055 - ft Mike James aka The Endurance Physio

055 - ft Mike James aka The Endurance Physio

Simplify everything from consults to social media... Mike and Mic talk about how simplicity can help as a new grad from consults, to history, to treatment to social media.

Transcript

spk_1:   0:01
This's the I'm a view podcast getting you private practise ready. We give you fresh ideas on mindset, communication and clinical skills so you can have a full field career today. I've got Mike James. You fight now as the endurance physio, I'm sure you will know him as the insurance physio and very gracious with his time. Thank you for joining us, Mike.

spk_0:   0:25
No problem at all. Thanks for inviting me on

spk_1:   0:28
it, Sze Amazing! And we were just reflecting how generous the physio community or the health professional community has been with their time. And you've got this amazing running conference you're attending today?

spk_0:   0:40
Yes, much Phillips of Run Charl ie vers has put the boot workin and organised. 10 speakers from around the world were descended on Brighton in the UK for two days on DH. I'm like a kid in the street shop about some of the famous places, its famous names. I'll get to finally meet in person and it's a bit of a it's that funny dynamic of you've interacted with these people so much online that it's going to be one of those weird meetings. I actually feel like I know you quite well, but it's the first time in person we've ever shook hands another chart. So So let's hope we don't burst too many bubbles of what I think people are like in real life.

spk_1:   1:21
I love it and it's this Chris Johnson going. Sorry, Bart told who else was going?

spk_0:   1:27
Eso We've got Derek Gryphon over from Ireland. We've got easy more from Cardiff. It was just on the road for me. Travelling down Jack, too, from the physio Mars broadcast is coming along there, going to be streaming it as well. Paul westward the truffle in physio Paul Corker from Rock Step in the UK has come in on many others that I've forgotten. There's 10 of us in tow. It's it. It's the epitome of the impostor syndrome. If you ask me, I'm on a stage of people Go in. I don't know. I am so on the stage with you

spk_1:   2:03
shouldn't myself. I would be way

spk_0:   2:08
watts up group on a thread going about it. One of the other big names cos Griffis fromthe sports burger podcasts live the dietary guys drift a message and go in the What's the balance of the audience is the clinicians and therapy in versus runners How to pitch my slides And I just simply replied, I'm just scared of you, not listening. I'm not interested in pictures toward the audience. I'm pitching our fear off. You guys gorilla me afterwards,

spk_1:   2:37
z e. I mean, what's really cool about social media is we're getting such big exposure. Total those names in the last five years and I certainly look upto all those people we are, and I mean way treat a lot of runners. So that would scare me is what would be really, really exciting. Yeah, at Might tell me, Tell me about the endurance physio and when it started and what your what? Your vision wass for it. I think

spk_0:   3:08
it's started. It's been alive about five years now. My background is endurance. Sports started out as the runner went really heavy into triathlon and Ironman and ultra distance Triathlon for a good 10 years ended up with a bit of open water. Swim in for a couple of years, and now I've gone back in to sort of run in. So my my nish was always an athlete. Endurance sports, but by default as a therapist, you tend to get pulled into that world. You must know how to treat these guys because you run lots or whatever. So so organically. Over the years, my predominant career was working in the military as a therapy on. Then I spent a little bit of time in the National Health Service in the UK and then they went into private practise on DH. It just felt right to suddenly timing is everything on DH. Fortunately, people blaze the trail before me. People had started to become Tom Guma become the running Fazil. Paul had become the triathlon physio. So there was a template off actually his Dinitia to be able to do stuff on DH. It was quite funny because I may wear if I'd bean quicker in my thinking, Potentially might have tried to grab the running fizzy or the transplant physio. But by default, the endurance physio was left. And actually it became better for me because my background was a little bit more diverse in endurance sports. So suddenly, Yeah, I do get a swimmer getting in touch me and I do get a trial Catholic and touching me, and I don't feel pigeonholed into one of the 33 types of endurance s. So we moved back to Wales. Military life meant we travelled quite a lot. The wife and I and we moved the family back to settle down in Wales 2.5 years ago. So that's when I really branded it. Launched it online before that. It wass Ah, small it. Look on working in other people's clinics on predominantly teaching my background in the military man, I did. I used to do a hell of a lot of standing up in front of people talking and present in and lecture in almost. And it's what I'm most comfortable where. This what? I probably have a biggest passion about these days, so the endurance visual got launched in a Let's go out and do some courses and seminars and stuff. So then it just felt that the natural thing was to have a Web presence of an online presence on. If I'm honest, when I first I put in the videos out that I start put, you know, I used to work in clinics in 10 people a day, say in the same stuff to those 10 people a day on you would just It would just suck up your meantime on your other time to do the good stuff, to do the re up to do the thie interaction with these guys. So I started. Let's put some videos on Facebook and then suddenly I could send people to these videos, so they've got something that they can reflect on. If it's an exercise video, they know how to do it after they've left me and we can come back saying I couldn't quite remember what you said about that one and it's just pretty much grown from there. As the years have gone on, I've become a little bit smarter and perhaps a little bit more tactical in the whole savviness of social media how to market it out to approach it. But I've tried my artist to not come away from just throw in something out there relatively naturally, not wanting it to be too polished and shiny and rehearsed and planned. Just don't think it learns very well. Probably my biggest difference over the last couple years is I just shrunk or I do so much. I used to stick out re along formats OA 10 15 20 minute, almost education workshops out there. And when you start looking at the analytics and realise, you know 5% of the however many thousands have watched it watched the whole thing. It's like That's just shrink it down and stick a couple of minutes on. People watch you. People will get more. They can get in touch if they want more info after it. And that's pretty much where we are, where we are today.

spk_1:   7:07
I love that. What? What really stands out about your content for me absolutely love it. And I think it's genuine if it's simplified in a way that a patient, but also a clinician can learn from it. When I watched your videos, Mike, I feel like me as the runner gets it. But also Mia's The Clinician is like there's actually some subtlety and technicality in that. And when we're talking to the new grads in I move you, What have been your learnings doing that? Did you start from a real technical longform base? Is it something you worked on like did you actually watch yourself and go to a course in speaking? Or have you just gotten better and better at it

spk_0:   7:53
s o I I've always said this and I always feel like I'm doing them and injustice. But having spent the best part of 20 years working with soldiers and military and then by default, you have to simplify things. It is just is just a world suddenly on DH. So there was no formal train and there was no formal. So off mentorship in out to do it was just refining your own approach in your own skills by just practise in practise in practise it on. Then, when I started working out the military environment, the military world could be quite closed. So you never really know what's going on outside that world. So you can't really get yourself whether you're good, average really barred on DH. When you leave, then and you work in other environments and the odd person sort of mentions who you're quite good at. Just simplify in some of that in for how you use that analogy was really helpful. I've never thought of it that way before, so the best probably comes from from my military background, but I just think that we you know, my gut feeling. There's has therapists we live or we traditionally have lived in a magical hierarchy in a system where we're always trying to butt up up the order. We're always trying to sound clever or justify our position to the doctors and the surgeons and everyone else of the world. So I think history as made us straight, overcomplicate things on DH. Maybe stand on a level that we didn't need to stand on because we could just do it simply and effectively be just a successful. So that's what I think. We've got this disconnect between what we should be doing both to each other under the patients. But why we probably don't do it. So it is. It's just how I tended to be anyway. But I do. I think, a lot of the time when I'm trying to think of content. If I'm honest, I just trolling the Internet and I just watch some therapists overcomplicated. I just got you know what? That's probably lost a cz Many people as they're trying to help, let's just peel it back a little bit and break it down. I get lots of emails and messages and people sort of reaching out, go in do you know anything about such and such? Could you do a little video? I'd be old. It's this, but I I'm a little bit lost in the detail of what someone's told me. So it's just a case of Okay, I that I find something that I think I can break that down. It'll be easier or someone asks me to. Yesterday, I got an email asking They've been diagnosed with post tendon apathy on. They don't get it at all. They think they understand what someone's on about. Could I do a couple of minutes video? Just explain it someone. So So it's sometimes put on a plate for me. But, yeah, it is just a case of trying tow. It's not rocket science. What we do, there's a There's a technical element and the science that we've all learned. But it's, you know, most people with a relative in tow play themselves and be a pretty good therapist. Maybe not the greatest therapist, but we could. We could all be pretty. It's quite easy to be a good therapist, I think.

spk_1:   11:07
Do you do you script those videos or you see inspiration? You get that message and you like cameras on? I'm just talking about it.

spk_0:   11:17
Been a bit of all of them, of everything. The I would probably say ATT least half adjust. Teo, the phone on just fell. There's probably 1/4 than that is not scripted. But if I'm going to talk on something, I want to make sure the factor right. My started doing so of monthly Facebook lives. What about three or four things that I've done a little video on that month? In a bit more depth. So maybe I'll just get a couple of references or or maybe just read up on the terminology of something to try and break it down a little bit more on. Then there's probably some that on these more older stuff. But there are some that yeah, almost used to have a whiteboard behind me with some points that I wanted to make. Still still a simplified as possible but bullet points that I wanted to get these things in a logical sequence to have a flow to the video. I don't do that so much anymore, but potentially that's just practise in rehearsal means it's in my head a little bit better than it used to be rather than he come in away deliberately from up.

spk_1:   12:32
Yes, I think we've got a team of 13 and what I'm seeing, and particularly in the Facebook group, I move you. All these young therapists realise it's important to do content or their business owners are realising it's important to do content, so they're all having a go. But I definitely see that over complication. But the other thing I see is scripting on one I notice with scripting is the second you stumble or say something slightly off. You just fall into this hole of that video's not useful anymore, whereas if you're just talking as if you're talking to a patient, I think we might make that sound easier than it is. Do you have any tips on what you've weren't Maybe some of your failings and how you just turn that on?

spk_0:   13:17
Yes, I think the safe way. So whenever some sort, when someone is saying I really want to do some video stuff for some online stuff than my first advice is, just start doing it. You never could be ready for it. You can't really prepare for it. Most cameras are good enough quality of picture and sound that you don't need Fancy equipment. Just have a good it. The pressure will always be if you start to in live ones because you know, people are watching it and it's live. And if you make a mistake, people see it. But what people never see your mind is the 50 outtakes that I've dilly seated before I put the one online that I'm happy with. Some of it is because maybe I just muddle up my terminology. Maybe I just don't make it sound as succinct as I wanted it to. So have a go on film, and if you muck it up, back it up and you can do it again, you could just delete and start again. The overarching thing to keep it simple is what is your message? What do you want? Someone to take away at the end of that video? Whether it's three seconds, 60 seconds, two minutes or more, what am I trying to get across? And that's the point to me. Stay in it on. I guess I have a tried to just off intro. I'm talking about get the point across and then summarise that point again. So those three little sections on, then just leave it at that because most of these things now, when we post them, you can put a little bit of taxed above the post. Then you can always go into a bit more detail there. Or you can always just repeat what you're going to see in the video. There s so that's just pretty much my approach.

spk_1:   14:56
Explain yourself in the text. I really like that tip. It kind of reminds me of Kris Johnson when he was doing all that silent exercise videos, and his reasoning was, that is like there's too much nuance in the actual prescription. I just want to show you how to do it like that. This this same off over complication way were talking earlier about bringing this into not social media, but at the physio world. Now So what are you seeing in the physio world, particularly for young health professionals on that over complication side.

spk_0:   15:32
So we've we've as a world of society, we've become very impatient. We all want everything now, So I'm seeing therapists who, starting out on the career journey on DH suddenly they want these advanced techniques. They want these post nominal qualifications. They want all of these complicated things generally, Teo usedto create our foundation and build up to, and suddenly they've got a master's degree within within a couple of years, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Always, but people trying to accelerate through the natural process of getting somewhere. So I always say, Teo Young therapist or students When when I'm speaking to students, you know, just consolidate the basics. Really, really well, there's there's fundamentally your whole career to get everything else by trying to accelerate through. Then you neglect the fundamentals. You neglect our foundation and then you just starting out on a shaky ground on unstable house that's always going toe bite you in the bomb somewhere down the line. You know, we know that it's really, really important. So you, khun b advanced that be advanced in the simple things. It's subjective history through the roof. Communicate with people, get the understanding spent time with people, buildup, therapeutic alliance that we're always talking about and learn how to really do a thorough, objective assessment. After that, the advanced stuff, if you don't have that stuff in place It doesn't matter how many tricks you've got in your box after that because you can't use them. You don't understand which ones to use and when and how to apply them. So just do the basics. Really, really Well, look on being expert. Be advanced at the basics before you try to be anything better than that.

spk_1:   17:25
Yeah, It's really, really good advice, I think like we know that the Greg Lehman calm things down, build things up. I very currently say to my new grads is just rub something and prescribing exercise like we could be a sin. We know whatever manual therapy you want to do, they're probably going to feel nicer. You've got natural healing on your side, prescriber. Really good exercise. Start with getting their loading right. And you're better off doing one exercise. Well, then, five. Yeah, Command.

spk_0:   17:55
Within the exercise, you you see people suddenly, you know, they rushed. They give the first appointment, they give them a really good, really appropriate exercise. Ah, week or two weeks later, So they come back. And is this rush to change the exercise or Adam, or exercises and just manipulate the variables off that one exercise play with ranges of movement, times and detention. Play with all those little things. You know, in my military days I started my military career is a physical training instructor on my first ever boss always used to say to us that you should be ableto exercise or rehab someone within a telephone box because you could manipulate any exercise a 1,000,000 ways before you ever need to make it different. So again you give someone War not to exercise is to go away with. You can have 10 or 12 progressions and regressions to if needed. You don't need to then off the best gym in the world. It's nice if you've got a big, shiny facility that people like to come into, but ultimately one people to go away and do these at home. And if I've given you this overcomplicated movement or movements with fancy kit that I think is great and shows off my exercise prescription skills, that's not the simple thing that the patient often needs or wants on on. Then they come. They'll go somewhere else eventually and just go, you know, Well, didn't really work for me that he had all these pieces of paper. She had all these pieces of paper hanging on the wall and really all singing all dancing Jim. But actually that they just didn't listen to me. Didn't do what I needed and I didn't get better.

spk_1:   19:32
Yeah, percent. I love that something I've been thinking about, Mike, What you said they're really resonated of recently started helping other business owners. And I'm reflecting on those things you just said. So there's clinics that have all the kids, all the dumbbells, all the squat racks and the machines, and they've got di nominators and all the force measuring equipment. And then there's clinics where it's just a curtain room and a telephone box and maybe one or two dumbbells. And those clinics in a lot of cases, on part that they're busy. And that's driving. Whereas some of the clinics with a lot of investment, a lot of capital, a lot of weights and all the fancy stuff they might be struggling have become really curious about that is one specifically it's clearly not the equipment, but what specifically about that solo practitioner in a curtain room has them seeing 60 or 70 patients a week with a bunch of raving fans and what's missing in that other fancy clinic? I think you hit the nail on the head there. Does that bring up anything for you?

spk_0:   20:36
Yeah, it does, because the probability is is that person takes the time to talk and listen and chat to the person in front of them to understand what's going on. Probably if you know some people are in that way by default. That's maybe the only space they can get the equipment they can afford or whatever. But generally what someone's probably done is they've bean down the road of the other one, and they've just stripped it all away and go back to basics and gone right. What this person wants is my time. They want me to understand what's going on on. Therefore, I can then just do the tests, and the exercise is really most pertinent to them. You see, you see youngsters of the little bit of time I spent in the National Health Service was a lot of younger therapists. New grads just come into sort of m S k on. You'd be a mentor in these guys on. They done 25 special tests on someone. Why did you do that? Well, because that's the test I'm supposed to do for the shoulder, For the Neo, for the hip. Yeah, but what did they say in this objective that made you think you needed Teo? Oh, I didn't. I just had a plan. I just went through it on a great with a student. We know that having a template and a plan is probably quite useful, but actually just just started to become comfortable at. If I don't get it all done in this 1st 1 it doesn't matter because I'm effectively, I always say, Yes, I'm buying myself time back later down the line If I just talk to someone for the whole hour, that s o a Z endurance visual. When I do treat people now, most people get about a 90 minute session off me. But I probably don't see people more than once or twice e talk to them. I understand all about them on their sport, on their injury and the problems, what they had done before I saw I think I look out quite a lot now that people tend to come to Mia's a second or third referral. So most of them are probably in a position there Ready to finally. Listen, I think if I saw some of the people I see first, they probably would ignore some of the stuff I say. Like they may have done with others. They want the quick fix. The quick fix doesn't happen on then. Finally. Okay, this is a fact in my sport in my life enough that I'm going to listen to someone. So So I take the time I sit down and tell me everything about it on. I may do something, or I may do nothing physically with them on the 1st 1 It may be that the subject David just says right, all I want you to go away is modify your train and by axe way and said on Get back to me in a couple of weeks and let me know where you get it on or they've come in. They've got you know, I've got an Achilles issue, for example, and I'm doing the Lord in programmes. But it's just not working. Okay, let's strip it down. And yet Yes, you do in the extra correct exercises, but you've not done it for long enough. You've not lauded it hard enough. You've not modified your activity while you lord in it. So it's just listening and speak it and understand. It often prescribes what I need to do for someone. But again, some of the times I go to people's homes to treat them. So there's no point me turning up, given fancy exercises, a wayto teo ice to use a lot of the old exercise prescription software. No, I don't use any of that because I'm back to the old days of either a pen and paper or get in their phones on filming them, doing the exercises. I'm showing them. They're so they've got it on the phone to look at. But they very rarely leave with more than one or two exercises because I'm just going to give you the most appropriate things for you to progress. And it is the fifth things you could do to make them harder on if they again, A little bit, too, argues a few things to take them back. A couple of steps, let me know there should be 50% bat in six weeks time if it's not give me a bell on. That's it. It's a simple is that with most of these now, of course, you might get someone in who is post operative or really accu injury, and that's slightly deviates that timeline. But yeah, just just take a step back, not Russia. There's things you don't have to do. So that's why I think these little one month or two months Jim's that have very minimal kit are working because they're only using the resources over the disposal, whether intentionally or unintentionally. But they're just a play in it. Better

spk_1:   24:52
they're going. They're going backto the fundamental human connexion. And so something that resonated as you're saying that again, was. A lot of young health professionals are saying they're struggling for time and you could have somewhere between a 40 minute in a 90 minute. But if you're struggling for time, the thing you cut down on is one exercises that of six and one special test, which might be their functional test instead of the 12 objective test. So it really should look like listening 70 to 80% of it. And in the last five minutes can you prescribe the one thing What's the one thing that's going to make that person better? Or move the needle? Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you, Mike. I'm respectful of your time and you've got a big day. Can I ask you two or three rapid fire questions?

spk_0:   25:42
Yeah, carry on.

spk_1:   25:44
What's something you failed recently? And what if your learning has been around that?

spk_0:   25:50
So type as much as I think my time is getting better. A CZ. Well, as the endurance physio, I am a director of a company called Sports Injury Fixed. So where a startup would attack company we we do online Elektronik software for therapists. Anoma data to juggle in those three is tough On many days, my to do list ends a way bigger than it does when it started out the day on. I just have to start going, okay, you can't or you just have to prioritise what you need to do. And many days I get that wrong Still,

spk_1:   26:27
Yeah, it's a big challenge. What? What's something you're working on in that space, or what's a tweak that you've made that might be helping you?

spk_0:   26:36
So I'm trying to. So I'm a procrastinator when there's jobs that do not fire me up. I have things. If you want me to film a video or chuck to patients or film and exercise clip for someone, I will just sit there all day long, rattle in them off. But if you ask me to do, some of them are behind the curve in jobs to do with business and therapy that just don't inspire me, then I'm all for that. So it's It's respecting that failing that I have on then tryingto address it and on acknowledge it,

spk_1:   27:10
identifying it. That's good. Thank you. What what resources have helped you recently?

spk_0:   27:18
So a zey Just a wide region Answer. I think social media is just fantastic. You know, many people advertise social media from a therapist. Point of view is a bit of a minefield on. Of course it can be, but actually, over those last five years, where my business has expanded a lot, being able to follow people, I agree with people. I don't agree with people who operate completely different to me on DH challenge. My biases is just unbelievably helpful to me as a person as a therapist, but also you've got unprecedented access to these people. So if it has a student, you do get a paper on. There's something in the paper that you're trying to learn and you don't understand. Then you can just suddenly reach out to someone now whom orphan and not will reply to you pretty quickly and give you the answer you want. You know, given my age away, I remember study and where you have to write a letter to someone and put physically posted and hope someone got in and off. They go back to you on, then I could. Then we got fancy and were able to e mail people. But But now, literally, you know you can print your people this this next couple of days in the conference that I've messaged in the past. I saw this poor stupor, or I saw this paper that you read that you wrote on already, and I didn't quite understand what you meant by this bit. Can you explain it to me? And they always do so I think as much as there's no a za resource, I think the Internet and social media for therapist today is second.

spk_1:   28:53
It's absolutely It's absolutely a privilege, isn't it? I I try and tell my team that everything that out businesses has come from social media in the sense that when I started I move, Facebook was just starting to become big, and I reached out to Greg Lehman, Chris Johnson, Eric Chrissy and Micro Adult. And they all go back to me. And I visited them all within the 1st 2 years of our business getting off the ground and the impact off that was so profound in my life and as a physio and then therefore on these team members, it sze just such a wonderful thing. And I think where younger therapists are probably missing the mark is just that extra step of reaching out because you can reach out. I reached out to you what, three days ago and we're on a podcast today.

spk_0:   29:40
Yes, on I say, You know, I it does take a bit longer as the presence has grown a little bit. But if anyone ever messages me, I will always replied to them We'll always reply to them because I wished 20 years ago I'd been ableto ask people in a proper more experience position than I was at the time. for this advice and guidance on the few people. Sometimes I did ask alot I had some fantastic mentors then some of them were a barrier between themselves. The new and they weren't very approachable are very helpful on if you could give back and help about and why wouldn't you? I just don't understand why you wouldn't s o But I think if their students were listening and watching and if there are younger therapist, I think the other thing I always tried to get across them is the likes of myself and some of these people who maybe now have a presence online. We're not special. We're not fancy. There's nothing, Otis that's different to anyone else. Other than the fact that one day we plucked up the courage to turn a camera. That is it. I am by no means the most spectacular therapist out there. There are probably 1000 therapists within my country that are better than me. Perhaps I've built up a Z said an ability to portray a message perhaps quite well. But anyone Khun, do this stuff along as your yourself a long as your genuine and this is the place for in front of a person in a clinic but also online. As long as you're genuine and yourself and you find your old little patch in your own little place in the market, it's a huge market. There's room for all of us on. We should. Just by helping each other doesn't mean it's going to be detrimental to you or your business.

spk_1:   31:25
Yeah, it's such good advice, and I think, as health professionals were very giving about time, so none of us seem to mind its. We love helping each other. Mike. What what profession would you attempt if you if you could And you want a physio?

spk_0:   31:42
No, I the Unser. Most people would expect me to say it would be a professional endurance athlete, and there was a time that would have bean, but I wanted to do. But honestly, if I could be anything, I just love to be a singer. I spend my whole day really singing badly on DH, whether I'm driving or run in or Mason about house, I'm always sticking in something. It's not very good is not really where it's more like a cop being strangled from honest, but yeah, I'd love to be a singer whenever I go to a concert or what someone on the tally. That's what I would always love to have Bean

spk_1:   32:23
challenge you to do that in one of your video way.

spk_0:   32:29
We'll just watch the followers just drop off.

spk_1:   32:32
Thank you. Thank you for your time on such short notice, and particularly on a day where you've got a conference and, no doubt a few things on your mind. Where can people follow you? What's what's the best place to follow you right now?

spk_0:   32:45
Across social media is the best place. It's the endurance physio. It's at the endurance PT on Twitter. It's the endurance physio on Instagram. Facebook will probably always be the place where I'm the biggest asse faras most of my content, which is just my Facebook page.

spk_1:   33:02
Thank you, Mike. Thanks for the tips for the new grounds on social media on their consul, on being genuine and simplifying the message. And thank you for all your content as well. It certainly helps me in my journey. So I'm really grateful and thank you for jumping on again.

spk_0:   33:19
Now. Thanks for inviting me. Your stuff's great good luck to all the students who with I move you on always reach out if you need anything to you guys