EP 143: Matt Heyliger — Tissue Capacity vs. Biomechanics, Why Mobility Comes Before Strength, and the Eyeball Story

Matt Heyliger, DPT is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve talked to when it comes to climbing-related injuries and rehab. We talked about climbing together in Ten Sleep, how he is currently helping me treat carpal tunnel syndrome, how to achieve long-term health and performance, his skiing injury and the eyeball story, top recommendations for climbers, lessons from living in Spain, and much more.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-heyliger

Nuggets:

0:06:01 – Camping iterations

0:08:29 – Daughters, and fairy house construction

0:10:06 – Spending a year in Spain, landing in Red Lodge Montana, and the bear den story

0:14:13 – Moose battles, and mountain biking

0:15:29 – The campsite, and our cold weather sends

0:18:53 – An introduction to Matt and his path to physical therapy

0:26:31 – How Matt diagnoses an injury (using my carpal tunnel as an example), and what Matt noticed about my shoulder mechanics

0:38:54 – The skill of injury assessment

0:40:15 – Tissue capacity vs. biomechanics, and ironing out issues early on in your climbing

0:45:35 – Why you should pick up heavy stuff

0:47:26 – Combining loading and optimal mechanics for long-term health and performance

0:49:41 – The path forward for me to fix my carpal tunnel

0:55:21 – Matt’s thoughts on manipulations and chiropractic work

0:59:46 – Imaging in diagnosing injuries, and when imaging can be overused

1:01:36 – Getting attached to a diagnosis

1:04:06 – A bit about pain science, and the importance of hope

1:06:48 – Language cues and mindset

1:10:16 – How chest opening and mobilizing the thoracic spine will likely help fix my carpal tunnel

1:12:12 – How to get my lower trapezius firing again, and the role of dry needling

1:16:59 – My rehab plan for Hueco

1:19:15 – Matt’s hopes for me in returning to Ten Sleep next year

1:22:22 – Why mobility comes before strength

1:25:26 – When to fit stretching into your schedule

1:28:36 – Antagonist training, finger loading, and having a rest day movement activity

1:32:23 – Yoga recommendations for climbers, and having a simple movement practice

1:38:27 – The eyeball story

1:58:16 – Spain

2:05:01 – Embracing the slower pace

2:08:46 – Work-life balance, and the emotional investment of doing work that you love

2:16:36 – Matt’s vision for his PT business

2:18:53 – Where to connect with Matt (mattheyliger.com)

2:19:56 – How to find a good PT

2:22:43 – Matt’s current climbing goal, and getting excited about performance climbing

2:29:35 – Wrap up