By dr on June 15, 2015
We need to first clarify an important concept before we go into coaching and cueing:
- NOT ALL MOVEMENT REQUIRES COACHING
To Coach or Not to Coach
If someone is performing a movement/exercise correctly, all you have to do is shut your mouth and smile.
If someone is performing a movement/exercise incorrectly, you should ask yourself two questions: Continue reading “Coaching & Cueing (Part 2 – The Categories)”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Biomechanics, Hip |
By dr on August 1, 2014
Part I went over the benefits and disadvantages of the deep squat. In Part II, I will describe how I approach the squat in different settings and how I train it. Contrary to Part I, which was a collection of the current research and physiological facts about the squat, Part II is mostly empirical evidence and professional opinion. Continue reading “The Deep Squat (Part 2 – In the Clinic, In the Gym, How to Train it)”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged Hip, Knee, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac |
By dr on February 4, 2014
In the past 10-20 years there has been a trend towards stabilizing the proximal joint. Everything seems to be going more and more proximally. And this is a good thing! It is providing us with better outcomes and quicker pain free rehabilitation.
If you look at the knee joint you can see the progress. We’ve gone from isolated patella mobs and VMO strengthening to hip strengthening. And now we are going even further up the chain and looking at lumbo-pelvic complex.
The same thing is happening with the shoulder. We’ve gone from isolated thera band ER/IR to scapula stabiliztion. And now we are going even further and looking at the thoracic spine and ribs.
And if we go just 1 step further at both joints we end up where it all began in the first place…the core. Continue reading “Everything is Moving Proximally”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Core, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac, Prevention / Recovery, Shoulder |
By dr on September 1, 2013
On June 1st I had the pleasure of participating in a StrongFirst Kettlebell Workshop with Phil Scarito. It was a 1-day course that went over the intricacies of the basic kettlebell movements (Deadlift, Swing, TGU, Goblet Squat, Press). The theory is that it’s better to master the fundementals than to be average at a bunch of different lifts. Plus, it’s these basic KB movements that that have the greatest impact on improving one’s physical abilities and movement patterns. Continue reading “Course Review – StrongFirst Kettlebell Workshop”
Posted in Patients, Professionals | Tagged Hip, Knee, Prevention / Recovery, Review |
By dr on August 1, 2013
Low back pain is one of the most common injuries we see. Traditionally you always hear a lot of information regarding excessive lumbar flexion. And with the amount of information readily available in our society, many patients already know this as well. This has caused some therapists and patients to walk around terrified that the next time they bend over their L5-S1 disc will splatter against the wall behind them. But what about the other direction? What about the potential problems in extension patterns?
We’ve concerned ourselves so much about “blowing out a disc” with flexion that we’ve completely overlooked extension problems. Continue reading “Lumbar Extension Dysfunction”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac, Prevention / Recovery |
By dr on June 1, 2013
The quadruped position is a very important developmental posture. From this posture we learn to crawl and transition to half-kneeling (which then transitions into standing). Through this posture we develop core, shoulder, and hip stability, learn reciprocal UE/LE motion, and begin to control our spine through our weight-bearing extremities. The quadruped position has many details that are often lost or forgotten when training. Mastering these subtleties and progressing within the edge of your ability will lead to a great effect on your stability. Continue reading “Quadruped”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Cervical / Neck, Core, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac, Prevention / Recovery, Shoulder |
By dr on May 3, 2013
The hip hinge is a basic movement pattern that everyone must have. When people have atrophy of this movement pattern they end up compensating in all sorts of ways (trendenlenberg, dynamic valgus, knee dominant movements, lumbar flexion). This leads to decreased performance and increased risk for injury. Continue reading “Hip Hinge”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac |
By dr on February 1, 2013
The average person takes about 21,000 breaths a day. This makes it one of the 3 biggest aspects of our patients life that we can have a profound effect on (other 2: posture & walking).
This post will discuss the holistic effects of breathing, anatomy, and the important cascade of events for proper breathing and inner core stabilization. Continue reading “Breathing – Part I – Anatomy & Mechanics”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged Biomechanics, Core, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac, Prevention / Recovery, Shoulder |
By dr on September 29, 2012
It is widely known that hip strenthening plays a significant role in the rehabilitation of knee pain. When it comes to our sagittal-plane loving runners the hips become even more of an issue. However, in 2011 Wiley and Davis published an article in JOSPT that found hip strengthening alone was not enough to alter running mechanics. This gave movement hipsters and research snobs more fuel to trash talk exercises that aren’t “functional” or that “research shows” it doesn’t elicit some desired EMG number. While I find remedial exercises to be an important step in rehab, I do agree that there needs to be a better transition between rehab and sport specific training. Continue reading “Functional Hip Strengthening”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Hip, Prevention / Recovery |
By dr on September 1, 2012
Chubbs was right. It’s all in the hips!
Hip strength is extremely important for your musculoskeletal health. The hip muscles are connected from your pelvis to your femur. This connection means they will not only have an influence on your hips, but also effect your back and your knees. In other words, your hips help stabilize and translate forces from your legs to your trunk and vice versa. In addition to this anatomical/biomechanical relationship, our society has a very high prevalence of back and knee pain. So maybe instead of another “core” program or a new squat technique we really just need some hip strengthening. This post will discuss the importance of hip muscles, the effects of hip strength, and how to start strengthening them.
Posted in Patients | Tagged Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac, Prevention / Recovery |
By dr on May 12, 2012
The half-kneeling position is a great way to assess and treat your patients hip and core stability. While it seems like an easy exercise, it has many subtleties that can make or break the position. Having a greater understanding of the half-kneeling position will help ensure that your patient achieves the maximal benefit. Continue reading “Why You Should Use the Half-Kneeling Position”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged assessment, Core, Hip, Lumbar, Pelvis / Sacroiliac |
By dr on July 14, 2011
Article Review: Acetabular Labral Tears
Lewis CL, Sahrman SA. Acetabular Labral Tears. Phys Ther. 2006;86:110-121
In 2006 Lewis and Sahrmann produced a great article on acetabular labral tears. They provided great information regarding the anatomy and function, the concepts on the eitiology, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of labral tears. This is an important article to read since labral tears have become more prevalent in the past few decades and surgical management of this disorder continues to progress. It’s important to fully understand labral tears before attempting to manage a patient’s care. This article provides the information that can help orthopedic professionals better understand this pathology. Continue reading “Article Review: Acetabular Labral Tears (Lewis & Sahrman 2006)”
Posted in Professionals | Tagged Hip, Review |