanese man running his 21st marathon. “It was his first time running in New York and he had such a wonderful personality and a great attitude despite the fact that I was treating him for foot blisters and muscle cramping. He seemed to be in amazing shape and was such an inspiration to me.” An avid runner herself, Sarah was so inspired by the event and the runners she treated that she decided to run the marathon next year!

Vitaly Dvoskin, physical therapist and program director of our Madison Avenue location marveled at the dedication and tenacity of every single runner he treated. “It was really surprising. Despite being bruised and battered every single one of them was so happy. None of them regretted a thing.” And for good reason. These runners had just completed one of the toughest marathons in the country, cheered on by the warmest hearts in the biggest city in the world.

Many congratulations to everyone who who ran this year’s marathon and a big thank you to our inspired volunteers, who found you all so inspiring.