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Sumedh
Growing up playing and pursuing excellence at various sports, instilled within me a drive to constantly improve and be the best version of myself.
My interest and passion for sports and being active led to choosing to major in Kinesiology and eventually pursue a career in Physical Therapy.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student at the University of Pittsburgh, I first encountered Functional Patterns (FP) through a former FP Minnesota client who was a close friend of mine. At the time, while FP fascinated me, I was swamped with school work and didn't get too into it. Also, at the time, I was doing heavy strength training using conventional methods and while it seemed to be going quite well initially, it gradually led to problems.
During my final year in DPT school, I suffered from quadriceps tendonitis which made playing soccer uncomfortable. For the first time in my life a 'chronic' condition affected my participation in soccer despite playing competitively for over 15 years. Shortly after that I also developed a numb sensation in the bottom of my left foot and also had a few bouts of significant back pain. I was applying techniques I learned in PT school and continuing to strength train but I couldn't find any lasting relief from the numbness in the bottom of my foot. At the same time, my clinical experiences were helping me realize that the current healthcare model and physical therapy model similarly often failed to deliver long term relief to chronic issues.
That's when I took the plunge with the 10 week online course. Within the first 4 weeks of MFR, the numbness that had been around for 6-8 months completely disappeared. Through FP, I realized how my previous strength training using conventional methods had contributed to some of the issues I was dealing with. I continued the FP journey by working on the Functional Training System (FTS). I tried to incorporate the FP framework in my physical therapy work as much as possible. However this was more challenging than I expected due to barriers in the conventional physical therapy and healthcare model. The insurance based model often failed to deliver long term outcomes. I noticed repeating patterns of "short-term" physical therapy usage as "band-aid" treatments. Furthermore, the insurance model reimbursements were dependent on time spent with clients, rather than outcomes. Again, this didn't incentivize long term outcomes and improvement. As someone who is constantly improving myself, I found I no longer wanted to operate within such a dysfunctional system.
Since finally attending FP Human Foundations course in July 2023, I've dedicated myself as an FP practitioner. FP has helped me develop more resilience. It allows me to keep playing sports without injuries, go hiking, pursue other adventures in nature and feel more confident in tackling the various physical and mental hurdles of life. The FP Minnesota community (and FP community in general) with our shared values such as determination and perseverance towards self improvement and contributing to a functional society, have renewed my hope and motivation. I appreciate being part of a system that helps people tackle their problems in a methodical and sustainable way. I aim to empower people with the knowledge and tools to navigate their own problems, trigger regeneration and help them succeed in their lives!
