Ascension Physical Therapy and Performance

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White Bear Lake, MN
Ascension Physical Therapy and Performance

Helping active adults stay pain-free, perform better & live strong — with PT + Chiro + 1:1 care.

11/10/2025

That’s what rehab should look like.

It’s not about pulling people away from movement — it’s about keeping them in it in a way that feels safe, adaptable, and effective.

Pain or injury doesn’t have to mean pause.
It just means we need to problem-solve differently.

By collaborating, adjusting, and finding new ways to move, we protect both progress and confidence — two things that matter far more for long-term recovery than perfection ever will.

Staying active while healing isn’t just possible.
It’s often the reason people recover stronger.

11/07/2025

Rehab and training aren’t linear.
They’re complex, adaptive, and full of moving parts you can’t always predict.

Pain, load tolerance, stress, motivation — all of it shifts.
So the real challenge isn’t finding the “perfect” plan.
It’s knowing how to make good decisions when things get uncertain.

That’s where heuristics come in — simple, experience-based rules that help you act with clarity instead of hesitation.

Things like:

“Do something today that moves you forward, even a little.”

“If you’re unsure, start lighter and build momentum.”

“Progress the plan — don’t reinvent it.”

They’re not always perfectly true, and that’s okay.
Their purpose isn’t precision — it’s direction.
They stop you from drifting into paralysis by analysis, or constantly rewriting the plan every time something feels unclear.

Because at the core, heuristics are how we stay anchored to first principles — the fundamentals that never change:
Load drives adaptation.
Consistency builds capacity.
Safety grows through exposure.

When you operate from those truths, heuristics become the guardrails that keep you on the path — adaptable, but not aimless.

The goal isn’t to know every answer.
It’s to think clearly enough to stay the course.

11/05/2025

This client had been dealing with pain in the front of the shoulder for 8 months, that was holding them back from benching and overhead pressing.

With a combination of scaling during classes, and 2 times per week rehab work (performed on their own at their gym), after only 1 in-person session (and followed up with on the digital model) this is the progress they saw in 4 weeks.

It's all about a well thought out plan executed consistently over time.

11/03/2025

This one means a lot. Because while rehab is built on science, load, and movement — the real work happens in relationship.

Behind every plan is a person.
Someone with goals, fears, and a life they want to get back to.

Knowledge matters — of course it does.
But so does empathy. Listening. Meeting people where they are.
Because getting someone back to what they love isn’t just about progress on paper — it’s about rebuilding trust in their body, confidence in their capacity, and belief that change is still possible.

That’s the real deal.
And it’s a privilege to do this kind of work every day.

10/31/2025

In rehab, it’s easy to get lost in noise — the latest exercises, new tools, trending techniques. But when progress stalls, the answer usually isn’t more complexity. It’s coming back to first principles.

First principles thinking means stripping things down to what’s fundamentally true.
In rehab, that means asking:

What actually drives tissue adaptation?

What helps the nervous system feel safe again?

What builds capacity over time?

When you return to those basics — load, consistency, clarity, recovery — you stop chasing hacks and start rebuilding from the ground up.

The truth is, progress in rehab rarely fails because the plan wasn’t fancy enough.
It fails because we drift away from the path — rushing ahead when we should consolidate, or backing off when discomfort shows up.

Clients should care because first principles keep you anchored.
They turn rehab from guesswork into a process you can trust.
When you understand the “why” behind each step, you’re no longer at the mercy of pain or uncertainty — you’re guided by reasoning, not reaction.

So when doubt creeps in, remember:
Return to the fundamentals.
Stay the course.
Progress is built on principles that don’t change — even when everything else does.

10/29/2025

Pain is a lagging indicator of progress - it will improve after we see other variables improve (strength, range of motion, general activity, etc.)

This process can feel incredibly slow for someone who is assessing progress only on the basis of pain improvements.

I tend to find that using objective data to assess progress in the leading indicators (strength, range of motion, general activity, etc.) helps to keep a client motivated, engaged, and subsequently more likely to experience the pain relief they are looking for.

Here is a cool pre-post test of hip flexion and abduction work across 5 reps (via isokinetic testing). We see notable improvements in the numbers, that translated to improved daily activity. The pain for this client is still present, but they are beginning to note decreased frequency of pain, more activity required to bring pain on, and improved recovery time when pain occurs!

10/27/2025

It’s hard to describe how much this means — not because it’s about progress in the gym or rehab room, but because it speaks to something deeper.

So many people start their journey believing they’re fragile — that pain means damage, that age means decline, that struggle means failure.
And over time, that belief shapes how they move, think, and live.

Rehab isn’t just about restoring strength or reducing pain.
It’s about restoring trust — in your body, in your capacity, in your ability to adapt.

You were never broken.
You were protecting, compensating, surviving.
And that means there’s always room to rebuild.

The most powerful part of this work isn’t fixing what’s “wrong.”
It’s helping someone realize they’ve been capable all along.

10/24/2025

When we think of rehab, we often picture muscles, joints, or movement patterns. But what really determines recovery isn’t just what the body does — it’s what the mind believes it can do.

Research in pain science has shown that psychosocial factors like fear avoidance, pain catastrophizing, and hypervigilance can quietly shape the healing process. When the brain becomes overprotective, movement feels dangerous — even when tissue is ready. On the other hand, variables like self-efficacy (the belief “I can”) act as powerful predictors of better outcomes.

That’s why fostering agency — a sense of control and choice — is one of the most healing forces in rehab. It’s not just about compliance with a program; it’s about ownership of the process.

Modern approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) don’t aim to “fix” thoughts, but to help patients notice them, reframe them, and act in line with what truly matters — even when discomfort is present.

Because recovery isn’t only physical. It’s a rewiring of belief, behavior, and body — where the mind learns: “I am safe to move. I am capable of change.”

10/22/2025

This client came to me after dealing with knee pain for 3 months that was progressively getting worse, to the point where they could no longer squat without worsening their pain for days.

With 8 weeks of consistency, individualized programming, and regular communication between the client and myself, they've been able to gain some significant ground on returning to regular powerlifting styled training 💪

Address

1873 Buerkle Road
White Bear Lake, MN
55110

Website

http://www.ascensionphysicaltherapyandperformance.com/

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