Fall

Hunting and pack care

Physical therapy for hunters and backcountry travelers who carry heavy loads over rough ground.

Is this for you?

This care is for you if

You climb steep ground with a heavy pack
We look at how you carry, lift and move under the load.
Your back, hips or shoulders feel it after long days
We find what tires first and plan the work behind it.
You have a tag and want to be ready
Work backward from opening day.
You worry about an old injury
Tell us what happened and what you ask of your body now.

A visit

A first visit is about an hour with a physical therapist.

01
Talk about your hunt and your pack
Terrain, distance, the weight you carry and the dates you have.
02
Test carry, hinge and leg strength
Lifting, loaded walking, balance and how your back and hips handle the load.
03
Plan the weeks before season
Exercises, a schedule and what we will check next time.

What we do

Carry and lift mechanics
We look at how you lift a pack, shoulder it and walk with it, and show you what to change.
Back, hip and shoulder strength
Exercises that build toward the loads you carry in the field.
A pack and load check
Bring your loaded pack and we will look at how it sits and how you move with it.

What decides how many visits
It depends on what we find, how long it has been going on, the loads you carry and how much time you have before season. We tell you what we expect after your first visit and review it as we go.
Who treats you
A physical therapist at every visit. Our therapists are licensed in Montana, and their license lines are on the team page and in the footer.
How it is paid for
We bill many kinds of plans, and you can pay yourself. The fees page explains how.
When to see a doctor first or call 911
See a doctor first, or go to an emergency room, if a joint looks out of place, you cannot put weight on a leg after a fall, or pain follows a hard blow to the head or back. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, numbness in the groin, loss of bladder or bowel control, or a head injury with confusion or vomiting.

Questions

We can plan the weeks ahead of any season, and we tell you what a clinic visit can and cannot judge.

Yes, loaded with the weight you usually carry.

Tell us at your first visit. We go through what you are asking your body to do and plan around it.

Tell us the date and what you carry and we will plan backward from it.