Introducing Tom Zheng - Performance Therapist - Formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I’m a California native, originally from Oakland, California. Growing up, I’ve always wanted to play professional basketball, however, being 5’ 5” as a senior in highschool, I realized that wasn’t happening. During my “athlete” days, I’ve suffered many injuries including hamstring strains, high ankle sprains, and concussions. That is where my passion for health and performance stems from. I wanted to understand mechanisms of injuries and its effect on the physiological system as whole. Now, I want be able share my experiences and knowledge with not just athletes, but everyone so that we can collectively understand how to prevent and treat common injuries.
You worked in the NFL for 3 years, how was that experience?
It was a once in a lifetime experience and I am forever grateful to the organization for letting me be apart of the team. I was able to learn from some of the best practitioners in their fields and I was able to build connections with some of the best athletes in the world. It was a really cool growing period for me.
What were the most common injuries you would see in a football setting?
Some of the most common injuries in a football setting include lower extremity strains and sprains, contusions, concussions, and overuse injuries like tendonitis.
What were some of the main ways you would utilize the KT360 platform with your athletes?
KT360 is useful as both a monitoring tool for neuromuscular fatigue and a tool unit for targeted strength training of a specific biomechanical movement.
What benefits do you see KT360 providing to sports organizations? What about private clinics for general population patients?
It’s a good tool that allows the practitioner to customize protocols to monitor specific muscle groups and joint actions. In a clinical setting, it can help with training patient deficits and possibly engagement because of the interactive platform.