Down, But Not Out

I had my first PT session today at the ortho clinic that owns our peds clinic. The therapists there are very knowledgeable. After about 3 minutes of evaluative movements my PT said, "your lats are way too tight." He did a little stretching and mobilization and determined that, not only are my lats too tight, but my pecs are also tight and my rhomboids, upper traps, and supraspinatus are too weak. He saw how I was compensating for poor shoulder flexion range with hyperextension at T12/L1 and proceeded to take me through some stretches and exercises that will target those areas. As I did the exercises, he showed me what normal range should be. I have significantly limited range in my shoulders (I knew that) but it is very 'fixable' (I didn't know that). He recommended that I do these exercises 4-5 times per week for 2-3 weeks and stay away from any chest workouts and only light pullups (is that possible on Crossfit?) for the same time. He thinks that at the end of that time I will have significantly improved range and strength in my upper thoracic area and be able to do all of those overhead lifts with safety and strength. He also said there should be no reason for me to need surgery, and I should be pain free within the 2-3 weeks. WoHoo!!

That being said, I will obviously not be doing many of the WoDs likely to come up in the next couple of weeks. That's too bad, but I know I will be much better in the long run if I stick to this strictly. I also know there are lots of things I can do that hit other areas and still work out regularly. I may rely more on Crossfit Endurance some days, or sub in my own WoDs. I will also work on some of the overhead lifts to address shoulder range and midline stabilization. I find this news very encouraging. I also love that my PT was able to look at my full system and realize that the initial cause for referral was actually a different area. I will try to keep on track with HQ WoDs, but I want to get this right the first time and not prolong the problem.