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20 Jan

Posted at 17:35h in Shoulder

The barbell bench press is arguably one of the most effective movements in developing strength and power in the upper body. Itโ€™s a great way to train the primary pushers of the upper body, including the pectoralis group, the deltoids, and the triceps. Despite the bench press being such a vital movement to help with horizontal pushing, it is one of those movements that often times are limited secondary to shoulder pain, frequently in the front part of the shoulder. If bench pressing creates irritation in your shoulder, the answer is not to avoid bench pressing for 6 weeks, then one day magically you will be capable of bench-pressing pain-free. The worst thing to do is doing nothing, which would lead to even more weakness thus creating more of an issue. This article will take you through 3 steps to allow you to bench press without shoulder pain.

09 Jan

Posted at 09:44h in Foot/ankle

Looking to fix flat feet? We got you! But before we get into the exercises that can help address this "problem", we first want to address that flat feet in and of itself is NOT a diagnosis and NOT the sole cause of your pain! Pain is multi-factorial and while having "flat feet" or dynamic overpronation can place the most stress on certain structures, our bodies are extremely strong and capable of handling that stress most of the time. That being said, this article is going to show you a series of exercises that will not only help strengthen your foot arch but even potentially reverse the appearance of your flat feet!

23 Dec

Posted at 11:27h in Foot/Ankle/Toes

Normal ankle motion is so critical for [P]Rehab of the lower body. The ankle moves your foot primarily into plantarflexion (toes away from you)ย  and dorsiflexion (toes up towards the shin). For the sake of this article, we are going to discuss ankle dorsiflexion motion, specifically how you can improve motion in this direction. Ankle plantarflexors (aka the calves) are a muscle group that often limit the dorsiflexion motion. Ankle dorsiflexion is crucial for squatting, going downstairs, jumping and many other movements. This article will show you exercises for stiff ankles, by addressing limitations that may be present in the ankle joint and its surrounding muscles and tendons! Weโ€™ve also included a FREE program to improve ankle mobility.

 

15 Dec

Posted at 22:09h in Shoulder
The ability to reach behind your back doesn't seem so important until it is taken away from you. Washing your back, grabbing your wallet, taking off your bra, putting on a belt, you name it. All of these simple things can make life really tough the moment you can no longer do them without an issue! However, you can get this motion back with the right exercises, discipline, and ultimately patience. In this article, you'll learn how to improve reaching behind your back.

09 Dec

Posted at 08:14h in Foot/ankle

Turf toe injuries many times are left improperly managed and can lead to chronic pain, reduced push-off strength, and eventually joint deformity if left untreated. Turf toe describes an injury to the bottom surface of the big toe joint, known as the plantar metatarsophalangeal-sesamoid complex.ย Turf toe injuries occur when the joint of the big toe gets forced into hyperextension. This typically happens to football players when someone falls on their foot forcing the heel to drive forward over a planted big toe. This motion typically injuries the joint capsule and ligaments on the bottom side of the foot, leaving it painful. While most common in footballers, there is also a high incidence of turf toe injuries in rugby and soccer plays as well. This article will cover a rehab guideline for getting back on the field after an old turf toe injury, in addition, we've included a FREE turf toe rehab workout!

02 Dec

Posted at 11:26h in Wrist/hand
Wrist and hand pain can be debilitating since we rely on our hands for an endless amount of everyday tasks, and even more so with the use of smartphones. Studies have shown that smartphone usage with poor mechanics and joint position can significantly increase the incidence rate of carpal tunnel (3). Another study showed 50% of the participants had a positive test for a thumb pathology called De Quervainโ€™s tenosynovitis from using their cellphones (4). These pathologies are due to wear-and-tear associated with overloading the tissues around the wrists and hands. Luckily, we can take measures to [P]Rehab these pathologies. ย This article will show you exercises for your wrist and hand pain!

24 Nov

Posted at 20:10h in Hip
Hip issues are one of the more common complaints we hear in the clinic and online in our inbox. It is more than likely you have dealt with hip pain or a hip issue at some point in your life. What's crazy is there are so many people dealing with low-level hip issues and far too often these people wait until it is a serious problem to address it. Not being proactive about your health and addressing issues before they become a bigger problem is why we have clinical jobs as physical therapists. Our Hip Prehab Program is the answer to changing this narrative. In this article, you'll learn more about our hip prehab program including an inside look at the program's content and the value of prehab!

18 Nov

Posted at 03:22h in Knee

Regaining full terminal knee extension is paramount following any knee surgery. The ability to fully extend the knee equal to the other side is usually one of the most important early goals in knee rehab. While there are a ton of knee extension exercises you can do, the most important variable for regaining full terminal knee extension is the amount of volume and time spent working on knee extension. That is undeniably the most important concept to grasp. 3 sets of 1 min of stretches for a total of 3 minutes (out of 1440 minutes in a day aka 0.2% of the day)ย  it just not enough end range stretching to regain full knee extension! Aim for a total of 10 minutes of knee extension exercises at first, then slowly keep adding time until you're spending at least 30 minutes a day working on terminal knee extension.

02 Nov

Posted at 18:58h in Hip, Knee
This article will feature a 4-step progression in developing the stretch-shortening cycle which is crucial for returning to plyometric exercises. The stretch-shortening cycle is an active eccentric stretch (lengthening of a muscle) followed by an immediate concentric contraction (shortening of a muscle). This is similar to a spring; you first stretch the spring to create potential energy, then it is released into active energy. The stretch-shortening cycle is often used in plyometric training and is crucial in every sports training program. The 4-steps in the progression include eccentric jumping, low-intensity fast plyometrics, hurdle jumping, and depth jumping. This 4-step progression will help athletes safely develop the stretch-shortening cycle that is essential for every sport that involves jumping or change of direction activities, such as basketball and volleyball.

28 Oct

Posted at 18:42h in Foot/ankle, Hip, Knee
Bone Stress Injuries (BSI) are not uncommon in avid runners, track and field athletes, and endurance athletes. As common as they may be, they are still very difficult to deal, hard to identify for the average person, and unfortunately can turn into full-blown bone stress fractures before being correctly identified and treated. In this article, we will discuss exactly what bone stress injuries and bone stress fractures are, what the risk factors are, and prehab strategies to get back to running after a bone stress fracture.