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01 Dec

Posted at 11:57h in Education, For Clinicians, Low Back

If youโ€™ve ever been to a gym where people are lifting weights, youโ€™ve likely seen people wearing weightlifting belts. This begs the question - why are weightlifting belts and exercises paired together? Why do some people only use weightlifting belts with certain exercises versus some people wear weightlifting belts with every exercise? The biggest questions - how do they work, do they actually help you lift more weight, and do they make you โ€œsaferโ€ or prevent injury?ย  In this article, we will explore some of these questions, share our opinions, and let you decide whether a weightlifting belt would be beneficial to your training or not!

01 Dec

Posted at 14:00h in Education, For Clinicians, Hip

Trendelenburg gait, otherwise referred to as a hip drop or trunk lean with walking are all compensatory movement patterns that may lead to back pain, hip pain, knee pain, or SI joint pain over time. There are many reasons this may occur, some of which include pain secondary to a recent injury or surgery, poor hip strength, limited mobility, inhibited hip musculature, developed movement compensations, and much more. It is important to be aware of this movement impairment, as this can lead to problems up and down the kinetic chain. This article will demonstrate excellent exercises to fix your Trendelenburg gait starting with activation, followed by strengthening, and finally movement re-training!

24 Nov

Posted at 13:11h in Education, For Clinicians

You have pain when you exercise, so you stop going to the gym and see a doctor. The doctor writes you a prescription for Physical Therapy that includes "exercise therapy". Your physical therapist tells you that you need to start exercising, but not to do any exercises that cause you pain! This puts you in a frustrating catch-22 situation, which nobody seems to have the answer to! If you have pain with exercising and need to avoid pain, how can you exercise to reduce your pain?ย  You've heard the phrase "no pain, no gain!" but that doesn't sound very scientific does it? But what is the answer? Should rehab be pain-free? Or should you ignore your pain and just grin and bear it! This article will answer these questions and provide you with scientific strategies to rehabilitate a painful injury!

30 Sep

Posted at 10:57h in Education, For Clinicians, Foot/ankle, Hip, Knee

Are you a runner trying to stay healthy so that you don't have to stop running? If you're looking for exercise solutions for a running injury and want to learn running injury prevention knowledge, you've come to the right place. We have simplified the literature investigating common running injuries to bring you not only our favorite but the most effective runner's prehab exercises. In this article, you will learn runner's prehab exercises that you should be doing as well as the knowledge that will protect you against common running injuries!

09 Nov

Posted at 12:00h in Education, For Clinicians, 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.

03 Nov

Posted at 10:53h in Education, For Clinicians

Pain is a qualia and an enigma; itโ€™s a sensation that is routinely described yet not fully understood. The mystery lies in that pain is an experience felt by almost all individuals at some point in their lives, however, the experience of this universal sensation remains individualized and unique to that person. What is pain? Why do we have pain? How far has pain science research come? Is pain a good or a bad thing? Can we combat the high and rising rates of chronic pain and the opioid epidemic? Find out in this series of articles!

27 Oct

Posted at 12:20h in Education, For Clinicians, Hip

โ€˜Dead Butt Syndromeโ€™ - SAY WHAT?! There are more and more articles coming out, especially in recent months in light of our global pandemic, about a supposed โ€˜dead butt syndromeโ€™, or โ€˜gluteal amnesiaโ€™. This condition is thought to be characterized by a personโ€™s body โ€˜forgettingโ€™ how to โ€˜turn onโ€™ or โ€˜fireโ€™ a gluteal contraction due to extended periods of time in a seated position. But can this actually happen? If it does happen, how does this actually happen anatomically? Can our glute muscles actually โ€˜forgetโ€™ how to activate properly? Do long periods of sitting actually have an effect on our muscle mass, appearance, and strength? In this article, we explore the validity of this topic about how to turn on your glutes as well as provide you with exercises that will actually target your glutes!

20 Oct

Posted at 10:20h in Education, For Clinicians, Knee

The knee extension machine is present in most gyms across the United States. While many people use this machine, many others do not for fear of causing damage to their knees. Why is it that some people fear the knee extension machine? Is it safe to use? Is it a useful tool? Is it โ€œfunctionalโ€ ? This article will teach you why the knee extension machine is safe, why it can be crucial to overcoming knee pain, and how to include it in your exercise or rehabilitation program.

13 Oct

Posted at 15:11h in Education, For Clinicians

For decades, Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, both male and female, have dominated long distance running on the world stage. With their dominance comes the curiosity and intrigue looking for answers about how and why they've risen to the top in such an impressive and sustained manner. Kenya and Ethiopia first competed in the Olympics in 1956. In 1960, Ethiopia won its first Olympic medal with Abebe Bikila taking the gold in the marathon event in Rome. Shortly thereafter, Wilson Kiprugut won Kenya's first Olympic medal, with a third-place finish in the 800m event in 1964. Since then, Kenya and Ethiopia have come to dominate the middle and long distance events at the Olympics, World Championships, and other international events, including IAAF World Cross-Country Championships and major marathons and road races across the world. Here we attempt to uncover the secrets to long distance running, and factors that may explain the unparalleled success of East African long distance runners!

06 Oct

Posted at 14:12h in Education, For Clinicians, Head/Neck

Have you ever experienced pain in or around your jaw from chewing, yawning, or even with simple mouth opening movements? Do you experience a clicking sensation when you open and close your mouth, or that you are unable to open your mouth as far as usual? If you experience any of the following signs or symptoms, you may be dealing with what is known as a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Breaking down this term into multiple parts to understand its origin, โ€œtemporoโ€ is derived from the term โ€œtemporalโ€, which is a bone on the outside portion of the skull, and the term โ€œmandibularโ€ is your jaw bone. These two bones meet and make up the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). When you think of a clinical condition related to the jaw and/or jaw pain, who is the first healthcare provider that comes to your mind who would manage that condition? Maybe a dentist or an orthodontist, right? In actuality, physical therapists have joined healthcare providers at the forefront of TMD treatment! In this article, you will learn all about temporomandibular joint disorders and physical therapy treatment as we discuss physical therapy as a first-line approach for TMD. We review how to optimally evaluate and treat this condition with our scope of practice or refer accordingly to the appropriate healthcare provider.ย