Welcome to The Freshman Foundation®, a podcast that explores the human side of athletes and the real stories behind the glory and the grind.
Our mission is to help young athletes BE READY for every next step in the game of life through mental performance coaching.
How is John Gallucci helping injured athletes to get back on the field faster?
Ever wondered about the crucial role physical therapy plays in an athlete's journey?
Today, we're privileged to host John Gallucci, a renowned physical therapist and entrepreneur who's transforming lives in the athletic world. From the significance of preconditioning to the art of choosing the right therapist, John takes us behind the scenes of physical therapy and shares his entrepreneurial journey.
So, what was your biggest takeaway from my conversation with John Gallucci?
My biggest takeaway is the undeniable importance of an athlete’s preconditioning. The right preconditioning program, as emphasized by John, can make a significant difference in an athlete's performance, health, and career longevity. However, it's not a one-size-fits-all strategy. The duration and intensity of preconditioning should be tailored to the individual athlete's needs and the demands of their particular sport.
I encourage all athletes, whether at the early stage or professional level, to embrace preconditioning as a vital part of their training regimen. By investing time and effort into this often-overlooked aspect of preparation, you can significantly reduce your risk of injuries and enhance your performance on the field.
I want to thank John for his kind generosity and the wisdom he shared with The Freshman Foundation Community.
You can learn more about John's work and his contributions to the field of physical therapy by visiting his website at https://www.jagonept.com/
To learn how you can BE READY for your next step in the game of life through mental performance coaching, visit https://michaelvhuber.com.
Thank you for listening. We’ll see you back soon for Episode 63!
00:01.38
mvhuber
Hey John how are you I'm doing well thanks for joining me on the podcast there. It's great to have you I guess the first question I'd ask you is um what inspired you to get into the physical therapy profession.
00:04.29
John Gallucci Jr_
I'm doing well Michael yourself.
00:15.47
John Gallucci Jr_
To an awesome question. Some of my staff and my kids would say it's a little long winded. So I'll kind of condense it for you and your listeners ultimately when I was 1213 years old my mom and dad on the business in Brooklyn New York called brill surgical
00:21.37
mvhuber
And yes.
00:34.48
John Gallucci Jr_
And we used to furnish the neighborhood and and 4 different hospital accounts and different physical therapy ah clinics accounts with medical supplies. So at 1213 years old you know I was a kid working for mom and dad delivering supplies to the different physical therapy locations. And I had an opportunity to walk into about 5 or 6 of them a week and I used to watch the therapist work and with patients when I was thirteen years old there was a gentleman by the name of Sam Feather he was a physical therapist at the international longshoremans association medical building. In downtown Brooklyn and he was the lead physical therapist and he took a liking that every time I delivered supplies to the location I would sit there for 30 to 40 minutes and watch him and other physical therapists work with patients and at 13 years old. He said you know. You really seem to like what we're doing. Do you want to come and help out and at 131415 years old I helped with with Sam and his team and would see anything from people with low back strains to at the time on the docks they had diesel diesel fuel operators with diesel burns. I would see people that were amputees I would see people with broken backs. Um anything that you can imagine at 131415 all of a sudden I had the experience to be around and and work with the physical therapist I mean I was just observing.
02:08.90
John Gallucci Jr_
But I would clean the hoya tubs that was my job I had to clean the oil tubs and you know the the nicest thing I like to say is I'm 56 now and since I'm thirteen years old I haven't been out of a physical therapy center since um, and and ultimately I found my passion at a young age.
02:19.33
mvhuber
Wow.
02:26.81
John Gallucci Jr_
I was an athlete so I kind of took the sports route. That's why I'm dual degree I'm a physical therapist and a certified athletic trainer and I had the opportunity. Oh My creators stay in sports as well and and re have Rehab injured and Ill people that were from sports injuries besides general to general public. But. With all their injuries and illness. So I got a lucky pet I all started when I was 13 now my son would tell you I really condensed that so I'm getting better.
02:53.69
mvhuber
Yeah, you're working on it all the time I mean that's fascinating right? So like you know, growing up in in Brooklyn you know I would imagine you know physical therapy was not something that was um, common. There wasn't a common awareness of it right? So like I guess the question I want to ask is is like. What did your family think of it when you came back and said I want to be a physical therapist after having you know been a bit of business and and and probably not exposed to something like that.
03:20.27
John Gallucci Jr_
So as you can imagine a lot of physical therapy was was facility based medical center based there were very far and few between practices. In fact I could name three off the top my head that were maybe the legacy practices of Bens and hers.
03:29.55
mvhuber
And.
03:39.40
John Gallucci Jr_
Bay Ridge and Staten Island and and if you really look at it all of those practitioners and providers came out of hospital based so it was very hospital based and as we see now in 2023 it's it's kind of flipped the script.
03:52.58
mvhuber
In yeah.
03:56.47
John Gallucci Jr_
It's more outpatient based like a lot of health care and the institutional based physical therapy has become more outpatient based on evidence based getting better outcomes getting people better now when I went home and told dad This is interesting. But I went home and told dad that I was interested in becoming a physical therapist. You know he had a plan that both his children were going to be lawyers and and and you know in a in a typical ah Ti in a household you had to honor Thy father's wishes and honor thy mother's.
04:29.61
mvhuber
And.
04:33.22
John Gallucci Jr_
Ad looked me in the face and said you can't be a physical therapist. They make no money and I'm not going to support you the rest of your life and it's not going to happen and by the way it's a female profession. It's not for males and I'm like dad I'm working with Sam Sam is a male. And you know, but he was not happy of my path and you've got to know from 13 till about 22 he did everything possible to show me different paths but I had the passion of physical therapy and that's what I wanted to do and you know what they say do it makes you happy and.
05:00.26
mvhuber
Earn.
05:07.60
mvhuber
Answer.
05:11.20
John Gallucci Jr_
Been very fortunate to to follow my goals in my path and I teach my children every day. It's not not mom and dad's path the your path I'm living my path. You've got to live your path.
05:12.60
mvhuber
Yeah.
05:22.35
mvhuber
Yeah I can relate to that. Um I can relate to that as well and it's interesting when you were saying that I mean I can relate to what you said about being in a traditional Italian household I Grew up with a grandmother who came over from Sicily and she lived downstairs and we lived upstairs and. Like I get the I get where you're coming from I actually thought you were going to say that your parents wanted you to go into the family Business. It's actually really interesting that they wanted you to be lawyers.
05:45.17
John Gallucci Jr_
My my father had this fixation on on Attorneys that Attorneys would always have a job and and the way my my grandfather and my father would always say you have to have a job that's a profession and the profession has to be able to.
05:51.64
mvhuber
In.
06:03.31
mvhuber
And.
06:04.97
John Gallucci Jr_
But roof over your head food on a table and clothing on your back and for some reason my dad had picked that both his children should be attorneys Now. My brother is a very very successful Attorney um me I Love I Love working with people each and every day and trying to help them with their goals and. And getting them back as we like to say back in the game of life and and getting people to fulfill their goals and at the end of the day you know when you're dealing with people that are Ill and you're dealing with people that are injured. There's no better reward to me to get them to reach their goals and.
06:24.96
mvhuber
Yeah.
06:41.37
John Gallucci Jr_
Thing about it I've dealt with Grandmas and I've dealt with pro athletes making pazillion dollars a year and it doesn't matter to me. It's just about helping people reach their goals.
06:44.50
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah, So so fast forward right now. Obviously you're in it. You're very successful you own your own business and and it's obviously it's gotten you to probably places you never imagined. You could have gotten to financially and otherwise professionally. So was there a point when like your parents your dad specifically saw that you sort of had this success was he able to see it and be like oh I get it now or like Wow this is great did did he ever get to sort of see you get to the point you're at now. Oh. It's fantastic.
07:15.58
John Gallucci Jr_
So dad is still with us. Thank god and like I said unfortunately mom we lost in July but dad is still with us and he's seen a lot of my success and he's acknowledged that he he should have encouraged it a little bit more. But.
07:29.29
mvhuber
In.
07:33.59
John Gallucci Jr_
Loved my thickheadedness that I would still stay on on the path and and listen it wasn't an easy path I mean physical therapy and anybody thinking a study in physical Therapy has to understand that. Um you know the profession is one that is very clinical very hands On. Being able to take didactic information translate it into a clinical presence and be able to come up with a plan of care that implements not just reduction of pain but function movement and and ultimately exercise which brings you back to return a decreased pain normal function and.
08:01.44
mvhuber
And.
08:08.85
mvhuber
M.
08:11.48
John Gallucci Jr_
And being able to do an activity or a job that you may have to accomplish and many people don't realize the hours of school but also what many people don't realize is the high academic standard that physical therapists have to maintain and I'll be quite honest with your audience I wasn't the most focused student. Um, you know I did well with my bees an occasional C a lucky a every now and then but ultimately when I was in the high school I was focused on being an athlete I was focused on being social like a normal high schooler was focused on courting my wife.
08:46.66
mvhuber
Yep, Yeah, absolutely.
08:50.27
John Gallucci Jr_
So you know I was I had a lot of other interest besides besides studying for my anatomy test. Ah, but then when I kind of bear down and and knew what I was going to do in my path. That's when you really had to put the pedal to the metal so to speak and.
09:02.66
mvhuber
And yeah.
09:06.90
John Gallucci Jr_
Raise the level of academics to really gain your closer path I still think today that our organization Kati and and when you look at at the athletic training profession Katie sometimes lose qualified candidates based on making the academic grade so stringent. Not that you still shouldn't take board exams not that you shouldn't follow a cadence of classes and attain grades. But I think the acceptance process I think we turn around we turn away too many students that maybe in high school or early years of college didn't really find their passion. And now we're going to penalize them the rest of life that they can't follow their path I think that's wrong I've been vocal on a national level and so so you're not the first person I'm um I think we need to look at the well-rounded person a person that wants to be a caregiver is.
09:48.90
mvhuber
Ah, yeah.
09:55.96
mvhuber
Um, yeah.
10:03.21
John Gallucci Jr_
Is very far and few between and we need to promote that and yeah, maybe they didn't get an a on organic chemistry when they were a junior in in a high school or college but you know a B is okay.
10:03.62
mvhuber
Yeah.
10:17.21
John Gallucci Jr_
Are they someone? that's passionate about the profession wants to help people wants to help people achieve their goals and wants to give their life to caregiving is very important to me.
10:26.41
mvhuber
Yeah, and and our professions are very similar albeit yours is more I think technical ah in a lot of ways and it's also probably more advanced in terms of the time that it's been around but ultimately like sport psychology when I was going through my training. Everything was ah about coming from an evidence base but 1 of the conclusions I drew and maybe because I was an older student because this is my second career I was in my forty s at that point like I was able to be a little bit more critical in my thinking was ultimately it's the to me. It's more the intent to your point about helping others if my intent. My purpose is to help other people. We're going to figure out a solution because that's my motivation versus hey I'm really technically savvy and I know all these you know theories and I know all the books and I know all the research. But if I can't apply it to the person right? It's not going to work right. I mean is that is it same in the same in your field.
11:19.93
John Gallucci Jr_
You're ah you're a hundred percent correct and also if someone has the passion and can pass the exams. Why would we interfere based on a class or 2 in college.
11:24.17
mvhuber
And.
11:33.32
John Gallucci Jr_
Um, not really giving them the opportunity to remediate those classes or or have a better chance. But again listen every profession goes through its trials and tribulations of growth. But as we see right now in the United States especially coming out of covid.
11:41.44
mvhuber
Sure.
11:50.36
John Gallucci Jr_
A lot of your allied health care professions, physical therapy occupational therapy athletic training nursing physicians assistant all of those professions are lacking of people being licensed at this point in time and they're looking at shortages over the next 3 to 5 years so maybe that kid that got to be an organic chem can really be a good physical therapist if you just gave him the opportunity. Um, so you know it again. My my pr team gets nervous when I when I talk about that but I'm very honest I feel that we need to get people a chance.
12:13.96
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
12:26.44
mvhuber
Yeah, so so I'm gonna go back. Don't take a couple steps back so you talked about being an athlete a couple times. What was your? ah what was your sport or sports of choice. Okay.
12:34.60
John Gallucci Jr_
So I was a wrestler and a baseball player. Um, and I've I went pretty far with both as far as high school college and club teams and I was ah an avid basketball player just in school leagues. Um I have a great 3 point shot for a ah. A short Stout guy. Um, and there's nothing better than when you try to drive on a short Stout wrestler. But um, but but ultimately I was a baseball player and and a wrestler mostly wrestling I had the opportunity to wresttle in the highist pla to wrestle a little bit in college and a little bit open at a club level. And then I coached for more than 20 years as Well. Um, and then in baseball I played at the the club level most of my life. In fact, so much that I didn't even do the high school level I did the club level and unfortunately between wrestling and baseball I had to pick which way I wanted to go and. As you can imagine wrestling definitely introduced me more to health care because I continually got hurt or my teammates got hurt so I actually learned more about orthopedics and primary care Sports medicine and physatry and physical therapy and team approach and a lot of that.
13:43.26
mvhuber
My home.
13:49.20
mvhuber
Yeah, what? So what were some of the injuries you had to deal with.
13:50.52
John Gallucci Jr_
From from my own injuries. So I've dislocated my right shoulder 3 times and have rehabed that with only 1 minor surgery I've had 7 knee surgeries on my left knee. Um, for everything you could possibly imagine. Um. Broken ribs concussions. My wife still says I'm concussed some days. Um, but but ultimately a tremendous amount of muscle strains dislocated my ankle which was reduced a hospital. Thank god no surgery just rehab on that. So and then you know i've. I've had my issues only because I was hit by a car two years ago I've I've been dealing with the last two years herniations of desks after being hit by a car. Um I realize a car hurts much more than another guy your size trying to throw you.
14:35.18
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
14:43.84
John Gallucci Jr_
So but I'm unfortunate you know all of my injuries have taught me good lessons have made me work with good colleagues and good friends and um I think my staff would tell you I'm not a very compliant patient because I kind of take it to the next step. But it's been a fun run.
14:56.81
mvhuber
Yeah, so so I guess the question I have there is did your own experiences as an athlete going through maybe dealing with some variety of injuries and surgeries and all sorts of things right? does that does that have any influence over the way that you think about your practice today.
15:15.58
John Gallucci Jr_
That's an awesome question and when I started jag Originally it was jag physical therapy and then metamorphist into jag one physical therapy. But when the original entity legacy entity of Jag physical therapy.
15:21.94
mvhuber
In.
15:30.34
John Gallucci Jr_
Which those in the audience not hard John Anthony Gallucci I kept it simple. Um, but but but ultimately when I first started I was coming out of pro sports I had a yeah I was a part time summer assistant with the New York next
15:34.38
mvhuber
Um.
15:46.75
John Gallucci Jr_
I had done some summer league stuff with the rangers through a doctor and physical therapist friend I worked with the metro stars which became red bull for 7 years full time I was around the New Jersey Devils doing search for rehabs with them.
15:54.17
mvhuber
The.
16:04.14
John Gallucci Jr_
The last eighteen years. But when I had opened up the original Jack I I never understood and it was tough. Why wouldn't every single patient be treated like a professional or as I like to say a vip and when we opened up the legacy company. The goal was that everybody should be treated. The same way so taking into account the way I was treated as a high school and collegiate athlete. It will be I ped because they wanted to get you back on the mac they want you to get back on the field and ultimately when you when you work in a college setting I worked at and Nyu I worked to Columbia.
16:32.15
mvhuber
Um, back.
16:41.60
John Gallucci Jr_
I had great relationships there working with the coaches and staffs then the pro experiences you scratch your head and say well we're treating the pros and collegiate athletes. Why aren't we treating the high school the club athletes Betty yet why aren't we treating firemen policemen teachers.
16:41.99
mvhuber
A.
16:58.90
mvhuber
Right.
16:59.56
John Gallucci Jr_
You know people in the recycling business. Why are we treating everybody the same way. Why isn't a painter that that provides for his family each and every day painting over his head. Why isn't he getting the same care that ah that ah a V I p or an athlete is getting.
17:12.83
mvhuber
Yeah.
17:16.34
John Gallucci Jr_
So my whole marketing in the first two years were be treated like a pro athlete be treated like a vi being come on over to ja and we'll get you better and we'll reach your goals and 1 of the biggest things that most patients loved was it wasn't just about. Can you walk ten feet without pain.
17:19.43
mvhuber
Is a.
17:35.47
John Gallucci Jr_
It wasn't can you lift your arm over your head. It was can you carry somebody up to flight the stairs in case, you're saving a life I mean we used to do these functional drills for the building. My original Landlord was like what do you do and you're always supposed to be in this clinic I used to bring athletes to the parking lot and make them run sprints and cuts.
17:38.16
mvhuber
Yeah.
17:55.16
John Gallucci Jr_
And then I used to throw baseball with baseball players making them pitch into me so everybody should be treated at the highest level. We're people treating people and we need to give people the best outcomes and research to showed us that a combination of a good planet care.
18:02.49
mvhuber
A. Yeah, yeah.
18:13.24
John Gallucci Jr_
An understanding a hands-on progressive functional approach gives you the best outcomes. Yeah.
18:18.11
mvhuber
Yeah, and I have some of that same experience myself I've had 2 ah 2 cervical fusions. So but but for me, you know it it was it was ah getting up and moving as soon as I possibly could because that was the best way for me to get.
18:25.83
John Gallucci Jr_
Um, you've lived it.
18:34.93
mvhuber
Back to where I wanted to be It wasn't sitting around for six months and waiting it was hey let's see what I could do today and do a little bit and a little bit and like I really appreciate that because we're all to to your point right? We're all performers right? We all have a job to do and we all have to be at our best and sitting home for three months or six months or not being able to function. Is not acceptable, right.
18:57.39
John Gallucci Jr_
It's It's very tough on on the on on the social psycho component as well. You need interaction. You need to be moved. You need to be you need to be pushed by your colleagues and your peers you know I mean even and listen I may get beat up with this.
18:59.28
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
19:14.65
John Gallucci Jr_
Even all these people right now that want to continue to work from home get out there. Go interact with your peers go hang out learn from others I mean the probably the best thing that built my career was working around mentors.
19:30.20
mvhuber
Um, yeah, sure.
19:31.82
John Gallucci Jr_
Seeing their actions seeing how they behave seeing how they treated patients and then if you look at my business acumen. It was by being around business Ben and seeing how they functioned interact in a mean and cadence of communication. We learn from each other we grow from each other.
19:39.88
mvhuber
Yeah.
19:51.45
John Gallucci Jr_
Get on out there start learning.
19:51.77
mvhuber
Yeah I love it. You're getting no complaints from me I think you're absolutely right? Um, and so kind of it. Obviously you kind of make a reference to what's going on in the world today right? people working from home and things have obviously changed a lot so like what are some of the biggest. Advancements you've seen in the physical therapy field. The changes um from the time maybe you got in and you started you know, kind of being an apprentice or learning to like now where you're at is being somebody who's a master who's been in the field probably 30 years
20:22.79
John Gallucci Jr_
Well, what's awesome is listen technology is advanced enough that it's easier for us to get research. It's easier, easy enough for us to get comparisons of diagnosis ease. It's easier of us to follow path of progression based on diagnoses.
20:39.64
mvhuber
And.
20:42.60
John Gallucci Jr_
Which helps us with our with our practitioners. Our providers kind of teach them and develop them and show them. The reason the path is the right way based as you said on evidence based so technology Emr Systems Data collections have all worked on the behalf of all medical providers.
20:49.10
mvhuber
E.
21:02.80
John Gallucci Jr_
Because the more daddy you have at your fingertips the more opportunity you have for the best practice based on getting research. So that's been a huge asset to us. Um, the other thing that's been that's been a huge asset is the evolution of of I don't want to use the word exercise equipment I'll use.
21:08.53
mvhuber
Is it.
21:22.19
John Gallucci Jr_
Rehabilitative exercise equipment where you know it's not just a normal treadmill I mean we have eccentric loading machines Now we have biomechanical feedback. We have video analysis and it gives us such a greater opportunity to really see the body mechanics and the movement.
21:33.89
mvhuber
Ah.
21:41.00
John Gallucci Jr_
Which gives you an opportunity to see if theres compensmentory patterns. How do you break the compensatory patterns and get the patient to function within the guidelines that the joint is supposed to function in the muscles. Um, you know I think that's another thing that's been awesome to say.
21:44.21
mvhuber
Is.
21:58.60
John Gallucci Jr_
But I will tell you the 1 thing that's and again I always like given a positive. The 1 thing that's been a negative is when we look at the education system of didactic learning. We actually took away the clinical skills test of utilizing your hands on therapeutic exercise progression movement.
22:08.63
mvhuber
Um.
22:18.99
John Gallucci Jr_
Analysis and biomechanical Analysis. You know we've we've gone very didactic in the schools as opposed to truly hands on and physical therapy. Although they're teaching in the schools should reinforce the clinical sense that we are a hands-on Profession. You know I Always like to say you know a surgeon is the artist and a physical therapist is the frame that makes the art look really really good and we are a hands-on profession just like athletic training a hands-on profession and we have to be able to.
22:41.23
mvhuber
And.
22:52.25
John Gallucci Jr_
Be able to utilize our hands be able to use our planet care be able to use therapeutic exercise to get the patient to breach their best goals so we have to kind of bring back that clinical presence of truly being able to utilize your hands and your skills of your hands to progress the patient.
23:07.30
mvhuber
Really interesting, really interesting. So I know you've referenced a little bit about your work in professional sports and college sports and things like that. So I mean that's kind of typically the audience we're we're catering to here. So I'm curious in terms of your work with those types of athletes like.
23:11.61
John Gallucci Jr_
Yep, so.
23:26.40
mvhuber
Maybe what are some I know Obviously there's in a range of injuries or a range of ah modalities that you're probably using it etc. But if you could sort of boil it down a little bit. What are the biggest challenges you find working with high level elite athletes.
23:40.81
John Gallucci Jr_
General manages owners wives and agents. The athletes are pretty cool. It's every it's It's all the luggage that that comes with the pro athlete and listen we've got great relationships with agents across the world because we see.
23:45.68
mvhuber
Interesting, interesting.
23:59.80
John Gallucci Jr_
We see athletes from around the world and the agents actually love the outcomes of jagu one physical therapy. They also love the fact that we're we're based in the tristate area. Easy access from the airports I mean there's been many times we've had athletes come in and stay in hotels rehab with us rate to twelve weeks and then fly back to their team. And and again I've been fortunate listen I'm a luckiest man in professional sports I've been able to work at every level of sports I've been able to work in between differently I've been able to work at the university level the high school level the division 1 level free level.
24:35.30
mvhuber
Um, and.
24:38.20
John Gallucci Jr_
And I've never had a move out of where I was born and raised to tristate area I have colleagues all over the world that have had to relocate their families 2 and 3 times because of opportunities I've been able to live in the tri-state area and work at all those levels and work and technically. 3 different leagues consulting to 5 different leagues. So I'm had a very fortunate career and I'm very lucky I met a girl from the ale of Stan we were married on the aisle of Statin and and and we did. We only moved nineteen miles away into New Jersey so I'm pretty lucky when it comes to that.
24:57.99
mvhuber
Sure.
25:12.63
John Gallucci Jr_
But the experiences of working with athletes at every level has gained me the opportunity and the expertise to truly be a person to help everybody understand what's going on and when you get a compliment from a general manager or a chief medical officer. Ah, run of these teams that the communication channel has been transparent. That's the most important thing with pro sports you know I remember getting in a scenario years ago with a professional and Nhl team and a high level. It was their captain. It was their star. Um, and I remember that. The physician of the team. The chief medical officer and the consulting physician that did the surgery never got on the phone with each other and ultimately I'm a week into this athlete's Rehab and I have a general manager and coach. Upset that the the athletes timeline is not what they were told and they had a 3 to four week timeline and I had given my plan care and my planet care was a for the five month plan of care. Okay.
26:23.68
mvhuber
Wow Big difference.
26:27.87
John Gallucci Jr_
Well, the president in Gm got on the phone with me and knew me and said John we were expecting this athlete to be out maybe four to six weeks you've got him out close to four to six months and um and I said well I don't know where the mixup got. The surgeon that provided me with the notes and the surgery that was the the intervention has given me his guidelines and what surgery was done and I've done this type of surgery before and rehabbed an athlete at this level before.
27:00.17
mvhuber
A.
27:03.37
John Gallucci Jr_
And I'm telling you short time is four months long time is six months but let me send you the information sure enough they got the physician involved the chief medical officer involved and the chief medical officer was like I had no idea that the consulting surgeon. Was doing that instead of this and ultimately that's where the breakdown of communication. So most of your owners in America that have dealt with me most of your general managers your presidents your chief medical offices. Love the fact that on day one I make sure everybody knows.
27:22.67
mvhuber
The asher. Yeah.
27:42.27
John Gallucci Jr_
What was the procedure. What's evidence based care and what is the planet care. So everybody's on from the coach to the Gm the wife the husband whatever athlete it may be I make sure everybody is in a communication chain. So everybody know what's going on. Of course.
27:53.60
mvhuber
Yeah.
28:01.99
John Gallucci Jr_
With the athlete and the agent's permission. But that's probably the most important thing communication is key and then the athlete listen there's nothing better than dealing with athletes because they're always motivated to get better. They want to get better. So it's like you're dealing with people at the highest level of fighting.
28:04.48
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
28:19.72
mvhuber
Um, is.
28:20.34
John Gallucci Jr_
Get back because as you know sometimes bonuses are predicated based on games played goal scored. So these athletes are are motivated to get back. But we have a professional duty to do it the right way and get them back safely.
28:30.76
mvhuber
Um.
28:34.40
mvhuber
Yeah, but I would imagine and I think it probably comes down to communication right? But it's and maybe I'm saying the same thing here, but just what you just finished up with is managing expectations like hey you know I know you want to get out there faster. But if you don't do this the right way. Here are the potential consequences. Yeah yeah, I mean yeah, one of the things I've talked about on this podcast and I've I've I've learned a little bit about is sort of the psychology of injury but more so about me even more specifically re-injury like so what I mean by that is athletes who are 100% physically repaired.
28:52.98
John Gallucci Jr_
Um, correct correct. Yep.
29:11.34
mvhuber
Rehab dread to go but still having doubts about their ability to go out and perform the same way they did pre intervention. How do you sort of how does that come up in your work. How do you deal with that if you have to it all like just can you talk about that.
29:24.00
John Gallucci Jr_
As you can imagine especially with your background. There's a psychosocial component that someone's hurt and all of a sudden they're expected as I said to run up 2 flights of stairs and carry a £200 person down to an athlete that's got to run you know.
29:32.19
mvhuber
Um.
29:41.39
mvhuber
The.
29:43.19
John Gallucci Jr_
Ah, touchdown in or kick a go or was slap shot to go in or defend somebody and it's all about making them feel confident and if they understand the process and they understand the goals that they have to reach to get themselves comfortable. That's the most important but most people don't understand.
29:48.86
mvhuber
Yeah.
30:03.50
John Gallucci Jr_
That the easiest way to get an athlete to feel that courage or confidence which is really what it is is to truly work with them on that process this way you have to get this is where you are now we need to do this step this step this step to get you here.
30:10.58
mvhuber
And.
30:18.54
mvhuber
And.
30:21.69
John Gallucci Jr_
And then we're going to put you to a functional skills test to make sure you're ready here. We'll go to work with your performance coach your strength and condition coach whoever it may be to make sure you're fit your game fit your practice fit your aerobically fit so. It's not just a rehab of the knee. The rehab of the. The ankle or the shoulder. It's rehabing the entire athlete you know I remember one time I I never understood this I had worked for a physical therapist in in New York in Midtown Manhattan years ago and he had a ah college athlete.
30:51.33
mvhuber
Mean.
30:59.60
John Gallucci Jr_
And the college athlete was probably ten weeks post-op of a rotator cover and I had no idea why this athlete was doing nothing standing nothing engaging with their core. They weren't doing anything engaging with their legs.
31:02.42
mvhuber
The.
31:10.96
mvhuber
Is.
31:17.74
John Gallucci Jr_
And you know your post-op ten weeks pretty functional balanced stability should be there and your rehab in your shoulder but you're a thrower. You're a swinger. You've got to be able to put it all in so I I asked at the time unfortunate the answer wasn't good I said you know we're Rehab and this athlete to go back and. And and he was a pitcher I said shoot we start engaging his core in his lower extremities and making sure we're getting them up to fitness levels and strength and he came back with and said I got the audit from the doctor I'm in charge of the shoulder and I promised myself I'd never be a physical therapist that way we treat the.
31:54.70
mvhuber
Is.
31:56.46
John Gallucci Jr_
Person person's goals and if you've got an athlete that has a rotator cup repair. You've got to treat the entire body they can try a person from brain to muscles to Skeleton to heart to to.
32:08.82
mvhuber
Um, yeah.
32:12.56
John Gallucci Jr_
So you've got to train the individual you got to reha the individual and I learned the lesson I left that bird that place real quick and I went I went to another place and had an awesome mentor.
32:19.90
mvhuber
Um, yeah, So but I think the question that comes up there is you know thinking about maybe a couple steps down from say a professional organization a high school athlete who maybe doesn't have. Quality of an integrated team that you just described in terms of like having all of those different ah people who were in the recovery process on the same page is it harder with a younger like a high school athlete who's going through a rehab or how do you manage that differently than ah, a professional organization where you've got. All these resources and.
32:54.56
John Gallucci Jr_
So that's that's an awesome question first and foremost most athletes with parents have the integrated the integrated team because mom or dad are pushing out integration and they want to talk it to the coach. They want to talk it to the athletic trainer at the school. So so.
33:11.38
mvhuber
Um, yes for sure.
33:13.13
John Gallucci Jr_
Thank you moms and dads out there for the support but but ultimately you're right listen they don't have the access as as well as ah, as ah as a college and or pro athlete but I will tell you in New York New Jersey Pennsylvania where we practice. We've got some great colleagues at the high school level and the club level.
33:21.62
mvhuber
And.
33:29.70
mvhuber
That.
33:32.98
John Gallucci Jr_
We work with and we engage, but the easiest thing to do in that level especially with the teenagers is to make them understand This isn't just about getting back on the field you have to have a longevity sustainable kind of thought process.
33:48.22
mvhuber
Yeah.
33:51.76
John Gallucci Jr_
But we don't want you back at Jag 1 we want you to continue to success tell you friends to get hurt to come to jag one. But if you've got a hamstring injury. You got a growing strain of quad strain. You do an Acl Rehab with us or an ankle surgery Rehab we want you back one hundred and ten percent
33:56.70
mvhuber
Right.
34:10.72
John Gallucci Jr_
And we start from day one and ultimately the most important thing is not to have athletes come back with re-injury but to get them there appropriately by dealing with the coach and the parent and the athlete to make them understand that.
34:17.11
mvhuber
Have in.
34:25.34
John Gallucci Jr_
Again, Go back to the rotator cuff. Why are we making you do core activities as a baseball player because everything is core in baseball. Why are we making you do lower extremity exercises. You can't rotate your weight on ah on a baseball swing unless your lower extremities are stronger.
34:41.86
mvhuber
And.
34:42.30
John Gallucci Jr_
So it's more of making them understand the process and understand the integration of the body and how it works. Ah.
34:46.61
mvhuber
I Think you've just hit on a really critical point there because it's the same I think it's the same if you're somebody like me who works with athletes or or if a coach or anything right? The more that the athlete understands why you're doing something. The better off. They're going to be. They're going to be more motivated because they get it like I'm doing this for a reason rather than oh I'm just telling you to do this and they feel like they don't have control over the process because they don't understand like like the example, you gave before like I'm just responsible for the shoulder. I could imagine somebody like that not necessarily that person. But if somebody thinks that way says hey I'm the professional. You're the patient come in just do the exercises and I'll tell you when you're ready and that doesn't really fly right? like doesn't fly.
35:30.47
John Gallucci Jr_
It doesn't fly. You have to have a process of progression they have to understand the different goals you have to hit listen everybody is goal oriented I'm glad it be business health care. Everybody is taught you need to get a grade on a test you need to do this to advance in school.
35:40.74
mvhuber
Yeah depth. Um.
35:49.73
John Gallucci Jr_
Everybody is goal oriented So why shouldn't your Rehab be a step goal orientation based on your plan of care and.
35:54.23
mvhuber
Sure, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um so sticking with maybe the the high school athlete sort of that that that group or demographic. So. Have you seen an increase or prevalence of certain types of injuries in younger athletes now I mean the one that comes to my mind you know, just sort of instantly is is you see L Repair Tommy John surgery but are there other types of surgeries or more. Maybe not that that you see that maybe are more common today than than there were ten or twenty years ago
36:25.54
John Gallucci Jr_
So acls and usecls on a surgical component to definitely leading. Um, what we are seeing coming out of covid is a lot of young young youth athletes with with low back injuries. Um, and it's really because I think. It was a long period of time with not a lot of core training. Not a lot of exercise. Um, so that's just my quick two cents on that. Um, but the 1 thing we are seeing a tremendous amount and and again it goes back to that coach parent relationship.
36:52.63
mvhuber
Um, is a.
36:58.76
mvhuber
And.
37:02.42
John Gallucci Jr_
Is we're seeing a lot of overuse injuries. We're seeing injuries that can be decreased or not even happen if there's good training regime if there's good preparation if there's good nutrition if there's good hydration and and ultimately it's really sad to see a youth athlete miss. 3 4 or five weeks would a strain the hamstring that ultimately could have been prevented and when I say how could it be prevented. Let's look at high school sports right? and I'm around high school sports since I'm 13 so.
37:30.40
mvhuber
And.
37:35.90
mvhuber
Yeah.
37:39.75
John Gallucci Jr_
So um, I'm around a long time I do we we have relationships with over two hundred high schools in the tristate area we work with high schools. We try to help them prevent injuries each and every day. But if you look at it. You know a 141516 year old is going to have difficulty.
37:48.19
mvhuber
And.
37:58.41
John Gallucci Jr_
Six weeks seven weeks before their preseason to truly condition and although coaches are trying to build conditioning programs throughout the year. They don't go home with these athletes. They don't see them in their offseason of the high school season and ultimately will always see.
38:12.11
mvhuber
No.
38:17.82
John Gallucci Jr_
2 big jumps in soft tissue injuries. You'll always see it in the fall. You'll see it the last two weeks August the first two weeks of September and you'll always see it in the spring. Usually the the the 4 weeks of March you'll you see it and a lot of it has to do it.
38:29.59
mvhuber
Is.
38:36.95
John Gallucci Jr_
High school athletes not being prepared for the demands of the sport that they're gonna participate in and and a lot of and parents are starting to buy in and listen I've got 2 books out there 1 on soccer one on baseball parents are really starting to get out there.
38:48.96
mvhuber
No.
38:55.53
John Gallucci Jr_
And starting to read more and and get their children to understand you need to be aerobically fit. You need to have your cho Straw. You need to be eating right? You need to hydrate appropriately and if we get more and more parents to get engaged with their kids and the coaches. On a preseasonal workout. We'll see less silly soft tissue injuries and soft tissue injuries are nagging because usually a youth athlete 10 days after the injury. Oh I've got no pain and then they're like they don't go back to physical therapy. They tell me their mom or dad. They have no pain.
39:17.81
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
39:31.85
John Gallucci Jr_
Go back to the field. They do 1 sprint guess what came back the pain so we've got to do we've got to do it the right way but I will tell you it's upsetting to me I mean listen I wrote 2 books I've been around the world lecturing I I mean I try to do.
39:34.99
mvhuber
Yup Yop
39:49.60
John Gallucci Jr_
More and more things to inform parents and youth athletes the easiest way to stop overuse and and and and injuries is good idration. Good nutrition and prepare for the demands of the sport you're going to play.
39:50.21
mvhuber
Sure. Ah.
39:59.60
mvhuber
Yeah it's so interesting you say that I work with a I work with a kid in my coaching practice who's a baseball player and he went out for his very first scrimmage and is first at bat in the scrimmage. He got a hit and he's going up the line and tweaks his hamstring and he's had it before so it's a recurrence It's back again and and so not only do you have this like frustration that the injury is back and you want to get back as quickly as possible. But now you also have this sort of like idea like this sort of notion in the back of your head like you know like I'll here it is again here we go again and it affects confidence and. Really really challenging and I think you know unfortunately I mean maybe parents are better. But I think I see in my work. The the the athletes themselves even high school-age athletes like I think the idea of rest and recovery and all these sort of um, sort of more ancillary forms of. Of care self-care are put to the side because there's a perception that the return on investment isn't as great as I need to go lift or I need to go hit or I need to go do whatever and that other stuff sort of falls by the wayside but then that's ultimately ends up being what causes these nagging injuries.
41:12.91
John Gallucci Jr_
Um, well, how about how about again and and I'll pick on this a little bit. You know these people bang you know, youth athletes and their parents being persuaded to put their athlete in a 3 minute cryo chamber and there.
41:14.17
mvhuber
Um.
41:20.49
mvhuber
Open me.
41:28.99
mvhuber
Okay.
41:32.78
John Gallucci Jr_
Paying 60 to $100 for the 3 minutes to put them in a cryot chamber. Yeah do cryot chambers have positivity in in different levels of athletic rehab yes, but I'd rather you keep your money. And maybe maybe take your kid for a really good nutritional meal on that money and and have them go through the appropriate preseason conditioning a flexibility routine a core routine to prevent the injuries you know cryotherapy.
41:52.87
mvhuber
Yeah.
42:10.27
John Gallucci Jr_
Not going to present prevent anything and when you're rehabbing a physical therapist. An athletic trainer is going to utilize cryotherapy as needed in the plan of care. So to spend 50 to one hundred and fifty dollars for 3 minute minutes to sit in a tube. It's not going to progress that healing process as quick as you're being sold and I would love parents to just save the money and go to a movie with your kids.
42:32.10
mvhuber
And.
42:42.82
John Gallucci Jr_
And and and really consult with your physical therapistist your athletic trainer and come up with a good plan of care where there is an implementation of Cryotherapy but it's not that expensive. Um.
42:43.30
mvhuber
Um, yeah.
42:52.40
mvhuber
Yeah, so so I want to ask you a couple more questions. So So I want to ask you a question on that right? So So you raise a good point like I wrote down prevention versus remediation right? and you can think about that in any context right? Do do I invest it on the Upfront. So I prevent it. Or do I Just wait till it happens and then I try do I try to remediate right? and you mentioned consulting with a physical therapist. Do you find people like I guess what I'm saying what I want to say is like people usually go to a physical therapist when they need to remediate. Do you find that people are investing in that relationship more proactively. To try to get consultations and try to get input and advice or is it still very much traditional like oh I have an injury let me go treat it and then I'll get out and that'll be it.
43:38.10
John Gallucci Jr_
You know on a global component I would say the latter I've been fortunate enough that I'm ingrained in the sports community and people are are reaching out to me which was the reason I had written the 2 books I mean technically I could wrote 5 more with 5 other sports.
43:47.95
mvhuber
Um, ah.
43:57.49
John Gallucci Jr_
Think my team would kill me if I did that but but but ultimately listen people that have the the access to a sports medicine physical therapist athletic trainer need to use that as early as possible for prevention. Of injuries with their youth athletes. Of course when you're to college and and and and pro level they have teams that are integrated that work with the athletes. But at the high school and the club level that's facing you get hurt as a club athlete you farmed out how about prevention first.
44:17.82
mvhuber
Ah.
44:25.80
mvhuber
Ah.
44:35.60
John Gallucci Jr_
About let's prevent it and and do it better that way. Um, you know and again it's understanding the demands of the sport somebody asked me 1 time you know what would be the best comment you can give a parent that has an athlete in sports.
44:54.53
John Gallucci Jr_
And and and it's funny I said how many words do I get and they said one and I said well it's a little hard descriptive but 1 but it would be patience and the reason why it's patience is you have to understand there's a conditioning component. And your body acclimates strengthwise aerobic wise on a 4 to 6 week model. So when you look at the pathology of the human body and you look at conditioning and training you don't start to see benefits of aerobic and benefits of strengthening.
45:30.45
mvhuber
A.
45:31.38
John Gallucci Jr_
A 4 to six week period so then think about this as apparent. How can you take your son or your daughter going through your summer vacation. Let's say your summer vacation is August first to August tenth and then expect them to be doing 2 adays at football practice on the fifteenth of August or at or a Preseason soccer practice and when there's probably a three mile run involved in sprints so parents.
45:58.43
mvhuber
Ah.
46:09.53
John Gallucci Jr_
Have to be patient to understand if your son or daughter are truly going puts an athletic proneness where they want to possibly use it to go to a higher educational institution or possibly get a scholarship or maybe be part of the small percentage that gets into pro sports.
46:25.80
mvhuber
A.
46:29.44
John Gallucci Jr_
You have to understand that there needs to be a conditioning component before any preseason. That's no less than six weeks and that's how you prevent them from being injured soft tissue injuries mostly you're never going to stop collision injuries.
46:34.77
mvhuber
Um, okay.
46:44.76
mvhuber
Right.
46:48.00
John Gallucci Jr_
They're going to happen. That's part of the game but you will have an opportunity to decrease overuse injuries Decrease soft tissue injuries and then go back to hydration and and nutrition you know listen I have a high school athlete. He's a senior right Now. He's a lacrosse player. And he's ah and he's a fenceer and you know he's got my Jeans. He loves to eat poorly. Um, so he loves to have those big Italian dinners but he has learned over Time. He has decreased his tightness is increased his aerobic capability By. Eating better hydrating better and making sure he's conditioned and he's learned that by trials and tribulations. It's taken him. It's taken him 4 years to get there but he's finally accepted if I condition myself right? I eat right? I hydrate appropriately.
47:26.40
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah, yes. And.
47:43.22
John Gallucci Jr_
I will be now listen you know one of the greatest athletes of our time Kobe Bryant was a guru of nutrition hydration and taking care of his body. You know when you look at magic when you look at Michael Jordan another guy took care of his body when you look at Derek Gina another guy look at where they got in that look at Eli Manning I mean think about how many years of football eli manning and torture I mean but he took care of his body I remember seeing him in the off season only because the.
48:09.25
mvhuber
Um, that's a great example.
48:21.39
John Gallucci Jr_
The red bulls used the same. You know we were at the old giant stadium and nobody put the time in before or post free and postseason more than eli matting and look at the longevity as a professional quarterback in the Nfl that he had.
48:35.40
mvhuber
Yeah, yeah.
48:38.53
John Gallucci Jr_
I Mean that says something and people have to look at that and say the next time you're sitting in a fast food restaurant post a game is that really the choice 3 cheeseburgers fries and a double Coke post game. Is that really the choice that's going to help my son or daughter get that college scholarship is it going to help them now listen everybody has a cheat day I'm not telling parents don't be Fun. You know, but I am saying if that child has the goals and aspirations.
49:02.90
mvhuber
Yep.
49:06.60
mvhuber
And.
49:13.64
mvhuber
That's right? Well, that's exactly the the thing that I always plant into any of my athletes head is you can make whatever choice that you want and that's fine, but there's a consequence right? and if it's misaligned with what your goals are.
49:15.44
John Gallucci Jr_
You know you really have to help them and give them the tools.
49:30.68
mvhuber
Don't be surprised if you don't get the results that you want right? You could put a cheeseburger or Coke and fries in your mouth and that's cool that you're a kid I get it but like don't be surprised when you pull a hamstring or you right? like you know I'm saying or you're out of shape or your your weight's not there. Whatever right? So I'm totally with you and I normally ask the question Of. What's the one piece of advice you would give to a a parent or an athlete or or whatever and you've sort of answered it with the patient's Commentary. So I'll ask it a different question and it's sort of a different way. What's one piece of advice you would give to a parent or family or athlete in terms of trying to find the right. Physical therapist.
50:09.30
John Gallucci Jr_
So so it's the person that communicates best with you but explains the plan of care and and from from day one to finish what are the expectations. What are the goals if you're meeting with a physical therapist. And they don't give you a plan of care after 2 visits and with any expectations to get there that should concern a parent. It should concern an athlete you have to have a goal on a plan and listen all physical therapists are trained. Build planet care based on assessment and diagnosis so there should be no reason why it's not communicated with the athlete with the parent with the coach. You know we had a scenario two weeks ago that we had a young man again.
50:45.12
mvhuber
Is.
51:02.89
John Gallucci Jr_
Ah, young man who tore his meniscus um high level athlete division 1 athlete tourism meniscus it was decided. It was between a mennasecctomy which is you scalop out a piece of the tissue or you repair it to see if it scars down.
51:03.40
mvhuber
A.
51:22.30
John Gallucci Jr_
Decision was made for longevity to repair it so they did a repair. Well nobody told the coach to so they thought the athlete was getting him in asectomy and he expected to have the athlete back in four to six weeks again there's a case scenario. The athlete's not going to be back for four months so it's all about that communication chain parents and athletes have to be integrated into communication. The other thing the last piece of advice I'll give a parent especially of a youth.
51:46.19
mvhuber
Ah.
51:57.50
John Gallucci Jr_
Athlete don't take the messaging from the medical provider from your child take it from the provider. So many parents work and they drop their children or for the children comes after school or after a club. And they get physical therapy and then they get the interpretation from their 14 to 18 year old set up a once a week 10 minute meeting with the physical therapist. So you're getting it straight from the physical therapist. You know that's.
52:22.95
mvhuber
Um.
52:36.25
John Gallucci Jr_
Probably 1 of the biggest advice I could give parents get it from the medical provider your children you love them. They're awesome, but they're not licensed physical therapists and they're going to take a 10 minute medical professional. That's licensed synopsis. And give you 4 words. So i.
52:55.30
mvhuber
I that's a I could keep going but as ah as ah as a father of a fourteen and a half year old boy I I couldn't agree with you more. So so with that John I appreciate you coming on the podcast I I could have kept going for a long long time. Um, fascinated fascinated by the work you do and I think the information you've you've left with the audience has been has been really really applicable and helpful. So thank you for doing that.
53:22.46
John Gallucci Jr_
Well thank you so much and please if there's any other subjects I'd love to come back on. Thank you.
53:27.68
mvhuber
That'd be fantastic. Thank you sir.