Oregon Exercise Therapy Blog | Egoscue Posture Exercises - Oregon Exercise Therapy

Key to Health: Hydration

9/18/2017

Hydration is essential to good health, to staying pain free, and to performing your best. Your body is made up of between 60-75% water. Water is used in every organ, joint, tissue, and cell in your body. Water is essential for maintaining body temperature, breaking down food we eat into usable energy, eliminating waste products, and lubricating joints. Water is the main component of blood, cerebral spinal fluid, muscles, and your brain.

Our bodies lose water all day long through sweat, breathing, and elimination (going to the bathroom). We must replace that lost water on a daily basis or we will become dehydrated and risk negative health consequences and even death (depending on the person and environment, you can live from a few hours to a few days without water before dying).

Back To School Posture

9/8/2017

Summer is winding down and it's back to school time. Going back to school presents several challenges for students of different ages that can negatively affect their posture and health. Here are the challenges preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college/graduate school students face and how to combat them:

Free Golf Specific Posture Evaluations

7/31/2017

August is National Golf Month

In celebration of National Golf Month this August, I am offering free 30-minute golf specific posture evaluations. Sign up by contacting me and requesting a golf specific evaluation.

National Park and Recreation Month

7/3/2017

July is National Park and Recreation Month which is designed to encourage you to get outside and enjoy the many benefits of nature and play. The theme of 2017 National Park and Recreation Month is Get Your Play On!

Idiopathic Back Pain

7/3/2017

Idiopathic means of unknown cause and often of spontaneous origin. Idiopathic back pain is back pain that doctors cannot explain because there is not obvious structural cause of the pain like a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, or stenosis. Idiopathic back pain is the "diagnosis" given by doctors to patients that have chronic (over 6 months) back pain and they have been unable to figure out why. There is always a reason why however...

Back Surgery Might Not Be Your Best Option

6/5/2017

Chronic back pain can be very debilitating and often all you want is to find a way to make your pain go away.

So good to have you back on the sidelines, @SteveKerr. #DubNation pic.twitter.com/GjyaoFAl8Q
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) June 5, 2017

Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors basketball team, was in that place in 2015 when after rupturing a disc in his back he just wanted the pain to go away and was told surgery would fix his problem. Before surgery Kerr's pain was so bad that he couldn't walk more than 30 yards without needing to stop and sit down. He described it as "getting old."

I think his injury and pain had nothing to do with his age and can't be blamed on "getting old".

The Perfect Workout

5/22/2017

Is there such a thing as the perfect workout?

Many people, whether they are pro athletes, fitness fanatics, gym rats, or health nuts, are looking for "the perfect workout." Some people believe the perfect workout is a HIIT (high intensity interval training). Others believe the CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) is the best. Super Slow wight lifting is some people's choice. Yoga and Pilates will get a lot of votes also.

The perfect workout is...

Patch Obstacle Course and Becoming a Better Athlete

5/4/2017

Athletes are always looking for ways to become faster, stronger, and more agile. Athletes are also looking for ways to prevent injury, stay pain free, and extend their careers. And these "athletes" I'm talking about are everyone from LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, and Serena Williams to middle-aged weekend warriors around the world. People will do almost anything to get an "edge."

But do these things actually help? Is there a better way? A faster way? A cheaper way? A more natural way?

Understanding the Psoas

5/3/2017

What is the psoas? Psoas (pronounced SO-az) is a muscle that gets a lot of attention for playing a role in back pain, hip function, spinal function, and sports performance and is often referred to as "the most important muscle in the body." Quite a claim for a muscle none of us can see and very few people really understand.

The term "psoas" sometimes is used to refer to many things including:

Psoas major
Psoas minor
Iliopsoas
Hip flexors as a group
The source of the fight or flight response
An emotional center in the body
Filet mignon

Top 10 Myths About Injuries

5/1/2017

Myth 1: Injuries are the result of bad luck.
Truth: Scientifically there is not such thing as bad luck, thus that can't be the cause of injuries. All injuries are caused by something concrete and with enough investigation the underlying cause can be found and fixed or eliminated, which will help that injury heal faster and more completely and help prevent future injuries. Start your investigation with a free posture evaluation.

Myth 2: Injuries are from overuse.
Truth: As I've talked about previously, overuse is a myth in the way it is talked about, and "overuse injuries" should really be called "improper use injuries". Read more here.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY

I really just wanted to express my gratitude for what you do and your great help. And, great help it was!! When one is in constant great pain for as long as I was and so desperate for help...words cannot express what I want to say....how can I thank you enough? You helped change my life.
– Carrie

I feel soooo limber and free in my hip movements and relaxed in my low back. Outstanding and I'm very impressed with the pdf's and the videos, great support to the client. Wonderful job, keep up the great job. – Mike

It is amazing! I've been in pain for 5 years and worked with other therapists and no one has been able to help me. Working with you I am 95% pain free! It feels so good to not have any pain and be able to walk and do things I haven't been able to do for years. Thank you so much! - Joni

Photos used under Creative Commons from mynameisharsha, Jon Grado