August 16, 2016 in Fitness

pokemon-go-1 You have to have been under a rock for the last month to not have heard about the Pokémon Go popularity sweeping the globe among people of all ages. I tried to ignore it, but my 2 elementary age boys slowly sucked me in.

So today after the rain stopped, we went out for a walk with the dog for my first Pokémon Go hunt! (Cheryl has been doing this for a few weeks with them now) We walked up the hill, took a few odd turns and ended up at the library as my youngest son was in charge of the app for the walk there. The excitement grew as we got to the library and he was able to improve to level 12 with the new stuff he found there.

Then my oldest son got to sign in to his app and he progressed up to level 15 and then we started our way back home. When we got about a third of the way home, he started freaking out as some very rare Pokémon was just around the corner. He thought it was back at the library and started running back. pokemon-go-2 This got my youngest son and Reece the boxer super pumped as they started running as well, only to come to an abrupt stop when they realized they were going the wrong way. So instead of heading home, we went straight and around the corner on a dead end street and there it was. I’m not sure whoor what it was (they told me, but I could not understand anything as they were so excited) but they both were able to get some rare guy, and that made their week.

AND I LOVE IT!

Why do I love it? Because it is getting the technology zombies out of the house and away from poor static postures for hours on end. Yes it still requires a phone and lots of looking down, but at least it is outside and requires walking and exploring. Again, I resisted it for a while and could care less about the game itself. But I am excited to see a generation of kids and adults getting out in the fresh air and moving their bodies. Its actually brilliant and future emerging technologies should take note to keep the activity levels up and move away from traditional sedentary games.

pokemon-go-3 As I checked out the Pokémon Go website, it boldly states “Get Up and Go. Catch Pokémon in the Real World with Pokémon GO!”

Now for the other side of it. I have had a few Physical Therapy patients that are having Pokémon Go related injuries. They are not used to the walking as some are putting in 5-10 miles at a time as they are out hunting. I am teaching these patients some homework to release the tight muscles from the excessive sitting of their past and then some foam roller exercises to loosen up the legs and pelvis before going out to explore. And last some neck, shoulder and upper back homework to offset the excessive amount of looking down at the screen while out on the Pokémon Go!

If you are having any aches and pains from your new obsession, then give us a call at 512-215-4227 to discuss your options with my team.

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Stephen Dunn

Co-Owner / Physical Therapist at CORE Therapy and Pilates

Stephen graduated with a Masters in Physical Therapy in 1998 from LSUMC in New Orleans and is a licensed physical therapist in Texas since 2004. Immediately interested in hands-on therapy, he began to study with Brian Mulligan and became certified in the Maitland Australian Approach in 2003. Stephen has since studied the fascial system through John F Barnes Myofascial Release. Stephen completed a comprehensive Pilates training in 2002 and the GYROTONIC Expansion System® in 2009. The combined treatment of manual therapy with mind-body awareness exercises using Pilates and Gyrotonic concepts was the start of his whole-body treatment approach.

Get Out Of The House And Pokémon Go!