Newsletter

Nicole Winiger and John Kowalski completed climbs to the summits of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams this summer. They were joined by Suzanne Gerhart for the ascent of Adams.

Winiger, Kowalski and Gerhart are employed as physical therapists at Longview Physical & Sports Therapy.

Winiger, Kowalski and another climber connected for the St. Helens climb on June 25th. Conditions were sunny and clear.

Kowalski said they learned a valuable lesson about mountaineering on the St. Helens climb: “The spot that looks like the top is not likely to be the top.”

Winiger, Kowalski and Gerhart topped Adams on July 31st.

Winiger (left) and Kowalski (right) atop St. Helens

(L-R) Winiger, Gerhart and Kowalski at Adams

Dave Knoeppel of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy delivered two presentations at The Rock 2011 Coaches Clinic at Castle Rock High School on August 15th.

Knoeppel, who is both a physical therapist and certified athletic trainer, conducted a morning session titled “Injury Assessment – When Your Trainer Isn’t There.” He later led a discussion about concussion assessment.

Other sessions included “Working with the Media” (Ben Zimmerman, the Daily News), “Coaching Out of Season – Regulations” (John Miller, WIAA), “Sports Nutrition Game Plan” (Emily Edison, University of Washington), and “Athletes and Burnout” (Aaron McCoy, LaCenter High School).

First aid/CPR training certification was also offered.

Knoeppel graduated from the University of Kansas in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. He later completed masters programs at the University of Arizona (athletic training) and the University of Indianapolis (physical therapy).

He is a licensed physical therapist and a certified athletic trainer and a member of both the American Physical Therapy Association and the National Athletic Trainers Association.

Dave Knoeppel of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy

Ed Earnest has a full plate during the summer months.

In addition to his work as a certified athletic trainer at Longview Physical & Sports Therapy, Earnest has been involved with the Cowlitz Black Bears, Cowlitz Pro Rodeo, and coursework that will enhance his professional credentials.

Ed Earnest of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy

Earnest is in his second year as the Black Bears’ athletic trainer. His duties include injury evaluations, treatments in the clinic, and referrals to internal medicine or orthopedics.

“We had a bad collision the first week when the center and left fielders collided,” Earnest said. “The left fielder suffered a shoulder separation and was out for about 10 weeks. The center fielder was transported to the hospital. They discovered he had a fracture in the thoracic vertebrae that required a back brace.”

This is the sixth year Ed has volunteered to provide athletic training coverage at the Cowlitz Pro Rodeo. He coordinates with EMTs and physicians on site and assists with stretching and minor triage.

But sometimes the work turns serious.

“Three years ago, a bull rider got stepped on,” Earnest said. “I followed him out of the arena and Dr. Eric Hansen (Longview Orthopedic Associates) saw him and recommended that he go to the hospital. The guy refused because he had no insurance, but the EMTs offered him a free ride so that he could get checked out. He ended up having surgery for a fractured liver.”

Ed is also taking online classes through Whatcom Community College to earn Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) certification.

Longview Physical & Sports Therapy is located at Pacific Surgical Institute.

Longview Physical & Sports Therapy and Longview Orthopedic Associates recently signed on as sponsors for the Castle Rock Bike Park.

Located on three acres near the River Walk Trail along the Cowlitz River, the park promises to be a destination stop for Northwest mountain bikers. The Castle Rock City Council gave the go-ahead for the project in November.

A scrape-off of the site in late June was followed by construction of the beginner and intermediate pump tracks on July 10th.

An expert track, three jump lines, an extensive skills area, and a perimeter trail are also in the works.

All facets of the project – including design, fundraising, construction, and landscaping – are being handled by Growlers Gulch Racing (GRR), a local mountain biking group.

John Kowalski of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy and Jack Berry of Pacific Imaging Center are both GGR members.

Bruce Blackstone, MD, called the bike park “a great community asset” and said it’s the type of project LOA is happy to support.

The construction phase requires dirt, water and strong backs

Pump tracks feature plenty of rollers and berms for generating speed

The beginner pump track was designed to fit inside the intermediate track at the Castle Rock Bike Park

John Kowalski of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy completed the Growlers Gulch 5,000 on May 20th.

Staged near Castle Rock, the GG5K is an endurance mountain biking race covering 26 miles of demanding trail with 5,000 feet of elevation gain.

More than 30 racers, ranging in age from 12 to 73, participated in the event.

This was the initial 5K for Kowalski, who rolled across the finish line after 4 hours and 50 minutes. Jack Berry of Pacific Imaging Center also participated in the event and finished with a time of 4 hours and 40 minutes.

In March, Kowalski completed the Sand & Misery Challenge, a difficult 3.1 mile run that featured 16 obstacles.

He said the Growlers Gulch event was much tougher.

“The difference is that I was on the Sand & Misery course for less than an hour. For the GG5K, I was out for nearly five hours.”

Dr. John Kowalski, Physical Therapist at Longview Physical & Sports Therapy

Longview Physical & Sports Therapy and Longview Orthopedic Associates held their 5th Annual Sports Injury Seminar for high school coaches on March 12 at Pacific Surgical Institute in Longview.

The seminar included presentations by Brian Hoyt, MD (prescription drugs in athletics); Jon Kretzler, MD (compartment syndromes; Anthony Lauder, MD (hand and wrist injuries); Peter Kung, MD (shoulder pathologies in sports); and Dan Ruiz, ATC AT/L (healthy eating and supplements).

The LPST staff also offered a taping lab, a presentation on bracing by ATC Ed Earnest, proprioception/balance drills, and information about hand-wrist and elbow injury evaluation and prevention.

“The coaches continue to report positively regarding the injury seminar,” said LPST co-owner Dave Knoeppel, who organized the event. “One coach who has attended our clinic all five years felt this was the best one. The bottom line is getting information to the coaches and upgrading skills so they can help prevent and care for acute injuries.”

LPST's Ed Earnest provides taping tips to Wayne and Pam Hayes of Three Rivers Christian

Nichole Winiger and John Kowalski of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy were among 250 participants who completed the Sand & Misery Challenge in Castle Rock on March 5th. The event was organized by the Cowlitz Valley Runners.

Dr. Nichole Winiger (right) descends the climbing net

Winiger and Kowalski – both of whom are physical therapists – survived the rugged 3.1-mile course that required runners to deal with 16 obstacles, including a climbing wall, sandpits, mudholes, and a frigid creek crossing.

Neither had done an obstacle-course race of this type before.

Winiger, who runs regularly and has completed two half-marathons, said the Sand & Misery Challenge was intense. She was just getting over a cold and hadn’t trained for the hills the S & M had in store.

“I didn’t expect to do so much crawling,” she said. “But the biggest surprise was the chest-deep water crossing. It was so cold it took my breath away.

“After climbing a steep sand mound and jumping over a firepit, I didn’t have much energy left when we got to the tire crawl.”

Dr. John Kowalski at the creek crossing

Kowalski, who admits to not being much of a runner, was happy just to finish. “The obstacles were fun and a good break from running,” he said.

“The best part was jumping into the water because then I couldn’t feel my legs burning.”

Both plan to show up for a similar event – The Sasquatch Run – at the Toutle River RV Park in May.

Kowalski has also signed on for another May adventure, the Growlers Gulch 5K, a grueling mountain bike ride near Castle Rock that covers 26 miles and includes 5,000 feet of climbing.

“It’s even dumber than the S & M,” he said.

Winiger and Kowalski are all smiles at the finish line

Longview Physical & Sports Therapy and Longview Orthopedic Associates have announced plans for the 5th Annual Sports Injury Seminar for high school coaches.

The clinic will be held on Saturday, March 12th at Pacific Surgical Institute in Longview. More than 20 area coaches attended the 2010 event.

The seminar will get underway at 8 a.m. and include the following sessions:

• Brian Hoyt, MD – Prescription drugs in athletics
• Jon Kretzler, MD – Compartment syndromes (Defined by the Mayo Clinic as “an uncommon, exercise-induced neuromuscular condition that causes pain, swelling and sometimes even disability in affected muscles of your legs or arms.”)
• Anthony Lauder, MD – Hand and wrist injuries
• Peter Kung, MD – Shoulder pathologies in sports
• Dan Ruiz, ATC AT/L – Healthy eating and supplements

The LPST staff will also offer a taping lab, a presentation on bracing by ATC Ed Earnest, proprioception/balance drills, and information about hand-wrist and elbow injury evaluation and prevention.

Contact event organizer Dave Knoeppel at 360.578.1188 for details.

Ed Earnest, ATC, of Longview Physical & Sports Therapy demonstrates proper taping technique