It’s a good feeling when two things you care about come together. So when I learned that physical therapist Colin Hoobler was doing a workshop on exercises for knee osteoarthritis – and donating the proceeds to the Humane Society – I signed up immediately.
Colin Hoobler: physical therapist, author, speaker, inventor
If you live in the Portland area, you might have read Colin’s helpful column in Wednesday’s Living section of the Oregonian. Colin is a busy fellow. He runs four offices of c.h. Physical Therapy, appears regularly on a TV show on channel 8, guest lectures around the country, writes books and basically works to convince the world that exercise therapy can improve many medical conditions. Oh, and he’s also an inventor. Check out his Balance Gym™, which helps people improve their balance.
I was excited to meet Colin and learn some tricks for dealing with knee problems. I’ve been teaching yoga for nine years now, but just recently got certified through the American Council on Exercise as a personal trainer, and through the Silver & Fit program to teach fitness classes to active older adults. While I’ve encountered lots of students with knee pain as a yoga teacher, I’m sure I’ll come across even more as I focus on older students. Sadly, osteoarthritis is often part of aging.
So I came to spend last Saturday morning in Colin’s squeaky clean Pearl District facility. His gym was more extensive than I’d expected for a physical therapy office, with cardio and weight machines, several types of free weights, and stretching areas. The 20 spots had sold out for the event. Lucky for me, I snuck in as number 21. Two other doctors of physical therapy, Tawnie Cowan and Kimberly Karlsgodt, were also on hand to assist us in learning the exercises.
The crowd was cheerful and friendly, and full of Colin’s fans. Many commented on tips they’d learned in his past columns. After Colin used a skeleton to describe the workings of the knee, he demonstrated the day’s exercises and divided us into five teams. Our small groups worked together on the 50-degree squat hold, bridge plus one knee extension, leg curl, side-lying hip abduction and several stretches. Colin has generously recorded videos of about 60 different exercises, including the ones we did Saturday, that you can watch here. I highly recommend the videos, although they don’t quite replicate the experience of having Tawnie exhort us to press our lower butt cheeks against the wall during the side-lying hip abduction, and to stop arching our backs. It’s much easier to cheat with a video than with a real live doctor of physical therapy watching you!
I asked Colin why he’d chosen the Humane Society, and he said he’s always had a soft spot for animals. Every few months, c.h. Physical Therapy gives back to the community by doing a charity event. One previous event raised money to benefit people who suffer from Parkinson Disease, and the next large event will raise money for breast cancer research.
By my calculations, the c.h. crew raised about $500 with Saturday’s event. That buys a lot of kitty litter! Visit the Oregon Humane Society website if you’re interested in making a donation or adopting a furry soulmate.
