October Hits (2014)

1)A good soap box by Roger Kerry – “Calls to abandon a biomedical model is evidence-based moronicy. And downright dangerous.” – “Movement is everything.” – “Movement helps people contribute to society and it keeps the world going.” – “If you are a research funder, PLEASE STOP FUNDING RIDICULOUS RCTs.”

2) The Gait Guys take you down a static assessment rabbit hole with the functional anatomy of the lumbricals, flexor digitorum longus, and quadratus plantae.  One of my favorite reads of the month.

3) Go Barefoot – “those feet should be straight-up sensory vacuums taking up as much sensory information as possible” -Seth Oberst

4) Adding single joint exercises to a multi-joint exercise program had no effect muscle thickness or peak torque production.  #MovementNotMuscles

5) “The secret to great communication is to provide a morsel of intriguing information and wait for the person to ask a question.” – Phil Plisky

6) We’re all guilty of some these from time to time – 5 Mistakes Clinicians Often Make

7) If you’re a dog lover and a movement therapist, then you’ll love this.  #TheJoyOfMovement

8) From Charlie Weingroff –  The Rule of the Artery – “When blood and lymphatics flow freely, the tissues can perform their physiologic functions without impedance. With the occurrence of trauma (physical or emotional), the tissues contract, twist, and compress. The fluid flow becomes obstructed. Micro-climates of underperfusion result, and are considered to be a significant contributor to the onset of disease. “

9) Chris Johnson has put together 2 great compilations of exercise videos for shoulders and hips.  Chris has a ton of orthopedic knowledge and a great attention to detail.  He could probably write a couple pages on each of these exercises.  Hopefully someday he will.

10) 4 Questions Your Patients Want Answered:

1) What is wrong with me?

2) How long will it take?

3) What can I do for it?

4) What can you do for it?

“The future of healthcare is going to be empowering patients to help themselves. “ -Adriaan Louw

11) Bret Contreras is spot on with his well written article on the 10 worst types of trainers.  The ½ kneeling, bottoms-up KB press, with cervical RNT is pretty hilarious.  And I’ll shamelessly plug my soap box article on the 3 types of physical therapists.

12) Here are 2 great active ankle dorsiflexion exercises from the Gait Guys.

13) Sue Falsone goes over some of today’s controversial topics in her new post.  “Everyone who uses a calculator is not an accountant. Just like everyone who uses a fine filament needle is not an acupuncturist.”-Edo Zylstra

14) Sometimes painful interventions work (foam rolling, overly aggressive manual therapy, certain exercises, surgery, etc.). This might be why – “Here we show that when the meaning of the pain experience is changed from negative to positive through verbal suggestions, the opioid and cannabinoid systems are co-activated and these, in turn, increase pain tolerance”

15) I’ve always been a fan of the 10% rule for athletes that have been injured.  Here’s some research that backs it up.

16) The amount of variables between individuals is immense.  One of the more overlooked variables is the osseous structures.  Everyone has different bony anatomy.  This can be difficult to understand because we literally can’t see it.  Even though it is not visible, it is an important consideration.  It might not be a mobility problem, it might not be a stability problem.  It might be a osseus structural problem.  Simply put, if it’s not working, don’t force it.  #DontPushThroughBone

17) McKenzie (MDT) Part B Knowledge Nuggets from Direct Performance – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

18) Seth Oberst sent me this great article on twitter.  We both agree – the diaphragm is the most proximal core and has the ability to influence everything.

19) A great “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” article by Chris Beardsley.  According to research, the Leg Press can be a great exercise to “increase walking efficiency, balance, vertical jump height, horizontal jump distance, short-distance sprinting ability, and the maximum number of bodyweight squats you can achieve in 30 seconds.”

20) ”The effects of my treatment will quickly be absorbed into the rhythms and patterns of life, but pivotal education is a game changer.”-Gray Cook

21) It’s rare to find an unbiased review of barefoot running.  Luckily for us, Christian Barton has taken the time to write a quality article on the subject with a good balance of research and clinical experience.  “So with a lack of evidence in relation to injury, what can we as health professionals do to advise the curious public? Simple, consider the biomechanical effects of barefoot running, how they may relate to injury, and importantly, how they may relate to an individual.”

22) Great MDT tips from Erson.  5 Ways to Get to End Range – 1) Slow Down 2) Soft-Tissue Work 3) Breathing 4) Compression 5) Distal Influence.  And how to improve cervical retraction.

23) There is compelling evidence that people learn better from words and pictures than from words alone – this is known as the multimedia learning hypothesis (Mayer 2014).

24) I think PRI needs to start paying Zac Cupples.  Here’s another great post on their new course – PRI Integration for Yoga.  “During both this pause and inhalation, the tongue ought to be pushed up into the palate. This movement helps balance the stylohyoid and 16 muscles that attach to the sphenoid. Keeping the tongue here is the best way to shut off the neck without orthotics.”

25) “The fact is that no biological tissue in the body has ever been shown to permanently alter in structure following single stimuli application. “ –Andreo Spina 

26) Low eccentric hamstring strength is a risk factor for hamstring strains.

27) Proof of central mechanisms?  Adriaan Louw once said he wanted to create a CPR for ultrasound use.  “The study found ultrasound and LLLT to provide significant improvements in pain and muscle extensibility, which were superior to no therapy but not to placebos…” #UseThePlacebo

28) The Isolated Transverse Abdominus Hollowing Exercise

If this worked wouldn’t the top Powerlifters be performing it for maximal stability/strength?  Wouldn’t the best marathoners be hollowing their stomachs to push through the last few miles?  Wouldn’t we see athletes sucking in their stomachs in Gatorade training montages?  I don’t use it because it never worked in the clinic for my patients.  Here are 5 other reasons not to use it from Mike Reiman (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  And if those don’t persuade you then there are these two words – Stuart McGill.

29) Sciatic Nerve Morphology and Fascicular Anatomy

30) This is useful for cross-training and aerobic exercise substitution with injured endurance athletes.  “In moderately active females similar physiological improvements were observed using stair-climber, elliptical trainer and treadmill running when training volume and intensity were equivalent.”

31) Shante Cofield wants you to keep your feet pointed straight.  “When we walk with our feet pointed outwards, we take a structure that is supposed to be rigidly supported by the strength of our foot bones and turn it into something that would make the Viagra reps drool.”

32) People You Should Know – Karel Lewit is one of the founding members of the Prague School and manual medicine.  He started as a neurologist and specialist in manual medicine with an interest in the spinal column.  Later in his career his interests expanded to a global approach to the functional aspects of the motor system and its rehabilitation.  Lewit’s work has had a great influence on most of the approaches used today.  Read some Lewit wisdom here, here, and here.

• “He who treats at the site of pain is lost”
• “If breathing is not normalized, no other movement pattern can be.”

33) Top 3 Tweets of the Month

• Jon Herting @JonHerting · Oct 11 – Everything matters unless it doesn’t matter to the patient #sympatheticvsparasympathetic
• Charlie Weingroff @CWagon75 · Oct 5 – Sometimes serious injury is a great thing for an athlete. It provides the chance to rebuild everything they never had in the first place.
• GMB Fitness @gmbfit · Sep 17 – If you think you are the only expert in your field who has the right answer, you aren’t an expert.

34) Why you should learn how to do a cartwheel