Sports Injuries

Welcome to one of the Bay Area’s most unique and effective sports injury places. With experience in both clinics and sports performance centers, Chris has seen it all and learned from some of the best. He utilizes a hands-on approach to assess and fix injuries, while working with your doctor or physical therapist to keep you on the right track with exercise and recovery.

Chris has a knack for figuring out why the injury started, how to fix it and most importantly how to create a program to eliminate the dysfunctions that caused the problem in the first place. Chris is not a licensed doctor and nor does he pretend to be. All he cares about is improving your function and pain with bodywork and specific exercises aimed at the weakest links he finds. So if your are interested in an individualized program instead of being told to “rest” and given no plan, then this is the place to go.

If you have an acute injury, it is necessary to see your doctor first for a diagnoses and care plan, as Chris does not diagnose, he only fixes things. Once you have that, it is usually time to come to Chris so he can work on you and speed up the healing process. Sometimes, an “injury” isn’t an injury at all and is instead a dysfunction that is causing pain through referred pain patterns and trigger points. If this is the case, as it often is, Chris can fix this type of problem in 1-3 sessions usually!

WHAT GOT FUNCTION IS:

  • An ideal place for those who are willing to do whatever it takes to get back to their sport.
  • Over 23 years of clinical experience in spinal post-rehabilitation, pain management, medical exercise and sports performance programs for ALL ages.
  • A rare mix of clinical experience and the ability to take you to your highest potential in all aspects of health and sports performance.
  • A place that will do whatever it takes to get you better; if Chris is unable to help you, he will refer you to one of his off-site connections.
  • Well rounded in all aspects of healing; post-rehab exercise, bodywork and nutrition.
  • A fun, safe and uplifting environment for everyone.
  • A reliable source for helping people reach their potential, not just get back to what’s considered “normal.”
  • Knowledgeable about your condition, including; knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, tendonitis, headaches, hip pain, bursitis, repetitive stress, plantar fasciatis, tennis elbow, sprained ankles, recovering from surgies and more.
  • All programs are based on scientific evidence and proven methods.
  • Chris practices what he preaches, and unlike most doctors, exercises routinely, follows healthy habits and still competes in water polo at a high level.

WHAT GOT FUNCTION IS NOT:

  • A stuffy office or therapy clinic.
  • Licensed physicians or doctors who diagnose.
  • A crutch that you will need to depend on.
  • Focused on drugs, rest or surgery.
  • Limited by protocols.
  • Narrow minded or stuck in his own ways; if it’s not working, Chris will correct and continue or refer.
  • Inexperienced. Chris has been the director of two separate clinics for post-rehab and pain management and now owns and operates Got Function.

Got Function offers a post-rehab and injury-performance combination that is hard to find. Not only can Chris Hallford assess which areas need the most attention for you, he can also tailor your program to meet your specific needs. In other words, if you are a runner and suffer from low back pain, Chris will work with you on ways to improve your pain for good AND still run.

Because of his extensive experience with athletes, Chris always finds a way to keep his clients active while they are on the mend! This means that if rest is necessary, you will stay as strong and fit as possible while you rest so that you are prepared to perform when you return to your sport. He does this by understanding all the movements and exercises that could be injurious to your situation, then he creates an extensive program that 1) avoids those movements, 2) enhances your functional deficiencies and 3) gets you as fit as possible based on your performance needs.

 

Chris’ TOOL BAG

PAIN RELEASE TECHNIQUES® (PRT)
PRT is performed by and was created by Chris Hallford. It is a combination of various bodywork techniques, such as trigger point release, myofascial release, activation techniques, PNF techniques, cranial sacral technique and more, plus an interactive assessment that teaches clients 1) where pain/tension spots (usually trigger points and fascial adhesions) are commonly located in the body, 2) how to release them, and 3) preventative strategies, exercises, stress management techniques and self PRT for a self-treatment program to gain and maintain optimum functioning. A PRT session is typically 30 minutes and includes:

  1. assessment (5-15 min)
  2. pain release techniques (15-25 min)
  3. brief instruction on any corrective exercises and program details (2-5 min)
  4. handouts of specific exercises and education topics
  5. functional program of stretching, daily activity modifications, strengthening exercises, and nutrition education, all of which are summarized and described in handouts

MEDICAL EXERCISE

Chris is a certified medical exercise specialist and has extensive training in dealing with every single injury and surgery that is possible. This training is specifically for people who are recovering from injury, in pain, or have compensations and dysfunctions related to old pain and injury patterns. As with every other program at Exercise Progression, this training is based on the findings from a detailed assessment. Each session is progressed according to the person’s needs and can be in an appropriate boot camp or one-on-one session. A physician’s referral is required for all acute and high pain situations.

SPORTS-SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE TRAINING

When it comes to training for a sport in the gym, Chris has an entire life of experience doing just that. Since age 13 he has trained himself in the gym for sports, and for the last 23 years he has trained athletes in over 20 sports how to excel on the field, court and in the pool by enhancing their movements in the gym.  The exercises are VERY specific to each sport and participants weaknesses, including different training for each part of the athlete’s season they are in (off-season vs. end of season peak performance needs). All of this allows for an optimized program that can’t be beat.

DAILY ACTIVITY MODIFICATIONS (D.A.M.’s)

DAM’s are just what they sound like, but WAY more important than most people realize. Sometime the difference between getting better and not is what posture you sit or sleep in. How you unload the wash machine, or hold your backpack or child. Whatever it is, Chris will find which movements are holding you back from being pain free, and then teach you ways to improve them.

Read more about how Chris can help your specific ailment below;

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