With less activity, athletes run the risk of defeating themselves mentally. A taper period is a crucial part of training that can make or break your upcoming race. Dr. Hannah DePaul reflects on her time swimming at the University of Michigan where she learned a lot about taper.

Two things that resonated with her: “The hay is in the barn and “Control the controllables.” Her coach would preach that all the hard you have put in is done, and now is the time to recover. Let the mind and body prepare for race day. You will not gain any fitness in the last couple of weeks leading up to your big race.
Some things are out of your control, such as who else is racing or what the weather will be like. Do not waste mental energy on those factors. Control what you have the ability to control…your mindset, attitude, and preparation. Focus on your race, trust your training, and good things will come. Having strategies in place ahead of time will help keep you mentally focused. So acknowledge the taper and embrace it!

Dry Needling involves inserting a tiny monofilament needle into a muscle in order to release shortened bands of muscles and decrease trigger point activity. This treatment can resolve pain and muscle tension, and will promote healing. 

Patients can experience valuable and effective relief from musculoskeletal pain with this treatment. It is sometimes compared to traditional Chinese Acupuncture but it is NOT. Instead, dry needling is a medical treatment that relies on a medical diagnosis to be effective. 

The actual insertion of the needle causes very little discomfort, if any, being that the needles are so thin. With a sensitive muscle or a muscle that contains trigger points, needling will provoke a “twitch response” that feels similar to a muscle cramp. Over time, this process contributes to deactivating the trigger point, therefore reducing pain and ultimately restoring normal function of the muscle. 

Through KinetaCore, Brian, Hannah, and Katie have all met the requirements to be considered Certified Level 1 Functional Dry Needling Practitioners. This weekend, Brian and Hannah are now advancing their skills to be certified in Level 2 Functional Dry Needling. 

Level 1 entails learning how to treat muscle knots – or trigger points – to help regulate nervous system disfunction.

Level 2 involves treating parts of the body that involve more skill or are harder to get to. This includes muscles that lie over the chest and mid-back

, as well as muscles in the jaw, neck, thoracic spine, hands, and feet.

With this training, Brian and Hannah will be able to be use these skills to treat more patients, more parts of the body, and help even more people reach their goals!