There are a lot of physical and mental demands required of fire and rescue personnel, the military, law enforcement, and other first responders. Also referred to as the “tactical athlete,” these individuals routinely perform challenging feats of athleticism in order to serve, protect, and save people’s lives.

Firefighters must climb ladders and break through roofs and doors. EMTs are called on to extract passengers and respond to life-and-death situations. Police officers have to be ready to suddenly chase after a suspect. Military personnel are trained to be able to immediately react to any scenario. Additionally, these jobs often require weighty protective clothing and awkward, heavy equipment.

“These athletes are typically under intense mental and physical stress, often at the same time,” says Spooner therapist, Sam Gesicki, PT, DPT. “This can lead to poor mechanics and overuse injuries, especially if movements are repeated often. Another aspect that has to be considered is the fact that these athletes can experience hours of sedentary downtime, followed by extreme activity.”

Our tactical athletes have made a career of prioritizing other people’s health and well-being above their own, and Spooner is here to return the favor! We understand the pressures and specific demands of the job and proudly provide personalized care to all our patients and athletes. We all have our own unique needs and goals, and this couldn’t be more true than with our tactical athletes!

Embracing the Athlete Role

In sports, top-level athletes are given extensive resources in an effort to optimize their health and get the most out of their in-game performance. Unfortunately, society does not always treat our tactical professionals as the athletes they are.

When asked whether treating a first responder was any different than treating your average patient, Sam Gesicki, PT, DPT said, “Yes, it is very different! These are athletes and they need to be treated as such. Just like a football, basketball, soccer, or volleyball player, these athletes need to be rehabilitated and trained in specific ways that are going to prepare their body for the extreme demand of their on-the-job activities.”

Similar to elite-level athletes, first responders require specific and unique rehabilitation interventions to fully optimize on-the-job performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Rehabilitation and Training Designed for Tactical Athletes

In order to get the most out of rehabilitation and training, exercises and treatment need to be tailored to specific needs and demands that will carry over into real-world performance. Sam Gesicki, PT, DPT, highlights a few of the ways he infuses job-specific activities and movements into his tactical athletes’ plan of care:

  • “With firefighters and police officers, who wear a lot of equipment on their back and around their waist, I like to have them wear weighted vests throughout most dynamic exercises and movements.
  • For firefighters who need to carry hoses and other heavy equipment in one arm, I like to utilize unilateral kettlebell holds throughout exercises to replicate the awkward, asymmetrical nature of performing their job.
  • I have seen a few military personnel who act as medics in the field who need to drag/carry people who have been wounded. Sled pushing and pulling are great for those individuals.
  • Although we don’t usually grapple, some police officers need to subdue suspects and be able to perform takedowns efficiently and without any added stress to the body. Here at the Spooner Uptown Chandler clinic, we use the trolleys from our power rack station to train push/pulling of awkward and heavy items.” 

“Another topic I would like to stress is training these athletes to have the capacity to withstand loads required by equipment and job tasks,” Sam states. “Most tactical athletes will have overuse injuries and some aspect of low back pain. Training postural endurance as well as strategizing ways to distribute the weight of their vests across their entire body, instead of just relying on core and lumbar musculature for stability, is key. Their jobs are so unpredictable. Training them in every plane of movement is a requirement so when they do need to react to a situation, they have the foundation of movement to run, jump, tackle, lunge, roll in any direction/way needed without additional stress to their bodies.”

Our therapists conduct comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluations to determine your limitations and/or imbalances, factoring in the unique demands of your job. Then we design a therapeutic exercise program tailored to correcting your weaknesses, addressing your specific needs and helping you stay fit, on and off duty!

Taking Care of Those Who Take Care of Us

Tactical athletes dedicate their lives to serving and protecting us. To carry out the crucial challenges they face on a regular basis, they depend on functioning at the highest possible level of athleticism. Spooner is dedicated and proud to be a part of our tactical athletes’ primary care team, providing world-class support and clinical care that will keep them mission ready!

Thank you to all our first responders and military personnel for watching over us and for keeping us safe! If you are dealing with a nagging injury, chronic pain, or are looking to get back to peak performance, schedule an appointment or complimentary assessment to see how we can get you moving better and feeling better!