10/10/2025
‼️CONTROVERSY ALERT‼️
It’s super trendy right now to hop in the cold plunge, sit in the sauna, slap on some Normatec boots, get some cupping while you’re being scraped, get dry needled, sit under the shockwave machine, and then foam roll all before 4am.
More often than not, you are going to a provider who provides some of these services, normally termed “recovery” or sometimes “wellness.”
❗️Unless you’re in a car accident or had a fall from a height, most injuries that people are seeking help for are overuse injuries. There wasn’t a single event that caused that injury usually, it happens gradually over time. It usually occurs with a sudden increase or load or activity that you were not prepped for.
❗️If there is a disparity of loading, which is an ACTIVE thing (think playing pickleball, lifting weights, taking a Pilates class, etc), WHY are we telling people that sitting under a machine or in a tub of cold water is going to fix their ailment?! These are PASSIVE modalities.
❗️Can these things assist with pain management and possibly even provide a placebo effect that makes you feel better?! YES
❗️Do we use passive modalities at Raise the Barbell? 100%
❗️Do we need to use these things to make you better? Also 100% no. Having a solid understanding of anatomy and tissue healing timeframes, a good framework for load progression, and understand the movement demands of the clients you’re working will mean that you can treat anything that walks through your door without a single passive treatment.
❗️Will it take longer? Possibly, which is why we use the feel good stuff here at Raise the Barbell. But if all of it were to suddenly disappear in a modality-apocalypse, could you still trust us to get you back to 110%? You betcha.
❗️Keep it simple. You don’t need to do 1200 things to “recover.” Your body was built for it. The same applies to your rehab🤝
*THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE NOR DOES IT APPLY TO EVERYONE*
