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How Alshon Jeffery played through a torn rotator cuff during Super Bowl year:
During Philadelphia's playoff run, everyone saw Jeffery's leaping, rotating 34-yard touchdown catch over Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe in the first quarter of Super Bowl LII, and his double move on a 53-yard touchdown catch against the Vikings in the NFC championship game. But behind those plays are hours spent like this, a star receiver lightly grunting and groaning as his traveling physical therapist uses his hands to help his body move as functionally and efficiently as possible, despite pain or injury.
Jeffery is one example of players investing more than ever in these small details behind the scenes. Forty-year-old MVP Tom Brady famously has his TB12 method, but top players around the league have their own routines to ward off age, injuries or simply the reality of each collision on the football field being akin to a car crash. It's not uncommon for players to spend tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket each year, for services beyond what the team offers and that, in many cases, aren't covered by medical insurance, all in the name of preparing their bodies to perform on Sundays.
Jeffery is one example of players investing more than ever in these small details behind the scenes. Forty-year-old MVP Tom Brady famously has his TB12 method, but top players around the league have their own routines to ward off age, injuries or simply the reality of each collision on the football field being akin to a car crash. It's not uncommon for players to spend tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket each year, for services beyond what the team offers and that, in many cases, aren't covered by medical insurance, all in the name of preparing their bodies to perform on Sundays.
For Jeffery, this was a new addition to his routine, in part because of the shoulder injury. Jeffery's former Bears teammate, Matt Forte, introduced him to Reavy in 2013, when Jeffery lived near Reavy's practice in downtown Chicago. That was a breakout season for the second-round pick out of South Carolina, who turned heads with his 1,421 receiving yards and highlight-reel catches. During Jeffery's last few years with the Bears, though, they hadn't worked together consistently. Jeffery missed a total of 12 games over the 2015 and '16 seasons, a result of hamstring and calf injuries and his suspension. He settled for a one-year prove-it deal with the Eagles as a free agent last spring.
During training camp, Jeffery texted Reavy: He'd landed on his right shoulder while making a catch and was unable to lift his arm. He didn't want another contract season derailed. Reavy came out to Philadelphia in late July to work on what Jeffery was calling a shoulder "strain," until the tear to the rotator cuff (the muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint) was revealed publicly this week. Despite the injury, Jeffery sat out only a few summer practices and one exhibition game, and didn't miss any time during the season.
"I had mentioned to him in the offseason about coming out every once in a while, but once I hurt my shoulder, I was like, nah, every once in a while maybe ain't going to cut it," Jeffery said before the Super Bowl. "I couldn't lift my shoulder up at one point. I don't know what he did, but I was able to lift my arm to catch a ball."
Jeffery caught 69 balls, in fact, including a team-high 12 touchdowns in the regular season and postseason combined. On that touchdown catch against Rowe in the end zone of U.S. Bank Stadium, Jeffery reached his arms high in the air to grab the ball, while rotating and falling on that injured shoulder, no sign of his range of motion or body control being impeded.
During training camp, Jeffery texted Reavy: He'd landed on his right shoulder while making a catch and was unable to lift his arm. He didn't want another contract season derailed. Reavy came out to Philadelphia in late July to work on what Jeffery was calling a shoulder "strain," until the tear to the rotator cuff (the muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint) was revealed publicly this week. Despite the injury, Jeffery sat out only a few summer practices and one exhibition game, and didn't miss any time during the season.
"I had mentioned to him in the offseason about coming out every once in a while, but once I hurt my shoulder, I was like, nah, every once in a while maybe ain't going to cut it," Jeffery said before the Super Bowl. "I couldn't lift my shoulder up at one point. I don't know what he did, but I was able to lift my arm to catch a ball."
Jeffery caught 69 balls, in fact, including a team-high 12 touchdowns in the regular season and postseason combined. On that touchdown catch against Rowe in the end zone of U.S. Bank Stadium, Jeffery reached his arms high in the air to grab the ball, while rotating and falling on that injured shoulder, no sign of his range of motion or body control being impeded.
Reavy developed his own method of physical therapy after his experience being hit by a car (an apt allegory for a sport like football) at age 18 and finding inadequate ways to treat his lingering pain afterward. He takes a whole-body approach, based on the idea that everything is connected, so pain or weakness in one area shouldn't be addressed only at the specific site or just treated with the typical "ice and stim." During Jeffery's five seasons in Chicago, he was impeded by hamstring and calf injuries; Reavy helped Jeffery improve his posture, explaining that his slouch didn't allow him to engage his back muscles, which put a strain on the muscles down the back of his legs. When Jeffery jammed his shoulder, it had its own downstream effects.
Reavy has learned to trust what he feels when treating professional athletes, most of whom have unusually high pain tolerances. When he first came to treat Jeffery last summer, he traced the restrictions in his movement down the right side of his body to his pelvic area. How does that relate to the shoulder? The pelvis being properly aligned helps anchor the shoulder blades down the back, to be able to engage the big muscles in your back, which in turn help stabilize the shoulders.
"I just made sure he was ready to play, releasing restrictions and making sure he had as much mobility in his joint as possible, so he can raise his arm up and so he can move properly," Reavy says. "The most important thing is focusing on the entire body, not just the shoulder. You want everything to work together, to take the force off the injured area, to allow you to perform at an elite level."
During their pre-Super Bowl session, Reavy started by releasing tightness in Jeffery's hip flexors. Later, Jeffery was lying on his side with his legs bent, raising his top leg for five seconds at a time while Reavy pushed against the back of his pelvis. Jeffery grimaced, feeling the muscles in his side and buttocks burning, a technique using muscle contractions to open up a joint in the pelvis. A few minutes later, Jeffery was sitting up with his arm held out to the side at a 90-degree angle, rotating his right forearm up and down as if he was making an exaggerated fanning motion, while Reavy pushed against the back of his shoulder blade. Just like out on the field, he showed no signs of pain. "Now that the restrictions are gone," Reavy says, "it is easier to mobilize the joint and get the right muscle to fire."
Reavy has learned to trust what he feels when treating professional athletes, most of whom have unusually high pain tolerances. When he first came to treat Jeffery last summer, he traced the restrictions in his movement down the right side of his body to his pelvic area. How does that relate to the shoulder? The pelvis being properly aligned helps anchor the shoulder blades down the back, to be able to engage the big muscles in your back, which in turn help stabilize the shoulders.
"I just made sure he was ready to play, releasing restrictions and making sure he had as much mobility in his joint as possible, so he can raise his arm up and so he can move properly," Reavy says. "The most important thing is focusing on the entire body, not just the shoulder. You want everything to work together, to take the force off the injured area, to allow you to perform at an elite level."
During their pre-Super Bowl session, Reavy started by releasing tightness in Jeffery's hip flexors. Later, Jeffery was lying on his side with his legs bent, raising his top leg for five seconds at a time while Reavy pushed against the back of his pelvis. Jeffery grimaced, feeling the muscles in his side and buttocks burning, a technique using muscle contractions to open up a joint in the pelvis. A few minutes later, Jeffery was sitting up with his arm held out to the side at a 90-degree angle, rotating his right forearm up and down as if he was making an exaggerated fanning motion, while Reavy pushed against the back of his shoulder blade. Just like out on the field, he showed no signs of pain. "Now that the restrictions are gone," Reavy says, "it is easier to mobilize the joint and get the right muscle to fire."
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