# You Need To Lift Weights with Physical Therapist Florencia Rider Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ2_qxXRRyg Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/eQ2_qxXRRyg Generated: 2025-07-22T03:34:00.016+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Physical therapist Florencia Ryder emphasizes that individuals do not need a doctor's referral to see a physical therapist due to 2018 direct access legislation, allowing quicker treatment for injuries and promoting preventative care, especially for athletes and those seeking to build muscle through heavy lifting. **Key Points:** - Since 2018, direct access legislation allows individuals to see a physical therapist without a doctor's referral, enabling quicker treatment for injuries. - Physical therapists often possess as much or more experience than certified personal trainers, making them ideal for guiding safe and effective weight training. - Building muscle is crucial for overall health and happiness, especially as individuals age, and is vital for those on weight loss journeys to prevent muscle loss. - Florencia Ryder's clinic, Body Mechanics Physical Therapy, offers one-on-one, hour-long sessions tailored to each patient, located inside a CrossFit gym to emphasize heavy load training. - Flo utilizes acupuncture in approximately 90% of her patients, stating it is "the closest thing to a magic wand" for immediate relief and improved mobility by stimulating tissue healing and releasing natural pain-controlling chemicals. - Preventative physical therapy can significantly reduce injury risk for high school athletes, First Responders, and laborers by focusing on controllable factors like muscular imbalances and strength. - Flo successfully treated a high school soccer player's two-year chronic back pain in just six weeks by accurately identifying and addressing the source of the issue. **Context:** Dr. Fitz hosts physical therapist Florencia Ryder, known as Flo, to discuss the critical role of physical therapy in muscle building and injury prevention. Both Dr. Fitz and Flo share personal experiences with ACL reconstructions, with Flo having undergone three surgeries, which significantly influenced her career path. The conversation delves into Flo's unique practice model, the benefits of direct access to physical therapy, and the importance of strength training for all ages, including specific treatments like acupuncture and cupping. ## Detailed Analysis Physical therapist Florencia Ryder, known as Flo, discusses her approach to physical therapy, emphasizing muscle building, injury prevention, and direct patient access. Flo, who has over 11 years of experience primarily in orthopedics, recently opened Body Mechanics Physical Therapy inside a CrossFit gym in South Naperville, offering one-on-one, hour-long, tailored sessions. She advocates for heavy load in exercise, stating it is the best way to build tissue and muscle. Flo highlights the 2018 legislation allowing direct access to physical therapists, which bypasses the need for a primary care or orthopedic doctor referral, enabling quicker treatment and better outcomes. She stresses the critical importance of building muscle, particularly as people age and for those on weight loss journeys, noting that physical therapists often possess more experience than certified personal trainers. Flo, who sustained three ACL injuries herself, uses her personal experience to relate to patients and inform her preventative strategies, especially for female athletes who are prone to non-contact ACL tears due to muscular imbalances. Her practice frequently incorporates acupuncture (90% of patients) and cupping (30-50% of patients) to speed up results, desensitize tissue, and promote blood flow, with acupuncture stimulating the brain to release serotonin and dopamine for pain control. She also treats TMJ issues, addressing the jaw joint, surrounding muscles, posture, and stress levels. Flo envisions a future where physical therapists are more involved in preventative care within schools, for First Responders, and even for postpartum women, aiming to minimize injury risk and bridge the gap for individuals hesitant to start weight training. ### Introduction to Florencia Ryder & Her Practice - Florencia Ryder, or Flo, is a physical therapist with over 11 years of experience in orthopedics - She recently opened Body Mechanics Physical Therapy in South Naperville, located inside a CrossFit gym - Her practice focuses on one-on-one, hour-long, tailored appointments, emphasizing heavy load for muscle and tissue building. ### ACL Injuries & Personal Experience - Flo sustained three ACL injuries, with her third reconstruction using a contralateral patellar tendon graft that lasted through her college soccer career - She believes her personal injury history helps her relate to patients and understand the importance of physical therapy - Flo suggests that more posterior chain strengthening and weightlifting in her youth might have prevented her initial ACL tear. ### Direct Access Physical Therapy & Its Benefits - Legislation passed in 2018 allows direct access to physical therapists, eliminating the need for a doctor's referral - This direct access enables quicker treatment for injuries, leading to faster resolution and better patient outcomes - Flo notes that most insurances cover direct access, though patients should verify their specific plan. ### The Importance of Muscle Building & Preventative Care - Flo stresses the critical importance of building muscle, especially as individuals age, to maintain health and happiness - She works preventatively with high school athletes, First Responders, and laborers to minimize injury risk - Flo believes physical therapists often have as much or more experience than certified personal trainers in guiding safe and effective weight training. ### Specialized Treatments - Acupuncture, Cupping, & TMJ: Flo utilizes acupuncture in approximately 90% of her patients, noting it creates microtrauma to promote healing and stimulates serotonin and dopamine release for pain control - Cupping is used in 30-50% of patients, particularly for scar adhesions, such as C-section scars - She treats TMJ issues by assessing the jaw joint, surrounding muscles, posture, thoracic and cervical mobility, and stress levels, often incorporating manual work and dry needling to the face. ### Future Vision for Physical Therapy - Flo aspires to expand preventative physical therapy services into schools for sports teams and for First Responders and laborers - She envisions a future where physicians and dentists routinely refer patients for preventative evaluations, such as postpartum women or individuals with TMJ issues, even without current symptoms - Flo aims to bridge the gap for patients who need guidance to start weight training but are hesitant to join a gym.