By his own admission, Brad Huff has had some catching up to do this summer. A chronic knee condition nearly dashed the 29-year-old Fair Grove native and professional cyclist’s plans to compete in the Olympic trials in June and in his favorite race – the Tour of Missouri – this fall.

In the spring, Huff sought help with his knee condition from St. John’s Sports Medicine. After four weeks of rehabilitation at the main campus facility and four weeks of training at St. John’s Sports Medicine-HealthTracks, Huff was looking forward to competing in both the Tour of Missouri and the Olympic trials in Los Angeles in June at Healthy People’s press time.

When he’s not racing, Huff continues to train at HealthTracks.
“I had changed my bike fittings and shoes and had been all over the country to see physical therapists, massage therapists, trainers, chiropractors and a foot biomechanist for my knee problem, but it wasn’t getting better,” Huff says. “Jim Raynor at St. John’s came highly recommended, and I have to say, he’s the best athletic trainer I’ve ever worked with.”

Raynor, a certified athletic trainer and administrative director of sports medicine for St. John’s, rehabilitated Huff’s knee by addressing the root cause of the injury with leg and corestrengthening exercises at St. John’s Sports Medicine. When the two felt the injury was finally healed, Raynor and Huff began focusing on performance improvement at HealthTracks.

“I blend a lot of strength and conditioning with rehabilitation for performance improvement,” Raynor says. “Our goal is to have the athlete back on track as quickly and safely as possible, so we make the most of the time we have. One of our rules here is that the athlete must see significant improvement within two weeks. If not, we change what we’re doing for them.”

Raynor says good communication between the athlete and his or her athletic trainer is vital, especially when rehabilitating an injury. “I try to understand the mental demands of their sport in addition to the physical demands. Brad is the top cyclist I’ve worked with, and it’s been a great experience. He worked extremely hard and we were both very pleased with his results,” Raynor says.

Huff says HealthTracks is like no other facility he’s visited since turning pro in 2006. That fall, he lived and trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I utilized everything HealthTracks has to offer, which is not your usual strength training equipment,” Huff says. “You do athletic movements specifically geared toward your sport there. That’s where HealthTracks really shines – they understand what each individual athlete needs and that’s what gives the athlete a better feeling about their training ... I didn’t do one sit-up in the place, but my core is stronger than it’s ever been.”

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S SPORTS MEDICINE

St. John’s Sports Medicine is the region’s oldest established sports medicine program and provides the full range of injury rehabilitation, outreach and education services.Its team of physicians and certified athletic trainers use the most current therapies and technologies to return athletes and active individuals to their activities as safely and quickly as possible. HealthTracks offers programs scientifically designed to increase speed, power, strength and endurance in athletes ages 10 and up. Its performance enhancement program offers innovative solutions that can be customized to meet the needs of today’s athletes. Areas of expertise and specialty include strength and conditioning, sports performance enhancement, sports injury rehabilitation and community outreach and education.

ABOUT THE TOUR OFMISSOURI

The Tour of MIssouri, which is Sept. 8-14 this year, is a professional road bicycle racing stage that made its debut last year. Run by the same organizers of the Tour de Georgia and the Amgen Tour of California, the inaugural Tour of Missouri was billed as the third-highest profile domestic race in the United States.

2008 TOUR OF MISSOURI COURSE

■ Monday, Sept. 8 – 90 miles, St. Joseph to Kansas City

■ Tuesday, Sept. 9 – 125 miles, Clinton to Springfield

■ Wednesday, Sept. 10 – 18 miles, Branson (Individual Time Trial)

■ Thursday, Sept. 11 – 105 miles, Lebanon to Rolla

■ Friday, Sept. 12 – 100 miles, St. James to Jefferson City

■ Saturday, Sept. 13 – 110 miles, Hermann to St. Charles

■ Sunday, Sept. 14 – 75 miles, St. Louis (Circuit).