Physical Therapy And MovNat® In New Jersey With Dr. Philip Lombardo ↓
Dr. Phil Lombardo is a Board Certified Doctor of Physical Therapy (the most credentialed in New Jersey). A MovNat® Certified Trainer (L2) and runs a MovNat® licensed facility…
What’s your general approach to helping people with their health and fitness?
There is no better way to increase my opportunity for success, and for them to reach their goals, than by clearly learning about their nervous system (classically overlooked) and how it connects to their movement/ability. I can list out a long list of skills that I’ve learned and credentials that I carry, but what really separates me from others is an ability to utilize Interpersonal Neurobiology to create a physiological change in their nervous system. This allows a deep connection to their motivation and clearer understanding of hidden limitations in their movement.
What beliefs prevent people from improving the physical side of their life?
Since I work physically with people, the single belief is that they’re physically unable to do something and never will be. There’s no hope. Often this is driven by fear or some other kind of past emotional or physical trauma that has led them to this belief.
To deal with that, and this is a very crucial step that many people miss, you have to connect with the person’s nervous system. We can do a whole interview on the interconnection of our nervous systems, but it starts with listening deeply, and then using certain techniques, such as resonance, to calm their nervous system when we find a trauma or stimulation.
What mistakes do people make that cause them to give up before they see results?
This is where I feel I really help people the most. The biggest mistake I see people make is not understanding their deeper goals and or limitations (often buried). To start on a path you must first know where you’re starting from and where you’re going. You can’t just start walking. Oftentimes people have an idea of what they want, but if you listen and delve deeper, there’s some clarification that is needed to be done to make their goals more precise. This is where I use the technique of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to help name needs and feelings. This is a crucial step. It might be a small adjustment but this is imperative.
How do you help people who’ve struggled in the past, do you use any form of gradual exposure?
First, I embrace their negative experience, acknowledge it, and offer them empathy for it. That’s another crucial step. Most people move right to…”Well, I’m different, let me show you how!” That’s motivating, but doesn’t really address the person’s problem and does nothing to calm the stimulation of their sympathetic nervous system.
I had a patient, Judy, that had a total knee replacement. I’ll never forget her. She sat in the waiting room petrified to start physical therapy (PT) because she heard horror stories about how painful it supposedly was. Those stories were her trauma. Now, our practice promotes No-pain-all-gain, but she didn’t know that.
The key was listening to her and embracing her fear, not just gradually exposing her to our way of treating. “Of course you’re scared.” Her and I talked for 15 – 20 min about what she was scared about and I offered her empathy and resonance, which is scientifically proven to calm her nervous system. Then, yes, I did proceed to gradually expose her to our way of treating. But, that was only effective because I had calmed her nervous system.
The same can be said for anyone that has a fitness goal, or life goal, that they’ve struggled with or had a negative experience (trauma) with. We all have micro traumas that get triggered all the time, often subconsciously. As doctors and trainers, if you don’t learn about the trauma and calm the nervous system first, gradual exposure will only be so effective.
How do you help people stick with it, in the early learning period?
Acknowledgment and accompaniment. Acknowledgement for the struggle. Acknowledgment for small victories. Acknowledgement of whatever the person is going through during the early learning period. There is nothing more powerful.
Accompaniment can be easy. Share a similar struggle you are going through or have gone through in the past. I remember the day I evaluated Ryan, a 27 year old runner who was crushing 5k’s left and right. He had some pretty bad ITB irritation and had chronically strained his calf muscle. He was frustrated after failed physical therapy treatment at two other facilities, but was personally recommended to us. Of course, the first thing I did was resonate with him regarding his frustration over the injury as well as the failed treatment elsewhere.
Upon evaluation he had severe limitations in hip mobility (something I can definitely relate to personally, which I shared to offer him accompaniment). After I performed some advanced mobilizations of the hip, we spent 25 minutes on the floor doing some classic MovNat skills including side bent sit reverses and extended half kneeling, all with various reaching added. Over the next 2 weeks this progressed to add rocking, lateral half kneel, deep half kneel which addressed not only his hip, but also spinal mobility. And as you’d guess, Ryan had his first pain-free 5K in about a year.
What should people focus on, and what should they forget about?
The military refers to having an “internal locus of control”. This allows us to be more successful by focusing on the things that are within our control. The number one thing that is within our control is our own mind. I’m not talking about just meditation and some kind of hokey spirituality. I’m talking about neuroscience where we learn about the past experiences that have shaped our lives, acknowledge them, and give ourselves resonance.
That is within our control, and that is the most powerful predictor of our outcomes. I rarely tell my patients “you can do it “. If they believe they can’t, then that’s their belief. Instead, I offer them acknowledgement that what they’re working on is hard, but in every other experience with this task, they’ve been 100% at achieving the goal. Once again, acknowledgment can be much more powerful than adrenaline motivation, which is a lot more temporary and eventually wears off.
How do you recommend people measure their progress in a healthy way?
I do have my patients set goals and oftentimes I help them to write those goals to more accurately reflect what they want emotionally. They may want to lose, or in some cases gain weight, but really there’s a lot more depth to what they’re trying to achieve. The only way to measure a person’s goals is to first be extremely accurate on what they actually want.
How can people start practicing these skills?
In order to listen and understand other people, you have to listen and understand yourself. This is commonly known as Emotional Intelligence. If nothing else, I would make your number one practice be personal development. Learn about yourself, go to therapy and work with somebody else (like a mental/emotional trainer), and never stop. Remember, the best way to become a master of something, is to keep learning. I am always skeptical of the one that calls himself a master.
I also recommend joining social groups so that you can learn more about yourself and connect with people who don’t have another agenda, such as at work. There are so many groups out there, keep trying out different ones. Find ones where people are truly open and honest to you and willing to give you honest feedback about yourself.
Who are the masters and heroes you look up to for your own skill development?
Outside of my parents, the three most influential people in my life, hands-down, have been my grandmother, my father-in-law, and my boss of 16 years (who I also consider a very dear friend).
They taught me the choices that you have and that you make every day are up to you. My grandmother was in her mid 90’s in a nursing home and whenever I went to visit her, she asked how my day was and how things were going at work. She didn’t ask to make casual conversation, she asked because she genuinely cared and wasn’t afraid to show it. She truly gave without taking. And even as she suffered with vertebral fractures and bad knee arthritis, it was obvious that asking about my day was how she chose to spend our time together.
My father in law, Joe, was always quoted as saying “don’t take life too seriously”. I love that he didn’t give any more guidance beyond that. He left it up to your interpretation, but he delivered a very clear message through how he lived his life.
And my very good friend and mentor Ben, that I’m grateful to have known for the past 16 years, has never stopped challenging me and showing me avenues for further development in my personal life. He is my partner in Zen Jiu-jitsu, always ready with a turning word, and has truly paved the way for a new generation of Doctors of Physical Therapy to learn more about themselves, provide exceptional care to patients, and to live a more conscious and emotionally active life.
What benefits can people expect from this kind of practice?
The number one benefit is feeling content with yourself as a person. The next benefit is truly unlimited potential. When we talk in terms of emotions and needs (one component of Interpersonal Neurobiology), Marshall Rosenburg talks about an infinite number of ways to meet those needs.
Getting to a place of less stress or dis-ease is one very important goal for me. Giving people an open mind, confronting their personal growth challenges, and helping them work through them will greatly change their lives.
Where do you operate and how can people get in touch with you?
I operate in the largest privately owned orthopedic physical therapy (PT) clinic in New Jersey, as well as independently, out in nature. I can evaluate a specific joint, or a person’s overall movement capability. Both offer an opportunity to connect with people in a different way and at different points of their lives. At the clinic, many patients feel a sense of hopelessness and feeling that they’ll never get better. I love giving them hope and some sense of control, through increased awareness. You can reach out through my website Paramus PT, or my Instagram pages @paramuspt or @movement.philosophy.
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Interview by Paul Montreal. MovNat® and Natural Movement® are registered trademarks of Erwan Le Corre.
"The future has not been written.
There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."
John Connor.
© 2019, 2020, 2021 Paul Montreal.