FINDING BALANCE
PROFESSIONAL RUGBY PLAYER TURNED PERFORMANCE COACH SPENCER BROWN, FOUNDER & CEO OF ISLAND REHAB HUB TELLS US HIS STORY
“When my professional and international rugby career was starting to take shape way back in 1997, I was in so much pain I couldn’t even walk the length of the field.”
I had spent most of that year on the physio table and was passed between three different surgeons, all who had different diagnoses. In the space of four months, I’d experienced every treatment known to man. I tried it all and nothing worked – and to say I was frustrated would have been an understatement.
During the peak of this setback, my agent suggested that I get in touch with ‘this guy he knew in London’ which sounded more than a little dodgy, right? But I was desperate to get out of pain, so I agreed and he gave me his contact information and left me to it. With some hesitation and low expectations, I called the number. A confident voice answered and after a brief exchange that couldn’t have lasted more than 5 minutes, he had diagnosed my problem. Was this a joke? Don’t forget, at this point I’d had three MRI scans, three consultations with expert surgeons and been advised by several sports medicine doctors with no conclusive diagnosis, yet here was this guy is diagnosing me over the phone! I must have been out of my mind contemplating this an option!
Still desperate, I went to see him the next day. The guy seemed normal enough and although a little skeptical, I gave him my injury history (as a rugby player it was a long list, thankfully he had some time on his hands that morning 😆) then proceeded to give his in-depth diagnosis. In a very matter of fact way, he told me my right groin pain was due to an issue with my left ankle and to reduce the pain in my groin, I needed to rehabilitate my ankle. Judging by the look of complete confusion on my face, he could tell I needed further convincing. He went on to explain that I was compensating for a previous trauma, perhaps several traumas, but the main issue was my ankle. Wow! I was speechless.
This was a major lightbulb moment for me. Despite being a professional athlete, my body had become completely out of balance because I was never made aware of the importance of keeping my body in balance.
In the four weeks following my very strange and surreal meeting with this guy (to this day I have no idea what his surname is, profession, or qualifications ), I was working with my physios and focusing on my left ankle while working through – six times daily – the four bodyweight exercises he had given me to ‘rebalance’ my body. A part of me thought this was ridiculous, but despite my reservations I continued with the programme I was given. I made a full recovery and came back stronger than ever to continue my professional rugby career. Over 20 years later, I continue to play rugby, in both domestic leagues and semi-pro when called upon.
“This experience changed my life and saved my rugby career”
I assumed that after four months of unsuccessful physio sessions, sports massage therapy, MRI scans and expert consultations that I was doomed to be in pain for the rest of my life. Yet all it took was a change in my focus and my approach to the whole thing. None of the health professionals were wrong, they were in fact all correct.
So what was missing? It was a failure to collectively apply experience, knowledge and research to me as an individual. Since that moment on, I’ve tried to absorb as much information and experience from all aspects of injury rehabilitation, fitness and conditioning to develop the most efficient methods to avoid pain or keep pain away.
Over the years and during my ten-year professional rugby career, I studied hard and was fortunate to learn from some fantastic physios, doctors and strength & conditioning coaches. I continued studying and learning, soaking up as much information from as many sources as possible, completing first a Bachelor’s then a Master’s degree, finally completing a Doctorate in Health Sciences.
“Learning to Get the Balance Right”
There’s an efficient way and a not-so efficient way to go about this whole fitness and health thing. During my career I’ve found enough of the less efficient ways and I want to share what I have learned with as many people as possible to help make it easy to stay fit, active and pain-free.
I created Island Rehab Hub to offer a unique strength and conditioning service to athletes, active individuals and those with non-sports injuries, to maximise sports performance and minimise the risk of injury.
On my site you’ll find information on how Island Rehab Hub can help you to:
get rid of pain for good
avoid pain in the first place
learn to lift weights correctly
learn how to warm-up effectively
establish effective home workouts
access beginner’s guides free-of-charge
It's been a long and winding road to get this far, but I'm confident that I am building something meaningful.
My number one priority is to serve my clients and the community around me.
That’s my story, and this is where we begin.
Spencer
Look for blog posts to follow ranging in topics from general fitness, strength training and CrossFit to knee problems,
reasons why people are in pain and why I don't recommend over-stretching the hip flexors.
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community activities and for when new blogs are released.
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