Oregon Exercise Therapy Blog | Egoscue Blog - Oregon Exercise Therapy

Correct Toes and Barefoot Style Shoes

6/22/2018

Have you ever dealt with pain from bunions, hammer toes, plantar fasciitis, or Achilles tendonitis?

Do your feet get tired or sore by the end of the day?

Are you dealing with corns, calluses, blisters, or ingrown toenails?

Do you have balance issues, feel unstable, or frequently sprain your ankles?

These are all very common side effects that come from losing good foot posture and function which can be caused by not-ideal footwear and the loss of foot/toe strength and mobility.

E-cise of the Month: Wall Drop

2/26/2018

The Wall Drop is an Egoscue e-cise that uses a Slant Board to create bilaterally symmetrical ankle dorsiflexion which creates a chain reaction throughout the body to improve postural alignment.

How does the Wall Drop affect posture?
The Wall Drop takes advantage of gravity and uses the position your feet are in and the wall to cause reactions and postural changes throughout your body. When you position your feet hip width apart and straight you are creating symmetry and balance in your foot position and this will create a chain reaction up your legs, into your pelvis, up your spine, and affect every joint and muscle in your body.

The Key to Flexibility

1/11/2018

We all want to be flexible. Flexibility is beautiful. Flexibility helps with injury prevention. Flexibility improves performance. People who have flexibility are graceful, fluid, and effortless in their movements.

But what creates flexibility? How can we gain flexibility and maintain flexibility?

Happy New Year!

1/1/2018

Related articles/videos:
How to make this year your best year yet
How to keep and achieve your New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Functional Egoscue Workout
Your mindset and becoming pain free

E-cise of the Month: Bear Crawl

12/28/2017

This month I am going to highlight the Bear Crawl. The Bear Crawl is an amazing e-cise that almost everyone can do, but many people do it incorrectly.

When done correctly, the Bear Crawl has many benefits and can improve movement, posture, and performance. When done incorrectly, the Bear Crawl can reinforce bad movement patterns, poor posture, and cause pain and injury.

Immobilization, braces, and body casts

12/7/2017

With 206 bones, over 300 joints, and over 600 muscles, the human body is designed to move. Movement is what keeps our bones, joints, and muscles healthy. When a joint stops moving things start to break down and get weaker. Bones lose density. Muscles lose strength and size. Cartilage thins. Bad things happen.

Yes, there are times when immobilization is helpful and a good idea. If you break your arm it's a good idea to get a cast to protect your arm as it heals. If you severely sprain your ankle it can be helpful to wear an ankle brace for a week or two. But most immobilization we experience is not that type, but rather body casts that we don't even think about. Anything that limits joint movement is a body cast and will have negative effects on the body.

Here are examples of things that cast or hold the body in a certain position or limit movement:

Importance of the 10 Baby Physical Developmental Phases

11/30/2017

You have a newborn baby and want more than anything that he/she grows up to be a healthy and happy child and then adult. In this blog I am going to explain the important phases of gross physical development that are the essential to developing a strong and capable body. Missing or skipping these developmental stages can mean less efficient movement patterns, being more injury prone, and being more likely to develop physical pain throughout life.

To fully develop their physical strength and function needed for life, your baby should go through and master each of theses phases: wiggle & kick; superman & swimming; rock & roll; army crawl; crawling; sitting up; squatting & standing; cruising; walking; running; and jumping.

E-cise of the Month: Supine Foot Circles and Point Flexes

11/20/2017

Our feet are our connection to the earth and when they are not functioning well it has a negative impact throughout our body. I am going to explain how Supine Foot Circles and Point Flexes helps to restore normal foot function and links that together with normal knee and hip function.

Fit But Unhealthy

11/16/2017

What does it mean to be fit? Healthy? Well? Can you be one without the other?

The fitness industry and our culture teach us that fitness is having six-pack-abs, defined triceps, and a good tan.

Fitness by this definition in no way means that being "fit" also means you are healthy. A person can be a very fit marathon runner (Jim Fixx, Alberto Salazar, Micah True), cyclist (Scott Ellis, Leonard Zinn), or fitness pro (Bob Harper) and still be unhealthy and suffer a heart attack.

Alberto Salazar NYC Marathon 1981 #albertosalazar #oregonproject #nike #nikerunning #nyc #nycmarathon #nike #run #runner #running #marathon #runners

A post shared by aglet (@aglet.es) on Nov 2, 2015 at 2:04pm PST

On the road to recovery. I'm required to wear these monitors to see what my heart is doing throughout the day. I feel like a robot from WESTWORLD thank you all for your kindness. You have no idea how much it helps. ❤❤

A post shared by Bob Harper (@bobharper) on Feb 28, 2017 at 6:51am PST

Health is defined as the absence of disease or being free of injury and illness. Being healthy again doesn't mean one is "well". Plenty of healthy people are not well.

Wellness is:

"...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." - The World Health Organization
"a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential." - The National Wellness Institute

I would further define wellness as being free from limitations, thriving, and enjoying peace of mind.

Pete Egoscue's Simple Solution to Chronic Pain

11/6/2017

Listen to Pete Egoscue, founder of the Egoscue Method and Posture Alignment Therapy, and Paul Tudor Jones, billionaire investor, hedge fund manager, and philanthropist, discuss Egoscue's simple solution to chronic pain at the J.P. Morgan Robin Hood Investors Conference.

If you suffer from chronic pain or injuries and would like to restore your posture as Pete Egoscue describes and live a pain free life contact me for a free posture evaluation. Your free posture evaluation can be done in my Portland, Oregon clinic or via Skype or FaceTime from anywhere in the world.

Related articles/videos:
3 things you must do to be pain free for life
What do you think is causing your pain?
10 biggest myths about your body
New paradigm of chronic pain treatment

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