Sussex Tech Athlete Returns to Field After Back Injury
Athlete of the Week – Isaiah “Zay” Jones
By Rachel Swick Mavity
Isaiah “Zay” Jones, a senior at Sussex Tech, has returned to the football field after recovering from a painful back injury. Jones, who also competes in track and field, suffered a compression fracture in his back last spring.
“If I stood for too long, my back would hurt,” Jones said, describing the injury that sidelined him for several months.
To aid his recovery, Jones turned to Aquacare Athletics, a new program offered by Aquacare Physical Therapy at its Delaware and Maryland locations. Connor Drislane, a physical therapist at Aquacare, worked with Jones on his rehabilitation.
“When Zay came to me, he was struggling with pain,” Drislane said. “We focused the program around re-educating his foundational core musculature and gradually introducing more functional, loaded, and sport-specific positions and tasks.”
The therapy included various techniques such as deep tissue massage, joint mobilization, cupping, and targeted exercises. Jones also trained with OutTrain Performance, a group specializing in speed and strength training for athletes.
“Working with OutTrain and Aquacare has been great. They helped me come back stronger,” Jones said.
Drislane emphasized the importance of collaboration between physical therapists and performance trainers. “We work on pain points and improving function, while OutTrain focuses on increasing speed and overall performance,” he explained. “Part of my job is to get the athlete back to a point where they can train comfortably, and with less risk for injury, following successful therapy intervention,” he further explained.
Jones recently returned to play under the Friday night lights at Sussex Tech. He was all smiles after the Ravens win during which he ran the ball 20 times for 111 yards!
While primarily studying criminal justice, he is now also considering a career in healthcare following his experience with Aquacare.
Aquacare Athletics offers consultations for athletes needing physical therapy. More information can be found at www.aquacarephysicaltherapy.com. Schedule a consultation with Connor Drislane by emailing [email protected].
Follow along for all of Aquacare’s Athletes of the Week on Instagram: @AquacareAthletics.
Aquacare also provides in-home physical therapy services. Skip the clinic and schedule your physical therapy in your home, workplace, fitness center, or community pool. Learn more about Aquacare PT PLUS: www.aquacarephysicaltherapy.com/pt-plus.
Aquacare/Fitness Forum Physical Therapy
