By Michele S Jang, PT
Stephen “Steph” Curry, the talented Golden State Warrior basketball point guard and 2 time consecutive MVP once thought his career was over due to an extremely unstable right ankle which kept getting sprained.
As a rookie in 2011, Steph Curry had his first surgery to reconstruct ligaments in the right ankle, in an attempt to give him stability. Following surgery, he continued to play basketball that season but sprained his ankle 5 times in just 26 games. This led to a second surgery. While undergoing rehabilitation from the second surgery, a discouraged Curry said he felt as if he’d been rehabbing his ankle forever and that his career might be over.
Steph returned to playing in 2012, but he wasn’t the same. Fearful of spraining the ankle again, he now played very tentatively and his game suffered. In 2013 however, the Golden State Warriors brought in a new performance trainer who decided to focus not on strengthening Steph’s right ankle, but rather take the focus away from the ankles and towards another part of Steph’s body….his hips.
Steph’s rehab changed to building his glutes, and improving hamstring, core and back strength. They incorporated single leg exercises to build balance but combined building of hip and back strength simultaneously. The results were outstanding. Now Steph makes 3 pointers from half court look easy. He has scored the most 3 pointers in a season in the history of the NBA.
This concept of focusing on the hips is critical and is embraced by our team at Spirit Winds. I love sharing Steph’s story with clients who come in with knee, ankle or foot problems. I let them know that they are being trained with the same concept as Steph Curry. The stronger you are in your hips, particularly your glutes, hamstring core, the less taxed your knees, ankles and feet will be.
This concept applies no matter what age you are. We have seniors as well as kids rehabbing using this concept. Repetition and attention to correct form within one’s ability is emphasized.
So if you are suffering from a stubborn knee, ankle or foot problem that won’t go away, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help guide you in your rehab and train you like Steph Curry!
Michele S Jang, PT is a physical therapist who likes to look outside the box. A physical therapist for over 22 years, she has extensive training in manual therapy or the use of hands to help rehabilitate the body. Michele has taught both in the United States and abroad. Her clinic, Spirit Winds, has a team of therapists which offers an array of expertise on exercise, fall prevention, foot and shoe assessments, body mechanics and proper breathing technique to increase awareness and healing. Spirit Winds offers Free Consults on Tuesday afternoons. Call 805 543-5100 or [email protected].
