In this episode of the Pain Free Athlete Podcast, host Dana Jones welcomes Erica Marcano, a seasoned certified athletic trainer and strength coach, for an in-depth discussion on the changing landscape of athletic training and rehabilitation.

The conversation centers on the importance of adopting a biopsychosocial approach to recovery—one that recognizes the interconnected roles of physical health, mental well-being, and social support in an athlete’s rehabilitation journey. Erica emphasizes how community and support systems can profoundly influence outcomes, advocating for athletes to actively participate and take ownership of their recovery process.

Key topics include the high prevalence of ACL injuries among women, with Erica shedding light on both the physiological and societal factors contributing to this trend. The episode also explores the growing challenge of tendinopathies in modern sports, highlighting the need for up-to-date, evidence-based strategies in both prevention and treatment.

Throughout the discussion, Erica stresses the significance of advocacy—not only for athletes’ immediate recovery but for their long-term health and well-being. She encourages athletes and practitioners alike to champion a more holistic, empowering approach to rehabilitation, ensuring that recovery is not just about returning to play, but thriving beyond it.

Erica's links:

Website: https://www.thenotoriousatc.com

Instagram: @notorious.atc

Dana’s Links:

https://www.painfreeathletepodcast.com

Podcast Disclaimer:

The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

In this episode of the Pain Free Athlete Podcast, host Dana Jones interviews Chris Toto, a primal health coach who specializes in helping women with Hashimoto's disease. Chris shares his personal journey of battling Hashimoto's, the lifestyle changes that led to his recovery, and his mission to empower women to overcome autoimmune symptoms. The conversation covers the importance of proper medical support, dietary approaches, and the significance of self-education in health management.Cris' links:https://cristoto.com/register-ig - masterclasshttps://www.facebook.com/ThePrimalItalianhttps://www.instagram.com/the.primal.italian/https://x.com/Coach_Toto7https://theprimalitalian.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cris-toto72/Dana’s Links:https://www.painfreeathletepodcast.comPodcast Disclaimer:The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

In this episode of the Pain Free Athlete Podcast, host Dana Jones interviews Georgie Oldfield, a pioneering physiotherapist and founder of SIRPA. Georgie shares her journey into the world of chronic pain treatment, her discovery of Dr. Sarno's work, and how it transformed her approach to pain management.

The conversation delves into the establishment of SIRPA, the evolution of training programs, and the importance of emotional awareness in chronic pain recovery. Georgie emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding in treatment, as well as the connection between unresolved emotions and chronic pain.

BIO:Georgie Oldfield MCSP is a UK Physiotherapist who initially specialised in Respiratory Care, before changing direction in 1990, in order to be able to work part-time, after starting a family. Over the years she gained experience working with patients with varied conditions, including musculoskeletal, neurological and auto-immune conditions.Coming across Dr Sarno and visiting him in 2007 was an epiphany for Georgie, completely changing her professional life, as well as her own health. After starting out by working with her own patients, Georgie felt the calling to do more to raise awareness of this life-changing concept and approach. As a result of this she set up SIRPA in 2010 as a training organisation for health professionals and coaches, creating the first training in this field. This moved online in 2018 and in September 2024, SIRPA launches an exciting, new 3part online course. SIRPA’s membership runs alongside the courses, providing a strong community of practitioners. The membership provides support and guidance as practitioners evolve in this field, as well as providing ongoing peer support and clinical supervision.In 2011, Georgie also launched SIRPA’s first online recovery programme, which was completely redeveloped in 2022, and in 2014 she published her book, ‘Chronic Pain: Your Key to recovery’. Georgie continues to work to raise awareness of the concept of psychophysiological conditions. This has included being invited to give a TEDx talk in 2019, speaking at numerous events and being interviewed as a Specialist on the Tonight programme on ITV in the UK, about chronic pain. Since 2015, SIRPA has also organised and hosted international conferences in London, to which some of our US colleagues kindly came over to support us. The next conference will be in May 2025.

Georgie's Links:

Website: SIRPA

Facebook - /SIRPAUK

Instagram - sirpa_uk

Linked In - /georgieoldfield/

Dana’s Links:

https://www.painfreeathletepodcast.com

Podcast Disclaimer:

The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions