Blog Archives

What do you think is causing your pain?

7/13/2016

What if you're wrong?

I recently had a client who was told by her doctors that her knee was bone-on-bone and she had no cartilage left in her knee. Her doctors and her both bought into the idea that the lack of cartilage was the reason for her constant pain.

X-ray showing a bone-on-bone arthritic knee joint.

Knee joint anatomy.

But she wasn't ready for a knee replacement. She was referred to me by a good friend. She understood that her posture imbalances made her movement less efficient. She also understood that those imbalances might put increased pressure on her knee. And she even entertained the idea that maybe those posture imbalances were the reason her knee cartilage wore out in the first place.

But of course a total knee replacement surgery was the only thing that could "fix" her knee and allow her to be pain free again. Unless it wasn't. What if that line of thinking was wrong?

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Swimmer's Posture

7/12/2016

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If you watched the U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials recently you've seen some amazing swimming by both veteran swimmers and lots of new up-and-coming swimmers. If you're like me, you also noticed some terrible postures. Here are some of the main questions people have about swimmer's postures:

Why do swimmer's tend to have the same type of posture?
What causes these posture imbalances?
Doesn't this posture help them swim faster?
What can swimmers do to improve their posture?

Take a look at Michael Phelps standing posture here and here and here and you'll quickly see how his load joints do not align vertically. He presents with excessive thoracic flexion, rounded shoulders, forward head posture, everted feet, and swayback posture.

Good standing posture means the ability to support a natural s-curved spine and upright torso over strong and stable hips. Standing on both feet/legs evenly is a sign of good posture.

Ryan Lockte another top swimmer also shows the classic swimmers posture here and here and here. Ryan shows thoracic flexion, rounded shoulders, forward head posture, along with posterior pelvic tilt, everted feet and wide stance.

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Are You Getting Enough Vitamin N?

7/7/2016

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You've heard of vitamin C, D, and E, but what's vitamin N?

Well you don't get it by eating fruits and veggies or drinking milk. It doesn't come from red meat or black beans. It's not contained in your multivitamin or superfood shake.

Vitamin N you can only get by going outside, getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and heading to the hills where the birds and squirrels hang out. Vitamin N stands for "Nature". And getting a lot of vitamin N is the only way to prevent NDD: Nature Deficit Disorder.

Nature Deficit Disorder was coined by Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods", "The Nature Principle", and his latest book "Vitamin N". Nature Deficit Disorder is not a medical term but rather a way to discuss the relationship between less time spent outside in nature and the negative health consequences that come with it.

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Posture Exercises to Prepare the Body for Yoga

7/6/2016

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A yoga practice can be wonderful both physically and mentally, but only if your body is capable of performing the poses. Many people, because of our sedentary lifestyle, are taking a body that is imbalanced posturally and incapable of performing many of the poses correctly. This not only makes yoga difficult and not enjoyable, but can lead to injury and chronic pain issues. The video below takes you through a series of pre-yoga and post-yoga sequences that are designed to balance your body's posture, restore function, and prepare your body for the demands of yoga.

If you regularly practice yoga, at home or at a yoga studio, do this routine daily for the next week and see how it changes your yoga practice and how you feel all day long.

Comment below and let me know how it went and what changes you felt.

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What do you think is causing your pain?

What if you're wrong?

Swimmer's Posture

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin N?

Posture Exercises to Prepare the Body for Yoga

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