#54 - Full Achilles Tendon Rupture with The Physio Fix’s Dr. Stacie Barber, PT | A Surgical approach to rehabilitation & return to gymnastics & competitive weightlifting
Release Date: 07/15/2023
S2 Q&A #3 - Why Barbell Training Is Essential for Adults 50–80: A Rehab Case Study That Inspires
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast, Dr. Rori Alter and Dr. John Petrizzo break down how strength training allowed a 75-year-old barbell trainee to avoid inpatient rehab after fracturing both her hip and wrist. Her story is a testament to how barbell training preserves function, independence, and quality of life—even after serious injury. “The stronger you go into these sorts of situations, the better off you're going to be—because you're going to have more lean body mass, more muscle mass, more bone mineral density… So that if you lose some of it,...
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S2 Q&A #2: Feeling Burned Out After a Meet? + Training Through Life’s Seasons
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this candid and insightful listener Q&A episode, Dr. Rori Alter and Dr. Alyssa Haveson of Progressive Rehab & Strength dive deep into two thought-provoking questions submitted by a competitive powerlifter navigating the post-meet blues and nutrition challenges. They unpack the psychological and physical impacts of taking extended time off from training after powerlifting competitions, explore ways to manage training stress, and discuss how to realign your training goals during life transitions. Plus, they address the complex question of when to transition to maintenance...
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S2 Inspirational Interview #2: Strength Training Through Chaos | How One Barbell Athlete Stays Consistent With Barbell Training While Raising & Homeschooling 5 Kids
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast Inspirational Interview Series, Dr. Rori Alter sat down with Anna Marie Oakes-Joudy, an athlete who faces life’s toughest challenges and emerges stronger every day. Anna Marie shares her personal journey through the hardships of raising and homeschooling 5 children, demonstrating resilience, and the transformative power of strength training. As a mother of five—including a set of twins—she balances her role as a dedicated parent while excelling as a barbell coach, homeschooling her children, and running a successful...
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S2E7 - Strength Training for New Parents (or Very Busy People) | Time-Efficient Strategies for Progress
Progressive Rehab & Strength
Barbell strength training or powerlifting training after having kids is HARD. Finding the time and energy to powerlift after having babies has its challenges for all parents, but, most of all, time to train and the ability to recover is most affected. In this episode of the PRS Podcast, hosts Dr. Rori Alter and Dr. John Petrizzo continue their New Parent Training series, discussing how to adapt strength training when time and recovery resources are limited—a challenge that applies not only to new parents but to anyone with a demanding schedule. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ...
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S2E6 - Postpartum Strength Training for New Parents: Managing Training Expectations and Adapting to Life After Having A Baby
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this episode of The Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast, new parents and Clinical Coaches, Drs Rori Alter and John Petrizzo, dive into the challenges of maintaining a strength training program, specifically powerlifting and barbell training, after having a baby for the first and second time. From sleep deprivation to time constraints, they explore how your approach to training must shift in the postpartum period. If you're a parent, or soon-to-be parent, they talk about the differences in training expectations before and after having kids, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that lead...
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S2 Q&A #1: How Tight Should Your Belt Be? How to Handle a Drifting Deadlift, and How to Do More Pull-ups
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In today's episode, Dr. Rori and two other Clinical Coaches at PRS, Alyssa Haveson and Dr. John Petrizzo, answer your questions! In this first installment of Q&A, the team answers the following questions: How tight should your lifting belt be? How do deal with deadlift drifting away from your legs when using a mixed grip? How can I increase the number of pull-ups I can do? Resources mentioned in this episode: Got a question you would like the PRS team to answer on the show? Submit it here! If you’re enjoying our podcast, please leave us a review...
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S2 Inspirational Interview #1: Powerlifting Through Pain | Stephanie Tracy’s Journey to the Pan American Bench Press Championships
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this episode of Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast, we sit down with PRS client and competitive powerlifter, Stephanie Tracy. We dive into her incredible journey from competing at Powerlifting America’s Bench Press National Championships to representing the USA at the Pan American Championships. Along the way, we discuss the mental and physical challenges that come with injuries, how Steph found the strength to push through, and what it takes to keep competing at the highest level, even when your body may be working against you. Get our FREE Powerlifting Meet Day Bundle HERE...
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S2E5 - Injuries and Powerlifting Competitions: Managing Setbacks and Navigating Meets
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In the powerlifting world, injuries are an unfortunate reality. Whether it's a tweak in training leading into a competition or something more significant happening during the powerlifting meet itself, injuries will happen. However, it's how we reduce our risk for them and manage them so they don't get worse leading into or during the competition. Prepping for a Powerlifting Meet? Download our FREE Powerlifting Meet Day Bundle HERE! In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast, we dive into the complex dynamics of injuries in powerlifting competitions, from...
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S2E4 - Powerlifting Game Day Strategy (Pt 2): Advanced Powerlifting Game Day Strategies for Coaches & Competitors at Regional, Pro, National & International Meets
Progressive Rehab & Strength
In this episode of Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast we continue our discussion on Powerlifting Game Day Strategy. We focus on the nuances of managing and competing at the highest levels of powerlifting, with a particular emphasis on coaching advanced athletes through regional, pro, national, and international powerlifting competitions. This episode is designed for advanced lifters and new lifters entering the higher competition circuit, and their coaches who are preparing for national and international competitions, offering actionable strategies to optimize performance when every...
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S2E3 - Powerlifting Game Day Strategy (Part 1): Planning for a 9-for-9 Performance
Progressive Rehab & Strength
Having a game day strategy for a powerlifting meet is essential to making sure you have fun and the outcome of the competition meets your expectations. Whether you are a first time powerlifting competitor or a seasoned lifter, you should do all you can to ensure you go 9-for-9 as completing all possible attempts in a powerlifting competition ensures you have the best outcome possible. In this episode of the PRS Podcast Drs Rori Alter and Alyssa Haveson continue their discussion on powerlifting competition by dedicating Part 3 and 4 of this Powerlifting Competition Series to planning...
info_outlineTearing your Achilles tendon is a major injury that may require surgery. While some people can recover from an Achilles rupture without surgery, some will require surgery in order to return to highly ballistic and plyometric sports like gymnastics and olympic weightlifting.
Stacie Barber, PT is a physical therapist, nationally competitive weightlifter, recreational gymnastics, and PT practice owner of The Physio Fix sustained a full rupture of her Achilles tendon at her first annual holiday party. While this injury was devastating emotionally and physically, it did not happen during her chosen sport, but rather during a Ninja Warrior holiday party!
After the shock of the injury wore off, Stacie connected with an orthopedic surgeon regarding her options for recovery. Just three days after the injury Stacie underwent surgery and returned to work two days later. The main factor in deciding to go the surgical route for the Achilles rupture was that there was a 9 cm gap between both ends of the torn tendon and no overlap when she was put in full plantar flexion. This meant that there was little opportunity for the tendon to heal itself.
In this episode of the PRS Podcast, Dr. Stacie Barbell shares the story of her recovery after the surgery, how she continued to train and maintain her strength the whole time, and the process by which she returned to olympic weightlifting and gymnastics after the Achilles rupture with surgery.
In this episode we discuss:
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What clinical factors lead to the decision to have Achilles rupture repair surgery
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How her post-op protocol for Achilles surgery varied from the typical protocol and why
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Footwear and assistive devices for Achillies repairs and how they helped/hindered
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Complications she experienced after the surgery and the process to address them
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How she continued to train without interruption post injury
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Kneeling & seated lifts to continue to train olympic lifts
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How long it took and how she progressed to get back to full ROM, heavy power and olympic lifts
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The timeline and progression for reintroducing gymnastics
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The importance of asking for help
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Insurance processes for covering the pre-surgical imaging, surgery, and assistive devices post-op
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The benefits of going out-of-pocket for post surgical return to sport physical therapy
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How this surgery changed Stacie as a clinician
Dr. Stacie Barber is the founder and owner of The Physio Fix, which was established in 2017. Stacie received her B.S. in Exercise Science from Illinois State University in 2011 where she was also an NCAA student-athlete, earning several honors in the sport of gymnastics. After undergrad, Stacie went on to become a strength and performance coach, furthering her knowledge of exercise prescription and implementation before pursuing her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree which she obtained from Duke University in 2015.
As a former collegiate gymnast and current Olympic Weightlifter, Dr. Stacie has had her fair share of orthopedic injuries and surgeries (11 surgeries to be exact!), so she understands how detrimental an injury can be for an athlete at any level. Therefore, she spends a lot of time with patients analyzing their movement patterns, identifying deficits, and improving body mechanics to not only fix the current problem but to also prevent further compensations and degeneration.
Get in Touch with Stacie!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
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The Physio Fix Achilles Protocol Program (for purchase from The PhysioFix)
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Stacie’s Achilles Rupture & Repair Blog (1 full year on Youtube)
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