Oregon Exercise Therapy
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE POSTURE EVALUATION!
  • Free Posture Evaluation
  • How It Works
    • Therapy Options >
      • Zoom/Skype/FaceTime Exercise Therapy
    • FAQ
    • OET News Archive
  • Advanced Training for Therapists
    • Education Workshops
  • Testimonials
  • About Matt
    • Contact Me
    • Recommended Products >
      • Therapy Equipment
      • Books and DVDs
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Exercise Equipment
      • Cool Stuff
  • Blog

Healing Chronic Pain in 8 Weeks

5/31/2016

0 Comments

 
Episode 8 of Becoming Pain Free presented by Sonima is the conclusion of 8 weeks of Egoscue Postural Alignment Therapy for Steven. Steven has progressed from chronic wrist and hand pain to bear crawling, function running, and working pain free thanks to doing his daily menus and the posture changes that has created. 

Related videos/articles:
Your mindset and becoming pain free
How "Patch" workouts can help you become pain free
Carpal tunnel syndrome pain relief
How Posture Alignment Therapy works
Don't believe everything you hear
0 Comments

10 Biggest Myths About Your Body

5/24/2016

1 Comment

 

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

How do you tell the difference between a myth and reality? Fact and fiction? A story and the truth?
Picture
Words like objective, data, authentic, science, validity, and proof come to mind. We all love stories, fairy tales, gossip, urban legends, hoaxes, and fantasy but they do a huge disservice to us, our bodies, and our health. ​
​

If you have heard any of the following things, think twice before you believe them. They are more than likely not true, even though they are commonly held beliefs. These are the 10 biggest myths about your body and health:

Read More
1 Comment

Your Mindset and Becoming Pain Free

5/16/2016

0 Comments

 
I have written many articles about how what you think and what you believe and your mindset will determine whether you become pain free or not. ​
Picture
I wrote the now famous article "The 3 things you must do to be pain free for life" in 2004 and the first of the 3 things you must change is: your mind or mindset. This starts with moving away from the "what's wrong with me?" questions to "what's my body trying to tell me?" Moving beyond thinking "my back hurts because I have a herniated disc" to thinking about "why did the disc herniate?" ​

Read More
0 Comments

The Body Has A Default Position

5/13/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm guessing that most of you reading this post have at one time or another been injured or have had some type of chronic pain. Right? 

Think back to that time when you hurt your knee, threw out your back, had chronic nerve pain, or couldn't find enough pain pills to stop the pain. I'm assuming you probably went to see your doctor about the pain to figure out what was wrong and what was causing the pain. Correct?

You might have been told you have a torn ligament or meniscus in your knee, or herniated a disc in your back, or have bone spurs or stenosis causing the nerve pain. 

The big question comes next...What can I do about it? How do I fix it?

Read More
0 Comments

"Patch" Workouts Can Help You Become Pain Free

5/12/2016

0 Comments

 
As I have discussed many times, the human body is built by movement for movement.
Picture


​"We have a brain for one reason and one reason only - and that’s to produce adaptable and complex movements." - Daniel Wolpert
Humans evolved to move: Running after food or away from danger. Climbing trees to gather fruit. Digging up roots to eat. Carrying firewood and food long distances back to our family. Throwing rocks or spears to kill animals for food. Walking long distances to follow migrating animals, ripe fruit, or water sources and to avoid predators, bad weather, and lack of food and water. Our bodies are designed to do all these activities (walk, run, climb, throw, carry, etc) every day of our lives. ​
Picture
The human body is maintained by movement. Use it or lose it. If we don't walk, run, climb, throw, and carry on a daily basis our bodies start to fail. Muscles become stiff and weak. Bones loss density and become fragile. Cartilage becomes thin. Ligaments and tendons become stiff and prone to tears. Skin becomes thin and sensitive. Blood vessels become smaller, stiffer, and less resilient. Digestion slows and becomes incomplete. Immunity weakens. Brain function deteriorates. The signals for cellular repair and rebuilding slow. Most people call these changes "normal" aging, but they have very little to do with age and everything to do with lack of movement. 
How can we reintroduce a variety of functional or evolutionary movement to our lives? An easy way to start getting back to our roots is introducing easy, simple obstacle course workouts. Egoscue affectionately calls these "Patch" workouts or "PatchFitness". Below is episode 6 of Sonima's "Becoming Pain Free" video series that follows Steven as he uses the Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment Therapy to help him overcome chronic pain and become free of pain and limitations. Enjoy!
If you missed any previous episodes of Sonima presents "Becoming Pain Free" you can find them here:
Episode 1: Taking the first steps toward pain free living.
Episode 2: The surprising factors that contribute to chronic pain.
Episode 3: Continuing the journey to become pain free.
Episode 4: Seeing the effects of posture on pain relief.
Episode 5: Why total body balance is crucial for pain relief.

Related articles/videos:
Daily movements of healthy individuals
Form follows function in the human body and movement
Functional body weight workout
Why sitting and rising from the floor is important for health
​
Best workout to boost performance
0 Comments

Daily Movements of Healthy Individuals

5/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
The human body is designed to move. In fact the human body, like all creatures on earth, is a direct reflection of the requirements of movement. Form follows function and our bodies were designed by movement for movement. When we stop moving, we start dying. The more we move, and the more variety of movement we do, the healthier we become. Follow the example of kids everywhere: move, run, jump, play, dance, have fun. 

Related articles/videos:
The kidding around workout
The difference between play and sports training
Form follows function in the human body
10 design perfections in the human body
0 Comments

Why total-body balance is crucial for pain relief

5/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Your body is a unit. Everything is connected. Foot bones connected to the shin bone... The body is designed to be symmetrical. We have 2 ankles, 2 knees, 2 hips, and 2 shoulders. Humans balance on two feet.

​When treating chronic pain it is essential not to forget these important messages and get hung up on treating the symptom and not the entire body. Effective treatment for chronic pain always involves looking at the entire body and achieving total-body balance. Watch this episode of Becoming Pain Free by Sonima and see how Steven is using Egoscue Postural Alignment Therapy to balance his body and relieve his pain. 
Related videos/articles:
Barefoot Ted and being out of balance
Workout for improved balance and function
Posture, alignment, and vertical load
10 things that cause posture imbalances and pain
What makes humans unique?
0 Comments

Seeing the Effects of Posture on Pain Relief

5/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Sonima presents episode 4 of Becoming Pain Free where Steven starts to see the effects of posture on pain relief. Follow along with him on his journey of using the Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment Therapy to eliminate his chronic pain. 
Related videos/articles:
Why sitting is bad for you
Surgeries to avoid
The power of the Egoscue Tower
Knee joint osteoarthritis
How to fix neck and shoulder pain with Egoscue
0 Comments

Becoming Pain Free Episode 3

5/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Watch episode 3 of Becoming Pain Free to see how Steven is doing in his journey to a pain free and active life. Steven is using the Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment Therapy to help him eliminate wrist and hand pain that is limiting his ability to work and play. 
If you are suffering with chronic pain and are ready to take the first step toward eliminating it contact me today to schedule your free postural evaluation and consultation where we will figure out why you have pain and what you need to do to becoming pain free. 

Related videos/articles:
Understanding Low Back Pain
Forward head posture
8 laws of physical health
Benefits of good posture
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    About Matt Whitehead

    I'm an Egoscue Institute certified Postural Alignment Specialist (PAS) and Advanced Exercise Therapist (AET), certified personal trainer, PatchFitness performer, FiveFingers wearer, trail runner, mountain biker, dad, music lover, environmentalist, and wanna-be slam dunk champion. I will be providing you with the latest posture exercises to help you live, play, and be pain free.

    Archives

    January 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    February 2021
    February 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All
    Beliefs
    Chronic Pain
    Emotions
    Exercise
    Health
    Play
    Posture
    Sports Injury

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
Storybrand Website Design by Red Door Designs
Photos used under Creative Commons from mynameisharsha, Jon Grado